Arranging the documents to bring the deceased home
The paperwork is the longest and most confusing part of bringing the deceased home: local certificates, the consulate, the apostille, translations, the border. We arrange all of it for you. Even where a country requires a licensed funeral home, the whole path from that country to your home stays in our hands. In every country, transport is carried out under its law. We ask you only for what only the family can give.
Three groups of documents
To bring the deceased home, you need documents from three places. If even one is missing, the deceased may be held up at the morgue, at the airport or at the border. So we gather everything as one set and check it before departure.
The country where the death occurred
The death document, the permit to take the body out of the country, certificates for the preparation of the body and for the coffin. The documents are certified with an apostille and translated.
The Ukrainian consulate
Registration of the death, a Ukrainian death certificate, legalisation of the certificate needed at the border.
The Ukrainian border
The documents that Ukrainian law requires, and a statement for customs.
We have a lawyer on staff who helps with the legal questions.
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1. Documents from the country where the death occurred
Every country has its own names for documents and its own offices. What they share is the order: first the death is registered locally, then a permit to take the body out is obtained. A few examples:
| Country | What is arranged |
|---|---|
| Poland | The death is registered at the civil registry office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego) on the basis of the karta zgonu, the doctor's death card, within 3 days. The permit to take the body out is issued by the district state sanitary inspector, on the relatives' application. |
| Germany | The death certificate (Sterbeurkunde) is issued by the registry office (Standesamt). It must carry an apostille: without one the document is not valid in Ukraine. To take the body out, a body passport (Leichenpass) is needed; the authority that issues it depends on the federal state. |
| Austria | For Ukraine, the Ukrainian embassy asks for the Sterbeurkunde, the Leichenpass, an apostille, a declaration that there are no foreign objects in the coffin, a translation into Ukrainian and the deceased's original passport. |
| Czechia | The accompanying letter for the body (průvodní list) is issued by the regional public health station. |
| The Netherlands | The death document is issued by the municipality, and the apostille is affixed by the local court. To take the body out, a body passport (lijkenpas) is needed; it is issued by the municipality where the death occurred. |
| Belgium | A laissez-passer mortuaire is needed. We apply for it. |
| France | Only a funeral home licensed in France may carry out the transport in France. You will not need to find anyone else, and we answer for each stage until the deceased is home. A permit from the prefecture is needed to take the body out. |
| Denmark | To take the body out, a body passport (ligpas) is needed. For countries not covered by international agreements, the ligpas is legalised by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
| Lithuania | For transport to Ukraine, a separate notification is sent to the Lithuanian sanitary service. We do this. |
The rules change, and in some countries they differ even from one region to another. We check the requirements again for your case.
The Strasbourg Agreement
Some European countries are parties to an agreement on transporting the deceased: the Strasbourg Agreement on the transfer of corpses. Under it, a special document travels with the body: the laissez-passer. The countries that are parties do not require any other documents for the body. But Ukraine has not joined the Agreement. So a laissez-passer alone is not enough for the Ukrainian border: the documents required by Ukrainian law are needed as well.
2. The Ukrainian consulate
The death of a Ukrainian citizen abroad is registered by the Ukrainian consul. It can be registered at the person's last place of residence, the place of death, the place where the body was found, or the place of burial.
- Relatives can apply to the consul. So can the authorities of the country where the death occurred, the hospital or other people.
- The registration is based on the medical document confirming the death and the death certificate from the local authorities.
- There is no consular fee for the registration or for the first certificate.
- The Ukrainian death certificate is handed to close relatives, or sent through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to be passed on to the family.
- The consul issues a certificate for the social protection authorities. With it, the family can receive the funeral allowance.
- After the registration, the deceased's documents are sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or given back to the person accompanying the deceased.
- Even if the death occurred more than a year ago, the consul will still register it, marked as a late registration («Реєстрація з пропуском строку»).
The Ukrainian consulate or embassy also legalises the certificate that the body and the coffin contain no prohibited items. Without it the deceased will not be allowed across the border. In some countries the embassy issues a separate accompanying letter for transporting the coffin. In Germany, for example, the embassy needs the deceased's international passport, the death certificate and the Leichenpass with an apostille and a translation, a document confirming that there are no foreign objects, and a medical certificate that the deceased had no infectious disease.
