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- The method of burial is determined by the wishes of the deceased. If none were left, the closest relatives or the person arranging the funeral decide.
- Cremation requires a doctor's examination of the body (Totenbeschau) and an officially registered death.
- In Upper Austria, burial usually takes place 48–96 hours after death, or up to 10 days with refrigeration.
- The crematorium releases the urn to a funeral home or a cemetery. It is only given directly to the family with a special permit.
- Transporting an urn with ashes to Ukraine costs from €800, with no upfront payment.
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The first question is what the person wanted. The Vienna Funeral and Burial Act (WLBG, § 28) explicitly states that the method of burial is determined by a will or another declaration of intent by the deceased. If there is none, the decision is made by the person ordering the funeral. The law places the obligation to arrange the burial on close relatives: the spouse, registered partner, children, parents, and siblings (§ 19).
In Upper Austria, the rule is similar. The wishes of the deceased apply, and if none were expressed, the closest relatives decide.
Citizenship does not matter. A Ukrainian citizen is cremated in the same crematorium and with the same documents. If the family is in Ukraine, there is usually no need to travel to Austria. You sign a power of attorney and a written consent for cremation, and we pass them on to the local funeral home. If there are several relatives and they disagree, it is best to reach an agreement before ordering the cremation: once it is done, it cannot be undone.
Permits and Documents for Cremation
Nothing can begin without a medical examination of the body. A doctor examines the deceased and fills out a post-mortem examination report (Totenbeschaubefund or Totenbeschauschein). In Vienna, cremation is only permitted if there is a medical certificate of death (Todesbescheinigung) and confirmation that the death has been registered at the civil registry office (Standesamt).
In Upper Austria, the post-mortem report is issued in two copies: one for the municipality (Gemeinde) and the other for the crematorium. Without it, the body cannot be cremated.
What the crematorium itself requires can be seen from the rules of the Salzburg Crematorium, which has been run by the city since 2024:
- cremation order and consent (Einäscherungsauftrag / Einverständniserklärung);
- post-mortem examination report or death certificate (Sterbeurkunde);
- body transport permit, if required by law.
The documents are submitted by a licensed funeral home, not the family. If the death was violent or the cause is unclear, the police and the public prosecutor's office make the initial decisions. In such cases, the timelines are longer and cannot be predicted in advance.
How long you wait for cremation
In Upper Austria, a body is usually buried no earlier than 48 hours and no later than 96 hours after death. If the body is kept in a refrigerated chamber, the period can be extended up to 10 days. Cremation is also a form of burial, so these time limits apply.
In Vienna, a body can be kept in a refrigerated chamber for no longer than four weeks. If no one has arranged the funeral within five days after the medical certificate is issued, the city administration (Magistrat) steps in to do it. That is why a family in Ukraine should call us right away rather than wait.
The Salzburg Crematorium accepts bodies 24/7, while staff work Monday through Friday from 6:00 to 18:00. The waiting time itself depends on the crematorium and the season. The actual timeframe from death to a ready urn is usually from a few days to two weeks.
How Much Does Cremation Cost in Austria
There is no single standard fee. Each crematorium sets its own prices, and the funeral home adds its own services. Vienna's municipal funeral service (Bestattung Wien) notes that a funeral costs an average of €4,000–6,000, and cremation is usually among the less expensive options. The crematorium fee (Kremationsgebühr) is billed separately as a third-party cost.
Source: Bestattung Wien: Kosten
Paid separately:
- transport of the body to the crematorium;
- cremation coffin;
- urn or metal ash capsule;
- death certificate, apostille, translations.
If we organize the cremation through our local partners, we calculate the total for your specific situation and show it to you before any work begins. Transporting an urn with ashes to Ukraine costs from €800. There is no upfront payment: you pay under the contract after the urn is handed over. Read more about the service on the urn transport page.
The Urn for Transport
The ashes are placed in a sealed container marked with the name, date of birth, and date of cremation (WLBG, § 30). By default, the Salzburg Crematorium uses a biodegradable capsule. A metal capsule or another type of urn must be ordered by the funeral home in writing. For transport to Ukraine, we recommend a sturdy sealed urn or capsule that can be X-rayed.
An important Austrian detail: the crematorium does not simply hand the urn over to the family. In Vienna, the urn is only released to a cemetery, a licensed funeral home, or a person holding a permit from the city administration. In Salzburg, it is the same: to a private individual only with a permit under state law. Therefore, the urn is usually collected by a funeral home, and we receive it from them.
