Road transport of the deceased to Ukraine
From the countries next to Ukraine and from Central Europe, road transport is the most common choice. The deceased usually travels in one vehicle, with no transfers or reloading, from the morgue abroad to the door of your home or church in Ukraine. We take care of the documents, the coffin, the border and the journey.
Call us, and we will give you the exact price within 5 minutes.
Why by road
If someone has died in Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania or Moldova, the road is usually the shortest way home. You do not have to wait for a flight, agree the cargo with an airline or reload the coffin at an airport. As a rule, the same vehicle collects the deceased from the morgue abroad and takes them wherever the family asks.
- Usually one vehicle all the way from the morgue to your home, so the coffin is not moved from one vehicle to another. If local rules require extra permits for the transport, we will tell you in advance.
- The vehicle can stop wherever it is needed: at the hospital, the morgue, the border, your home, the church or the cemetery.
- From neighbouring countries, road transport is often cheaper than air transport.
- Relatives can follow the vehicle with the coffin in their own car.
From distant countries such as Italy, Spain or the United Kingdom, road transport is also possible, but the journey is very long. In that case we compare it with air transport and offer whichever works out better for you.
Where we most often travel from by road
The prices are “from” prices and cover the whole journey home. Choose a country for its documents and answers.
Poland from €800 Exact price →
Czechia from €1,000 Exact price →
Lithuania from €1,300 Exact price →
Romania from €1,500 Exact price →
Hungary from €1,900 Exact price →
Slovakia from €2,000 Exact price →
Germany from €2,100 Exact price →
Austria from €2,400 Exact price →
Bulgaria from €2,500 Exact price →
Croatia from €3,000 Exact price →
Moldova Get a price
Other countries Get a price
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
How the transport works
The call
You tell us the country, the city and where in Ukraine the deceased should be taken. We give you the price and tell you which documents we need from you.
Local documents
We help you obtain the death certificate and the permit to take the body out of the country from the local authorities, and we order translations and an apostille where they are needed.
The consulate
We prepare the documents for the Ukrainian consulate, so that it can legalise the certificate of no prohibited items in the coffin.
Preparing the body and the coffin
We arrange embalming if the country requires it, and a hermetically sealed coffin with a metal liner. The coffin is put under official seal in the country of death.
Departure
A specialist vehicle collects the deceased from the morgue or hospital. You know when the vehicle has set off and where it is now.
The border
We handle customs clearance at the Ukrainian border, so the family does not need to be there. What is checked is explained in the next section.
Handing over to the family
We bring the deceased to your home, a church, a farewell hall or straight to the cemetery, as agreed.
The Ukrainian border: what is checked
A coffin with a body is cleared at the Ukrainian border on the basis of a free-form written statement. The documents required by Ukrainian law are attached to it:
- a death certificate or another document confirming the death, issued by a competent authority;
- a certificate that there are no prohibited items in the body or the coffin. It is issued by an authority of the country of death and legalised by a Ukrainian consulate or embassy.
The body must be in a hermetic metal coffin, which is put under official seal. The coffin is opened only in exceptional cases, in a healthcare facility, in the presence of a customs officer and the accompanying person. Our driver hands the statement and the documents to the customs officer, so the family does not need to be at the border. If the documents are in order, we cross the border without difficulty.
Many European countries issue a special pass for the body, known as a laissez-passer. It is not enough for Ukraine: the Ukrainian border also requires its own documents, and we prepare them.
Can a family bring the body home themselves, and what would that involve? Read the article “Can a family bring a body home themselves?”
Country rules we take into account
Every country has its own rules for transporting a body. Here are a few examples, so you can see why we ask for the country and the city right away.
- Poland. To take a body out of the country, you need a coffin with metal inside, in a tight wooden crate. The coffin is sealed by a sanitary inspector.
