Exhumation in Austria and Reburial in Ukraine
If your relative is already buried in Austria, we arrange the exhumation and bring the remains home to Ukraine for reburial. Our exhumation costs from €500 plus the cost of transport, with no prepayment.
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Repatriation of the deceased from Austria to Ukraine
XREQUIEM brings the deceased home from Austria to Ukraine in a specialist vehicle, through Slovakia, Hungary or Poland, from €2,400 for the whole journey. We obtain the Sterbeurkunde, the Leichenpass, the apostille and the translation, and we file the package with the embassy in Vienna. The road takes from 24 hours after collection.
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. from €2,400 including documents, the coffin and transport to your town in Ukraine. Call, and the exact price is yours within 5 minutes.
The price includes:
- Documents of the country of death and the consulate
- Preparation of the body
- Zinc-lined transport coffin
- Transport to your town
- Coffin of your choice and urn free of charge
- No prepayment
What changes the total: the city and distance, the route (road or air), the country’s documents, preparation of the body. More about prices →
Summary. Austria has no single funeral law: each federal state has its own, so our first question is where the death happened. The funeral in Ukraine is extra. The key Austrian papers are the death certificate (Sterbeurkunde) and the multilingual body passport (Leichenpass) from the district authority; an apostille and a Ukrainian translation are also needed. We go by special vehicle through Slovakia, Hungary or Poland. It takes from 24 hours after collection for the body to get home to Ukraine. We will give you the exact price within 5 minutes.
- Since 2015 bringing people home
- Ukrainian company Company code (EDRPOU) 46261246
- Contract with a fixed price
- 35 countries with “from” prices
- Own workshop coffins and funeral goods
- 24/7 one number throughout
If it has just happened
- Call or write any time. We explain what to say. We contact hospital and police.
- Mention any insurance policy. We coordinate with the insurer.
- Name two cities. Where it happened. Where to bring the body. Enough for a price. The passport comes later.
Our work, step by step
In Austria each federal state has its own funeral law, so the details in Tyrol and in Vienna can differ. You do not need to go into them: we know what to ask and where. We speak Ukrainian, English, Polish and German.
You call us
Which federal state, which town? The answer tells us who issues the Leichenpass: the district authority or, in a statutory city, the Magistrat. You get the price on the same call.
Examination and registration of the death
After the doctor has examined the body, the death is registered at the civil registry office (Standesamt). We obtain the death certificate (Sterbeurkunde).
The passport for the body
We arrange the Leichenpass, the passport for the body, at the district authority of the place of death.
Apostille and translation
We get the apostille on the Austrian documents and have them translated into Ukrainian.
The embassy in Vienna
Whichever state the death occurred in, the package goes to the consular section in Vienna. It issues the certificates for the Ukrainian border.
The journey
Austria has no border with Ukraine, so our vehicle crosses Slovakia, Hungary or Poland. Customs clearance is on us.
Handing over to the family
Handover in your town. Funeral on request.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in Austria
What Austria issues
- Todesbescheinigung and Leichenbegleitschein: issued by the doctor after examining the body (Totenbeschau), together with the notification of the death.
- Sterbeurkunde: the death certificate. The Standesamt of the town where the person died issues it once the death is entered in the Central Civil Status Register (ZPR). If the death occurred in hospital, the hospital itself reports it by the next working day at the latest.
- Leichenpass: a multilingual passport for the body, for transport abroad. It is issued by the district authority of the place of death: the Bezirkshauptmannschaft or, in statutory cities, the Magistrat.
What we need from you
- The deceased's original passport: the embassy asks specifically for the original. If the passport is now with an Austrian authority, we will help you get it back.
- Your passport and a document proving your family relationship.
- The federal state and town where the death occurred: the Leichenpass is issued by the district authority of the place of death.
- The contact details of the hospital, the police or the employer, if they have called you.
The rest is on us, including the Leichenpass application: Austrian rules let a funeral company file it for the family. Full list: Documents.
What the Embassy of Ukraine asks for to transport the body
The Embassy of Ukraine in Austria lists the following package for its consular section:
- the Sterbeurkunde, the Austrian death certificate;
- the Leichenpass, the passport for the body;
- an apostille;
- a declaration that the coffin contains no foreign objects, for customs;
- a translation into Ukrainian;
- the deceased's original passport.
A Leichenpass is issued only once the body has been examined and the death has been registered at the Standesamt. This is why the documents follow a fixed order, and we make sure that no step holds up the next one.
Why the Leichenpass is not enough
The Leichenpass works between parties to the Strasbourg Agreement on the transfer of corpses. Austria is one, Ukraine is not. In Vienna, the Magistrat issues the pass, and it records the name, age, place, date and cause of death, the destination, the type of coffin and the vehicle. For the Ukrainian border that is not enough: you also need the death certificate and a certificate that the coffin holds no foreign objects, certified by the Ukrainian consulate.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Austria
Consular matters in Austria are handled by the Embassy of Ukraine in Vienna, through its consular section. That is where we apply, whichever federal state we are bringing the deceased from.