Airlines often allow an urn in carry-on luggage, provided it is approved in advance. Rules vary, so we check with the carrier ahead of time.
How to Bring an Urn from Austria to Ukraine: Documents
For a body in Vienna, a laissez-passer for a corpse (Leichenpass) is required. For ashes, Vienna law only requires a suitable container (§ 14). In Upper Austria, transporting an urn does not require a permit at all (Oö. Leichenbestattungsgesetz, § 22). In other federal states, we check the rules with the local authority.
Document package:
- death certificate (Sterbeurkunde) from the civil registry office;
- cremation certificate from the crematorium;
- apostille on the death certificate. This is issued by the government of the state where the document was issued, for example, in Tyrol by the citizenship department of the state government;
- Ukrainian translation;
- if needed, consular registration of death at the Embassy of Ukraine in Austria.
The urn can be transported by plane or by land. We explain customs matters in the article customs clearance for an urn. The full list is available on the documents page.
Can You Transport the Urn Yourself
You can, but there are nuances. Due to state laws, you might not be able to get the urn released directly to you without a funeral home. At the airport, the urn goes through security screening, and a container that cannot be X-rayed may raise questions. Documents in German without a translation can also slow things down at the border.
If you already have the urn and all the documents, and the carrier has approved the urn on board, you can bring it yourself. If the family is in Ukraine, the paperwork is incomplete, or there is no time to arrange approvals, it is better to entrust this to us. We collect the urn from the funeral home and hand it over to you in Ukraine.
Cremation vs. Body Repatriation
| Urn with ashes | Body in a coffin | |
|---|---|---|
| Timelines | cremation and documents, then transport | faster to start, longer road journey |
| Documents | death certificate, cremation certificate | Leichenpass, death certificate, hermetically sealed coffin |
| Transport | easy, by car or plane | specialized funeral vehicle |
| Price | from €800 | see the country page |
If the family wishes to bury the person in a coffin, read about body repatriation from Austria.
Burying an Urn in Ukraine
In Ukraine, an urn can be buried in the ground, placed in a columbarium, or interred in an existing family grave. A permit from the cemetery is required, and for interment in an existing grave, the consent of the grave's registered holder is needed. We explain how to do this in the article urn burial.
Timelines from the First Call to Urn Burial
| Stage | Estimated time |
|---|---|
| Call, identifying the federal state, crematorium, and documents | 1 day |
| Power of attorney, cremation consent, post-mortem examination | 1–3 days |
| Cremation and ready urn | from a few days to 2 weeks |
| Death certificate, apostille, translation | 1–2 weeks |
| Transporting the urn to Ukraine | a few days |
| Urn burial | as agreed with the cemetery |
Timelines depend on the authorities and the crematorium. Getting the apostille and translations usually takes the longest.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Ukrainian citizen be cremated in Austria?
Yes. The conditions are the same as for Austrian citizens: a post-mortem examination report, a registered death, and consent that matches the wishes of the deceased.
Who gives consent for cremation if the family is in Ukraine?
The closest relatives. You sign a power of attorney and consent form, and we forward them to the funeral home in Austria. Traveling there in person is usually not necessary.
How much does cremation cost in Austria?
There is no single standard fee; each crematorium sets its own prices. An official tariff example with its source is given above in the section on costs. Our service for transporting an urn to Ukraine costs from €800.
Will the crematorium hand the urn directly to the family?
Not always. In Vienna and Salzburg, the crematorium releases the urn to a funeral home or cemetery, and to a private individual only with an official permit. We receive the urn through a funeral home.
Is a permit required to take an urn out of Austria?
It depends on the federal state. In Upper Austria, transporting an urn does not require a permit; in Vienna, a suitable sealed container is required. An apostilled death certificate and a cremation certificate are always required.
Can I take an urn on a plane?
Often yes, in carry-on luggage with prior approval from the airline. The urn goes through X-ray screening, so the container must be sealed and easy to check on X-ray.
What to Do Now
- Gather the information you already have: name, date of death, city, and the hospital or funeral home that took the body.
- Find out whether the person left any written wishes regarding their burial.
- Decide where in Ukraine the urn will be buried.
- Call us. We will check the rules of your federal state, arrange the cremation with our partners, or collect the ready urn and bring it home.
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