- Czechia. Embalming is not mandatory. But if an unembalmed body is transported for more than 8 hours or more than 500 km, a hermetically sealed coffin or refrigeration equipment is required.
- Romania. To move the body outside the town or village where the death occurred, it must be embalmed. For international transport, a hermetically sealed coffin in a wooden crate is required.
- Bulgaria. The transport permit is issued by the regional health inspectorate, and a sanitary inspector is present when the coffin is soldered shut.
Details for each route: repatriation from Poland, repatriation from Romania, repatriation from Czechia, repatriation from Hungary, repatriation from Slovakia and repatriation from Bulgaria.
The rules for other countries are on the country pages: Germany, Austria, Lithuania, Croatia, Moldova.
Call us, day or night
Languages: Ukrainian, English, Polish, German. The same number works on Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram.
The vehicles we use
The deceased travels in a specialist vehicle: a closed cargo compartment, a loading deck that holds the coffin in place, and an interior lining that is easy to clean after every journey. For long distances and in warm weather, we use a vehicle with refrigeration.
The drivers know the roads, the borders and the documents. They do more than drive: they are responsible for the coffin from the morgue until it is handed over to the family.
What the price includes
The price includes:
- contact with the hospital and the morgue
- local, consular and border documents
- preparing the body for the journey
- hermetic coffin, soldered zinc liner
- sealing as the border requires
- transport by road, or part of the way by air, whichever is faster and better value for you
- handover to the family in your town
Farewell coffin: quoted separately.
The price depends on the distance, the city where the deceased is now, and the country's requirements for the coffin and embalming. A funeral in Ukraine is a separate service, and we price it separately. We tell you the amount before any work begins.
Questions about road transport
How much does road transport cost?
The “from” prices are on the country cards above and on the Prices page. The exact amount depends on the city, the documents and the country's rules for the coffin. We will give it to you when we speak: call us or send us a message.
How long does the journey take?
By road, the body's journey home to Ukraine takes from 24 hours after collection. It is usually the documents in the country of death that take the most time, not the journey itself. Offices closed at weekends and on public holidays, a post mortem or an investigation can add time. We tell you every day what stage the case has reached.
Can relatives travel with the vehicle?
Yes. Relatives can follow in their own car or meet us at a convenient place. Tell us during the first call, and we will agree the route and the stops.
Is embalming required for road transport?
It depends on the country. In Romania, for example, embalming is required for any transport outside the town or village where the death occurred, while in Czechia the length of the journey matters (see the example above). We will tell you what applies in your case. More on the page “Preparing the body”.
What kind of coffin is needed?
For the Ukrainian border, a hermetic metal coffin, put under official seal. In practice, this is a wooden coffin with a soldered metal liner inside. About the types of coffins and liners, see the page “Coffins and sealed metal liners”.
Which cities do you collect from?
From any city in the country where the person died, and from a hospital, morgue, hospice or home. The distance to the border affects the price, which is why we ask for the city first.
Where in Ukraine do you bring the deceased?
To any town or village in Ukraine that the family names: your home, a church, a farewell hall or the cemetery. If you need it, we will also arrange the funeral itself anywhere in Ukraine. How to move the deceased between cities in Ukraine is explained in the article How to move the deceased to another city in Ukraine.
Will the vehicle set off before the documents are ready?
No. Without the permit to take the body out of the country of death and the certificate legalised by the consulate, the deceased cannot cross the border, so the vehicle collects them once the documents are in hand. While they are being prepared, we tell you every day what has been done.
What should we do first, before we have spoken?
Do not sign anything with local funeral homes until you have agreed the price. Write down the address of the hospital or morgue and take photos of the documents you have been given. Then call us, and we will tell you the next steps. Step by step: What to do if a loved one dies abroad.
Bringing home an urn with ashes? Read the page “Urn transport”.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for road transport
Choose the country where the deceased is now. We will call you back.
Thank you. We will call you back. For urgent matters, please call: +380 77 882 77 77.