Repatriation from Ukraine to Moldova

Ukraine is a neighbouring country, but taking the deceased out goes through Ukrainian procedures (civil registry, forensic expert, customs) and through the embassy of the Republic of Moldova. We help you take the steps in the right order.

Issuing authority and document: Ukraine is not listed among the parties to the Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses (1973), according to the public list consulted on 13.10.2026, so Ukrainian law and the requirements of the Republic of Moldova apply. In Ukraine the death is registered by the civil registry office; when the coffin crosses the border, customs receives the death certificate, a free-form application and the forensic expert's certificate that the body and coffin contain no prohibited items. The mortuary passport is issued by an embassy or consulate of the Republic of Moldova.
Transport: As a rule by road, since Ukraine is a neighbouring country. The route, the border crossing and the handover point in Moldova are agreed with the family case by case, depending on the documents and the situation at the border.
Timing: A timeline can only be given once we have seen the documents. It depends on the civil registry, the forensic expert and Ukrainian customs, the embassy and the route.
Price: Body (repatriation of remains): from 250 €
Ashes (urn): from 250 €

Country status under the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses: per the Council of Europe list (archived 20.05.2014) and the Netherlands treaty database; checked 11.10.2026.

Procedure

The death is registered at a Ukrainian civil registry office on the basis of the medical death certificate. The Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Kyiv can also register the death, but this is not mandatory.

Moving a coffin across the Ukrainian border is governed by the Customs Code and by the Ukrainian Law "On Burial and Funeral Business" (Article 22). The person transporting the deceased submits a free-form written application and the documents required by law to customs; the coffin or urn is sealed by the officials named in the law.

The mortuary passport needed for international transport is issued by an embassy or consulate of the Republic of Moldova. The embassy in Kyiv has a consular section, and its page also lists a consulate in Odesa; we check the current contact details at the start.

Required documents

Usually needed: the Ukrainian death certificate, the identity document of the deceased, the forensic expert's certificate (no prohibited items), the application to customs and the papers of the funeral service. Ukraine is a party to the 1961 Hague Convention (in force since 22 December 2003) and the Republic of Moldova has not objected; the form of confirmation for Ukrainian documents, the translation into Romanian and the exact list are agreed with the embassy case by case.

Coffin and urn

Ukrainian law requires the deceased to be placed in a sealed metal coffin (or an urn). A coffin may be opened only in exceptional cases, when there is reliable information about prohibited items, in a special room of a medical facility and in the presence of a customs representative. That is why the coffin must be prepared and sealed correctly before departure.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues the documents to take the deceased out of Ukraine?

The civil registry office registers the death (death certificate). The certificate that the body and coffin contain no prohibited items is issued by a forensic medical expert in the presence of a customs officer. Ukrainian customs receives these documents at the border.

What does the Moldovan embassy in Kyiv do?

The embassy can register the death (this is optional) and issues the mortuary passport. We check the contact details and the opening arrangements of the consular section at the start, because they can change.

What kind of coffin is required?

Under Ukrainian law, a sealed metal coffin, closed by the officials named in the law. We prepare it together with the funeral service in Ukraine so that it does not have to be reopened at the border.

Can we bring home the ashes from Ukraine?

Yes. Ukrainian law sets the same basic requirement for a coffin and for an urn: a closed, sealed container. We confirm the list of documents for ashes according to your city in Ukraine.

Other countries

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