Oleg Zdendiak, ownerpersonally responsible for every case 5,0 129 reviews on Google
Translated from Ukrainian “You were always available, whatever the time…” — Віта Х. “Everything was organised with great dignity, professionally and with attention to every detail.” — Тамара Ю. “Every question was resolved promptly, with respect and attention to detail.” — Olha B. “…your support, compassion, sense of responsibility and professionalism meant a great deal to us.” — Ірина Б. “It all went quickly and professionally…” — Оля К. In brief: how an urn can be buried
- An urn can go into a family grave, into a niche in a columbarium or into a new grave.
- We find out in advance what a particular cemetery allows and which documents it will ask for.
- Keep all the documents the urn crossed the border with. You will need them.
- There is usually less time pressure with an urn than with a body: you can take your time choosing the place and the day.
- We can arrange the farewell, a priest and a place in the cemetery anywhere in Ukraine. This is a separate service.
- If the urn is still abroad, we will bring it. The transport costs from €800 from most countries. From Moldova an urn costs from €400, from Thailand and Vietnam from €1,800, and from the USA, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia from €2,500.
If you do not feel up to reading this now, please call us: +380 77 882 77 77, around the clock. We speak Ukrainian, English, Polish and German.
Burying the urn in a family grave
An urn can be placed in a grave where relatives already lie: parents, a husband or wife, grandparents. That way your loved ones are together, and you do not have to look for a new place. You can visit the place the family has always visited.
Whether an urn can be added to a particular grave, and what that requires, is for the cemetery to decide. We find this out in advance, prepare the papers and agree the day.
Columbarium
A columbarium is a wall or a separate building with niches for urns. The niche is closed with a slab bearing the name and the dates, and you can visit it just as you would a grave.
Not every cemetery has a columbarium. We will find out whether there is one near you, on what terms, and what a niche costs in your town. We do not quote niche prices here: the cemetery itself will name them.
A new grave
If there is no family grave, or it is far away, the urn can be buried in a new grave. The place is agreed with the cemetery, and we can take that on.
A cross with a name plate is usually placed on the grave. We will help you choose the cross, the wreaths and the ribbons with inscriptions.
Call us, day or night
Languages: Ukrainian, English, Polish, German. The same number in messengers.
Documents for burying an urn
The administration of the cemetery or columbarium will tell you which papers it needs. We check this before the day of the burial, so that nobody has to look for a document on the day.
So keep all the documents the urn arrived with:
- the death certificate: a Ukrainian one issued by the consul, or a foreign one with an apostille or legalisation;
- the cremation certificate, if one was issued in the country of cremation (in Germany, for example, it is the Einäscherungsbescheinigung);
- the documents the urn crossed the border with;
- translations into Ukrainian.
A foreign death certificate is recognised in Ukraine if it carries an apostille or has been legalised, unless an international treaty provides otherwise. Foreign documents are submitted to the civil registry offices (DRACS) together with a certified translation. What else you need to arrange in Ukraine is covered in the article “Documents after a death abroad: what to arrange in Ukraine”.
What the law says:
- 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
Is there a hurry?
There is usually not the same hurry with an urn as with a body. The family can take time to choose the place and the day of the farewell, and to wait for relatives who live far away. If the cemetery has its own rules on timing, we will find out what they are.
The farewell with an urn, and what we arrange
A farewell with an urn is just like a farewell with a coffin. The family gathers, remembers the person and, if they wish, prays together with a priest. We describe how to plan it all in order in the article “How to arrange a funeral”.
What we can take on:
- agreeing the place with the cemetery: a family grave, a columbarium niche or a new grave;
- preparing the documents for the cemetery;
- inviting a priest of your denomination for a memorial service (panakhyda) or a prayer at the cemetery;
- the farewell hall;
- a cross with a name plate, wreaths, ribbons with inscriptions, candles;
- a bus for the family and guests;
- a memorial meal: on the day of the burial, on the 9th or 40th day, or on the anniversary.
We arrange funerals across Ukraine. If the urn is to be buried in another region of Ukraine, we will tell you at once what we can arrange there ourselves and what we cannot.