For the consulate step by step, read our article on the Ukrainian consulate after a death abroad. For how to obtain the Ukrainian certificate, read our article on the death certificate abroad.
3. The Ukrainian border
At the border, the customs officer is shown:
- the death certificate, or another document from a competent authority confirming the death;
- a certificate that the body and the coffin (urn) contain no items prohibited from crossing the border. It is issued by an authority of the country of death and legalised by the Ukrainian consulate or embassy.
The deceased must be in a hermetic metal coffin, which is put under official seal. A short written statement for customs is added to these documents. We draw it up.
We prepare all these documents in advance, so that the deceased is not held up at the border.
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Apostille and translation
Documents issued abroad must be certified for use in Ukraine. There are two ways to do this.
Apostille
Ukraine is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (1961). For documents from other countries that are parties, the apostille replaces consular legalisation. It is affixed by a state authority of the country that issued the document.
Legalisation
If the country is not a party to the Convention and no international treaty exempts the document from certification, it is legalised through the consulate.
Ukraine recognises a foreign death certificate if it is legalised or carries an apostille, unless an international treaty provides otherwise. Documents in a foreign language are submitted with a certified translation into Ukrainian. In France, for example, the Ukrainian embassy can itself translate the French death certificate when a body or ashes are being repatriated.
What we need from the family
Documents
- The deceased's international passport, if you have it. In some countries it has to be handed in to the embassy.
- Your passport.
- Documents that show your relationship to the deceased: a birth certificate, a marriage certificate.
- The insurance policy, if there was one.
Signatures
- In some countries permits are issued only on the relatives' application. Then your signature is needed.
- Often we can arrange the documents on the relatives' behalf. Then a power of attorney is needed.
- We will tell you exactly what is needed, and in what form, in our first conversation.
If a document is missing, do not let that stop you. Tell us, and we will explain how to replace it or what can be used instead.
Questions about the documents
Are the documents included in the price of repatriation?
Yes, the documents are already included in the price of the transport. We will give you the exact amount for your country when we talk.
How long do the documents take?
It varies. It depends on the country, the day of the week and whether the circumstances of the death have to be investigated. The documents often take longer than the journey itself. The body's journey home to Ukraine takes from 24 hours after collection. We will give you the exact timing once we know the country and the circumstances.
Do I have to go to the consulate myself?
Often not. Not only relatives but also other people can apply to the consul. But in some countries your signature or a power of attorney is needed. We will tell you straight away.
Is there a fee for registering the death at the consulate?
The consul's registration of the death and the first certificate carry no consular fee. In many countries translations, the apostille and local permits have to be paid for. We include this when we give you the price.
Is a foreign death certificate recognised in Ukraine?
Yes, if it is legalised or carries an apostille (unless an international treaty provides otherwise), and comes with a certified translation into Ukrainian.
Where is the apostille affixed?
The apostille is affixed by a state authority of the country that issued the document. Every country has its own office for this: in the Netherlands, for example, the local court. We know which office to go to, and we handle it ourselves.
How do we get the funeral allowance?
When registering the death, the consul issues a certificate for the social protection authorities. With it, the family applies for the funeral allowance in Ukraine. We will remind you about this certificate so that you do not lose it.
What is the certificate of no prohibited items?
A document stating that there is nothing in the body or the coffin that is prohibited from crossing the border. The country of death issues it, and the Ukrainian consulate or embassy legalises it. Without it the deceased will not be cleared at the border.
The death happened long ago, and there are no Ukrainian documents for it. What should we do?
The consul registers the death even if more than a year has passed, marked as a late registration. Call us, and we will tell you where to start.
Which documents are needed for an urn with ashes?
For the border, the same ones: the death document and the certificate of no prohibited items with legalisation, plus the statement for customs. In the country of cremation a cremation certificate is usually needed as well. About urn transport →
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request
Tell us the country and list the documents you already have. We will call you back and tell you what is missing.
Thank you. We will call you back. For urgent matters, please call: +380 77 882 77 77.