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- The cremation permit is issued by the civil registrar (officier de l'état civil) of the commune where the death occurred.
- You need the deceased person's expressed wish or an application from the nearest relative, a medical certificate, and a pacemaker certificate.
- Cremation takes place between 24 and 72 hours after death. This period can be extended with a justified request.
- Luxembourg law currently does not allow keeping an urn at home.
- Transporting an urn with ashes to Ukraine costs from €800, with no prepayment.
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The state portal guichet.lu states: a cremation permit is issued based on a document where the person expressed the wish to be cremated, or a request from the closest family member. This means authorities first look at the wishes of the deceased, and if nothing was written down, the nearest relative decides.
Citizenship does not matter. A Ukrainian is cremated at the same crematorium and with the same documents. If the family is in Ukraine, the nearest relative signs the application and power of attorney, and we pass them on to the funeral home. Because of the short 72-hour deadline, this must be done in the very first days, so call us right away.
If a person died abroad while living in Luxembourg, the permit is issued by the commune of their registration based on official information that the civil registrar considers sufficient.
Permits and documents for cremation
Cremation is authorized only by the civil registrar of the commune where the death occurred. For the permit, you need:
- a document stating the deceased's wish to be cremated, or an application from the nearest relative;
- a medical certificate confirming there are no signs of violent death;
- a pacemaker certificate (certificat «pace-maker») for the crematorium.
The documents are submitted by the funeral home. The family chooses the funeral home, which also makes arrangements with the crematorium. Separately, the commune issues a written permit for burial or placement of the ashes.
Everything is based on the Law of August 1, 1972 on burials and cremation, as well as two Grand-Ducal regulations: on the crematorium (1972) and on the scattering of ashes (1978).
How long to wait for cremation
Here, Luxembourg is stricter than its neighbors. Burial or cremation must take place between the 24th and 72nd hour after death. The body cannot be taken before 24 hours, and cannot be kept past 72 hours. The period can be extended based on a justified application and a certificate from the medical inspector (médecin-inspecteur).
The crematorium in Hamm states that cremation is carried out no earlier than 24 hours after death or after the farewell ceremony by the coffin. The crematorium has two furnaces and cremated 3,120 people in 2022. Therefore, the day of cremation is scheduled in advance.
How much cremation costs in Luxembourg
The crematorium is managed by the inter-communal syndicate SICEC, which includes over 70 communes. We did not find a published price list for the crematorium, so we check the cost of cremation for each specific case. Usually, it is included in the funeral home's bill along with the coffin, body transport, and documents.
If we organize the cremation through local partners, we calculate the total for your situation and show it to you in advance. Transporting an urn with ashes to Ukraine costs from €800. There is no prepayment: you pay after the urn is handed over according to the contract. Read about the service on the urn transport page.
Urn for transport
After cremation, the ashes are placed in an urn of a model approved by the Ministers of the Interior and of Health. Each coffin has a refractory stone with a registration number so the ashes cannot be mixed up.
If the ashes are not scattered in the Gardens of Remembrance at the crematorium, the funeral home collects the urn and takes it to the chosen cemetery. For the journey to Ukraine, we recommend a sealed, sturdy urn that can be scanned by X-ray.
Airlines often allow an urn in hand luggage with prior approval. Each carrier has its own rules, so we check in advance.
How to take an urn from Luxembourg to Ukraine: documents
Luxembourg law describes where ashes can be placed within the country: a cemetery, a columbarium, or scattering. Keeping an urn at home is currently not allowed. We did not find separate rules for taking ashes abroad in official sources. Therefore, we coordinate the procedure with the commune where the death occurred and with the crematorium, and the funeral home hands over the urn.
Document package:
- death certificate (acte de décès) from the commune;
- cremation certificate from the crematorium;
- apostille on the death certificate. It is issued by the Legalization Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the application can be submitted via MyGuichet.lu;
- translation into Ukrainian;
- consular registration of death, if needed. There is no Embassy of Ukraine in Luxembourg; the country is served by the Embassy of Ukraine in Belgium.
We explain how to clear customs in the article customs clearance for an urn. The general list is on the documents page.
Can you transport the urn yourself
Yes, you can, but in Luxembourg it is more complicated than in neighboring countries. The urn is usually released to the funeral home rather than the family, because the law does not allow keeping it at home. Therefore, taking it out of the country must be arranged in advance. At the airport, the urn is X-rayed, and documents in French or German without a translation can slow things down at the border.
If the family is in Ukraine, the easiest way is to entrust this to us. We will pick up the urn from the funeral home and bring it to you.
Cremation vs body transport
| Urn with ashes | Body in a coffin | |
|---|---|---|
| Timeframe | cremation within 72 hours, then documents and travel | no cremation, longer travel time |
| Documents | death certificate, cremation certificate | laissez-passer for a corpse, hermetically sealed coffin |
| Transport | easy, by car or plane | specialized funeral vehicle |
| Price | from €800 | see the country page |
If the family wants a traditional burial in a coffin, read about body transport from Luxembourg.
Burial of an urn in Ukraine
In Ukraine, an urn is buried in the ground, placed in a columbarium, or buried in an existing family grave. You need a permit from the cemetery, and for an existing grave, the consent of the person registered as the grave's holder. Read more in the article burial of an urn.
Timeframe from the first call to the burial of the urn
| Stage | Estimated time |
|---|---|
| Phone call, identifying the commune and funeral home | on the day of death or the next day |
| Relative's application, power of attorney, medical certificates | 1–2 days |
| Cremation | between 24 and 72 hours after death |
| Death certificate, apostille, translation | 1–2 weeks |
| Transporting the urn to Ukraine | a few days |
| Burial of the urn | as arranged with the cemetery |
Timeframes depend on the commune and the crematorium. Waiting for the apostille and translation usually takes the longest.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Ukrainian be cremated in Luxembourg?
Yes. You need a permit from the civil registrar of the commune where the death occurred, a medical certificate, and the deceased's expressed wish or an application from the nearest relative.
How much time is there to decide on cremation?
Very little. Cremation must take place between the 24th and 72nd hour after death. The period can only be extended with a justified request and a certificate from the medical inspector.
How much does cremation cost in Luxembourg?
There is no published price list for the crematorium, so we check the cost for each case. Transporting the urn to Ukraine with us costs from €800.
Can I take the urn home?
No, the law currently does not allow keeping an urn on private property. The funeral home collects the urn, and we transport it to Ukraine.
Where is the crematorium in Luxembourg?
There is only one, in Hamm, a district of the capital. It is managed by the inter-communal syndicate SICEC.
Can I take the urn on a plane?
Often yes, in hand luggage by prior arrangement with the airline. The urn must be sealed and clearly visible on X-ray.
What to do now
- Immediately write down the name, date and time of death, the commune, and the name of the hospital or funeral home.
- Find out if the person left a written wish regarding cremation.
- Decide where in Ukraine the urn will be buried.
- Call us. We will arrange cremation with our partners within the 72-hour window, or pick up the ready urn and bring it home.
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