Burying an urn is a separate service, and its price is not included in the transport. We prepare the estimate together with you and add nothing without your agreement. More on the page “Funerals across Ukraine”.
If the urn is still abroad
We will bring it. The price is from €800 from most countries. From Moldova an urn costs from €400, from Thailand and Vietnam from €1,800, and from the USA, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia from €2,500. We take care of the documents for the border, the packing and the journey. The article “Customs clearance of an urn with ashes” explains which documents the border needs; the page “Transport of an urn with ashes to Ukraine” describes the service.
Cremation abroad and bringing the urn to Ukraine, by country
How cremation works in each country and how to bring the urn with ashes to Ukraine:
- Cremation in Austria and Taking the Ashes Home to Ukraine
- Cremation in Azerbaijan: Is It Possible and What Families Can Do
- Cremation in Belgium and Taking the Ashes Home to Ukraine
- Cremation in Bulgaria and Urn Transport to Ukraine
- Cremation in Canada and Transporting an Urn with Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Croatia and Taking Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Czechia and Urn Transport to Ukraine
- Cremation in Egypt: Is It Possible and What Families Can Do
- Cremation in Estonia and Taking the Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Finland and Taking the Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Georgia: Is It Possible and What Families Can Do
- Cremation in Greece and Taking Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Hungary and Transporting an Urn with Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Ireland and Transporting an Urn with Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Israel and Taking the Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Latvia and Taking the Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Liechtenstein and Taking the Ashes Home to Ukraine
- Cremation in Lithuania and Taking the Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Luxembourg and Taking the Ashes Home to Ukraine
- Cremation in Malta: Is It Possible and What to Do
- Cremation in Moldova: Is It Possible and What Families Should Do
- Cremation in Montenegro: Is It Possible and What to Do
- Cremation in Norway and Taking the Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Portugal and Transporting an Urn with Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Romania and transporting an urn with ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Slovakia and Transporting an Urn with Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Slovenia and Taking Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in Switzerland and Taking the Ashes Home to Ukraine
- Cremation in Turkey: Is It Possible and What Families Can Do
- Cremation in the Netherlands and Transporting an Urn with Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in the UAE: What Families Can Do and Taking the Ashes to Ukraine
- Cremation in the UK and Taking Ashes Abroad to Ukraine
- Died in the USA: cremation or body repatriation
Questions about burying an urn
The urn is already home. Where do we start?
Decide where you want to bury it: in a family grave, in a columbarium or in a new grave. Then call us. We will find out what the cemetery allows and prepare an estimate.
Can an urn be buried in a grave where relatives already lie?
It is one of the options. Whether it is possible in that particular grave, and what it requires, is for the cemetery to decide. We will find that out for you.
Does the urn have to be buried straight away?
Usually not. You can take your time choosing the place and the day. Should the cemetery set deadlines of its own, we will learn them beforehand.
Which documents are needed?
The cemetery administration will tell you exactly what it needs, and we will find out in advance. Keep the death certificate, the cremation certificate if one was issued, the translations and the documents the urn crossed the border with.
Can we invite a priest?
Yes. We will arrange for a priest of your denomination to lead a memorial service (panakhyda) or a prayer at the cemetery. Give us the name of the parish or of the priest, and we will contact the priest and agree a time.
How much does it cost to bury an urn?
It is a separate service, and the price depends on the place and on what the family needs. We prepare the estimate together with you. Transporting the urn is priced separately: from €800 from most countries. From Moldova an urn costs from €400, from Thailand and Vietnam from €1,800, and from the USA, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia from €2,500.
Do you arrange the burial of an urn in my city?
Yes. We work across all of Ukraine: the farewell, a priest, a place in the cemetery. Tell us the town and the date, and we will agree the order of steps and the price before we begin.
The urn is still abroad. What should we do?
Call us. We will check which documents you already have and tell you what is missing. The journey of the urn to Ukraine costs from €800 from most countries. From Moldova an urn costs from €400, from Thailand and Vietnam from €1,800, and from the USA, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia from €2,500.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for the burial of an urn
Tell us where the urn is now and where you want to bury it. We will call you back, clarify the details and prepare an estimate.