Documents on the Ukrainian side
This is what Ukrainian law requires when a body is taken abroad. Each point has a link to its source. These requirements are the same for every country, so we do not repeat them on the country pages. This part is our job.
Registering the death
- In Ukraine a death is registered by the civil registry office (DRACS); the grounds include the medical certificate of death (form No. 106/o) or another document listed in the Rules for State Registration of Civil Status Acts in Ukraine. zakon.rada.gov.ua
- A death is registered at the deceased's last place of residence, the place of death or where the body was found, or the place of burial. zakon.rada.gov.ua
- Under the law, the civil registry departments that register deaths and issue death certificates belong to the justice authorities (Art. 4 of the Law on State Registration of Civil Status Acts). zakon.rada.gov.ua
If the deceased was a foreign national
- If a foreign national dies in Ukraine, the civil registry office that registered the death notifies the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. zakon.rada.gov.ua
- Under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the authorities of the receiving state, when they have the information, notify without delay the consular post in whose district a foreign national died. treaties.un.org
- According to UK government guidance for families, under Ukrainian law a post mortem is likely to be required when a foreigner dies in Ukraine, and written permission from the next of kin may be requested. gov.uk
What the family should do in that case is explained in the article “When a foreign national dies in Ukraine: documents, the consul and bringing them home”.
Customs and the border
- To move a body across Ukraine's border (including taking it abroad), the accompanying person shows customs a death certificate (or another document from a competent authority confirming death) and a certificate that the body and coffin (urn) contain no prohibited items. zakon.rada.gov.ua
- When a coffin (urn) is taken out of Ukraine, the certificate of no prohibited items is issued by a forensic medical expert in the presence of a customs officer (Art. 22 of the Law on Burial and Funeral Services). zakon.rada.gov.ua
- When individuals move a coffin with a body or an urn with ashes across the customs border of Ukraine, this is done on their free-form written application plus the documents set by the Law on Burial and Funeral Services (Customs Code, Art. 365(8)). zakon.rada.gov.ua
The coffin
- The body is carried in a hermetic metal coffin; the coffin (urn) is put under official seal by the same officials who issue the certificate of no prohibited items. zakon.rada.gov.ua
- A sealed coffin (urn) is opened only in exceptional cases — when there is reliable information about prohibited items — in a healthcare facility, in the presence of a customs officer and the accompanying person. zakon.rada.gov.ua
Translation and apostille
- The apostille on official documents issued by justice bodies and courts, and on documents drawn up by Ukrainian notaries, is affixed by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. guide.diia.gov.ua
- An apostille can also be placed on a copy of the document certified in Ukraine, including a copy with a translation. guide.diia.gov.ua
- In Ukraine a notary certifies the accuracy of a document translation if the notary knows the languages; otherwise a translator translates and the notary certifies the translator's signature (Art. 79 of the Law on Notaries). zakon.rada.gov.ua
Whether an apostille and a translation are needed depends on the country where the documents will be submitted. We will tell you what applies in your case.
