Transport of an urn with ashes to Ukraine
If the cremation has already taken place abroad, we will help you bring the urn home. Transport of an urn to Ukraine costs from €100, depending on the country; from the USA it is from €3,400. We take care of the documents, the packing and the border.
How much it costs to transport an urn
The price depends on the country we bring the urn from: from €100. You will find the price for your country in the table on the Prices page. We will give you the exact amount within 5 minutes. It can change if some documents are missing or if the urn has to be collected from a remote town.
Burying the urn in Ukraine is a separate service. If you need it, we will tell you what it involves and what it costs.
When a family brings home an urn rather than a coffin
Sometimes the cremation has already taken place. The person may have chosen it during their lifetime, circumstances in another country may have led to it, or the family may have decided on it. Then one thing remains: to bring the ashes home, so that there is a place to say goodbye and a place to come back to.
An urn is simpler to transport than a coffin. Usually neither a specialist vehicle nor air cargo is needed. But the documents are still needed, and a mistake in them can hold the urn up at the border. That is why we prepare everything in advance.
If the deceased has not been cremated yet and you are thinking about the best way to bring them home, call us. We will tell you about the repatriation of a body and give you the price, so that you can decide calmly.
We work out your price
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How we transport an urn
A conversation
We ask which country the urn is in, which documents have already been issued and where in Ukraine it needs to go. We give you the price.
Documents
We obtain or check the death document, the cremation certificate and other local documents. We have them certified and translated.
The consulate
We agree the set of documents with the Ukrainian consulate or embassy, which legalises the certificate for the border.
Packing
We pack the urn so that it does not break on the way: with cushioning material, in transport packaging.
The journey and the border
We bring the urn to Ukraine and clear customs with the right documents.
Handing over to the family
We hand the urn over to the family in the town or city you name, together with all the documents.
Documents and customs clearance for an urn
We can bring an urn from a crematorium in any country. What a particular country requires is on its page: Germany, Czechia, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway and Finland. All countries are on the countries page.
At the Ukrainian border
For an urn, the border needs the same documents as for a coffin:
- a death certificate or another document confirming the death, issued by a competent authority;
- a certificate of no prohibited items, confirming that the urn contains nothing that is banned from crossing the border. It is issued by an authority of the country of death and legalised by the Ukrainian consulate or embassy;
- a short written statement for customs.
We prepare all of this.
In the country where the cremation took place
Here everything depends on the country. A few examples:
- Germany: the Ukrainian embassy issues a separate accompanying letter for the urn. The documents needed are the deceased's passport, the death certificate with an apostille, the cremation certificate with a translation, and a document confirming that the urn contains no extraneous items.
- Austria: the death certificate, confirmation of the cremation and of the sealing of the urn, an apostille and a translation.
- France: the urn must be transported by a funeral home licensed in France, and from the first call to the arrival home we answer for every stage. In every country, transport is carried out under its law. The consulate issues a certificate for the transport of the urn, based on the death certificate with an apostille and a translation, the cremation certificate and other documents.
- Denmark: ashes do not need a ligpas, the document without which a body cannot be taken out of Denmark.
- The Netherlands: ashes may be transported without documents, but it is advisable to have a translation of the death certificate and the cremation certificate at hand.
The Strasbourg Agreement on the transfer of corpses does not apply to ashes. So no laissez-passer is issued for an urn under that agreement. What you need are the documents of the country where the cremation took place, plus the Ukrainian ones.
For customs, flying and posting an urn, see the article Customs clearance of an urn with ashes.
Call us, day or night
Languages: Ukrainian, English, Polish, German. The same number works on Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram.
An urn on a plane: what to know
If the urn travels by plane:
- a separate booking for the urn is usually not needed, but check with the airline before the flight whether it goes in hand luggage or in checked baggage;
- the urn is carried tightly closed;
- the urn goes through X-ray screening, so it is packed with cushioning to protect it from breakage.
Timing: the air leg takes from 2.5 hours. The plane flies to an airport near Ukraine, and the last part of the journey is by road.
Can I bring the urn home myself?
Yes. If you are flying or driving from that country yourself, you can take the urn with you. But you need all the documents for the Ukrainian border, and you need to know the airline's rules.
We can help in that case too: prepare the documents, check the airline's requirements and advise you on how to pack the urn. And if you cannot travel, we will bring the urn ourselves.
Questions about transporting an urn with ashes
How much does it cost to transport an urn?
Transport of an urn costs from €100, depending on the country.
Which documents are needed?
For the Ukrainian border: a document confirming the death, a certificate of no prohibited items in the urn legalised by the Ukrainian consulate, and a written statement for customs. In the country of cremation you usually also need the cremation certificate, an apostille and a translation. We will tell you the exact list for your country.
Who can collect the urn from the crematorium?
Each country has its own rules for releasing an urn. Tell us which country the urn is in, and we will explain how it works there and what is needed from you.
How long does transporting an urn take?
The air leg takes from 2.5 hours. Most of the time is taken up by the documents in the country of cremation. We will tell you the exact timing after our conversation.
The urn is already with a relative abroad. What should we do?
Call us. We will check which documents you already have and tell you what is missing. Then either your relative brings the urn with the documents in order, or we collect it and bring it to Ukraine.
Can you help with burying the urn in Ukraine?
Yes. We can arrange the farewell and the burial of the urn anywhere in Ukraine. This is a separate service, and its price is not included in the transport. More on the page about arranging a funeral in Ukraine, and on the ways to bury an urn in the article Burying an urn with ashes in Ukraine.
Will the urn be opened at the border?
Only in exceptional cases, when there is credible information that it contains prohibited items. Then it is done at a healthcare facility, in the presence of a customs officer and the accompanying person.
How is the urn packed for the journey?
We pack the urn so that it does not break, including during X-ray screening at the airport. We take care of the packing.
Can you bring an urn from a country that is not on your website?
Yes. Tell us the country, and we will tell you which documents are needed there.
Can I order the transport if the cremation has not taken place yet?
Yes. In that case we will bring the deceased home in a coffin, and you will be able to say goodbye at home. Call us: we will explain how it works and give you the price.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for urn transport
Tell us which country the urn is in. We will call you back.
Thank you. We will call you back. For urgent matters, please call: +380 77 882 77 77.