- The consul registers the death of a Ukrainian citizen from the Austrian documents, apostilled and translated. The apostille comes from the government of the state that issued the Sterbeurkunde; in Tyrol, for example, from the citizenship department of the state government in Innsbruck.
- No consular fee for the registration and first certificate.
- The consular section can issue the certificates needed to cross the border with the body on its way to Ukraine.
- The consul also issues the social protection certificate for the funeral allowance.
Once registered, the deceased's documents go to whoever accompanies the body, or else to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. Other first steps: What to do if a loved one dies abroad.
How we bring the deceased home from Austria
The vehicle crosses Slovakia, Hungary (to the Tysa–Záhony crossing) or Poland, depending on your town in Ukraine. Vienna's funeral law allows bodies to be carried only in vehicles fitted for coffins, and ours is one. From collection, the road home takes from 24 hours. More about road and air transport.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from Vienna, Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Bregenz and from any other Austrian town or mountain village: from a hospital, a morgue or from another place where the deceased is. The state and the town where the person died decide which district authority issues the Leichenpass, so please give us both straight away.
A flight is possible, but from Austria the road is often simpler: for a flight, the documents have to be agreed with several countries before booking.
In Austria only authorised funeral companies (befugte Bestattungsunternehmen) may transport a body. We organise and run the steps in Austria. So the family does not need to sign anything separately.
The coffin
The requirements for the coffin in Austria are set by the law of each federal state. Vienna, for instance, requires a sturdy, tightly closing coffin with a liquid-proof insert. The Ukrainian side requires a hermetically sealed metal coffin. We prepare one that meets both sets of requirements. The options are on the Coffins page.
Price of repatriation from Austria
Body from Austria from €2,400Urn with ashes from €800
The funeral in Ukraine is priced separately.
What the price includes
The price includes:
- contact with hospital and morgue
- local, consular, border documents
- preparing the body for travel
- hermetically sealed coffin with a zinc liner for transport
- sealing as the border requires
- usually by road; if needed, part of the way by air
- handover to the family
Coffin of your choice and urn: free of charge.
What can change the price
The federal state and the town: from Vienna or Burgenland it is closer to the border than from Tyrol or Vorarlberg. The price is also affected by the coffin, the preparation of the body, the number of translations and apostilles, and your town in Ukraine. Tell us your town in Ukraine and we will work out the price straight away. Prices for other countries are on the Prices page.
Call us, day or night
Languages: Ukrainian, English, Polish, German. The same number in messengers.
Our work
Questions about repatriation from Austria
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from Austria?
From €2,400, and Vienna and Burgenland are closer to the border than Tyrol, so the final sum depends on the state and town; we give it by phone. The funeral in Ukraine is separate. What the price is made up of is explained in the article How much it costs to bring a body home to Ukraine from abroad, and all prices are on the Prices page.
How long does it take?
Counting from collection, the body's way home to Ukraine takes from 24 hours. The death has to be reported to the Standesamt by the next working day at the latest; then come the Leichenpass, the apostille, the translation and the embassy. We do not wait for one document before preparing the next. If the doctor cannot say for sure what caused the death, the cause is examined further and the body is released later.
Why is an apostille needed if there is a Leichenpass?
The Leichenpass is needed for transport. The apostille and the translation are there so that the Austrian documents are recognised in Ukraine. The Embassy of Ukraine in Austria explicitly requires an apostille in the package for transporting a body.
Which documents do you need from the family?
The deceased's original passport, your passport and a document proving your family relationship. If the passport has been lost or the police have taken it, tell us and we will sort it out.
Do I need to travel to Austria?
Usually not. We arrange the Leichenpass at the district authority and the apostille, and we also submit the package to the consular section in Vienna. There may be just one thing for you to do: send us the deceased's original passport, if it is in Ukraine. We will tell you how to send it. What can be done from home is described in If the family cannot travel abroad.
Is embalming needed in Austria?
First, a doctor examines the body (Totenbeschau), on the spot if the death was in hospital; until then, the body must not be changed or re-dressed. Then we decide on embalming, looking at the body's condition, the distance, the carrier's rules and the state's law. Body preparation is described on a separate page.
The person died in Tyrol or Vorarlberg. Is that harder?
The road is longer: from the west of Austria it is a long way to the Ukrainian border. Each federal state sets the requirements for the coffin and for transport by its own law, so we check them for the state in question. Consular matters are handled by the embassy in Vienna in any case.
Where in Austria do you collect the deceased?
From any federal state and town: Vienna, Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, St. Pölten, Bregenz, and smaller towns and villages.
What should I do first?
The first steps are near the top of this page, and in more detail on the page What to do if a loved one dies abroad. You do not need to sign a separate contract with an Austrian funeral home (Bestatter): we do everything that is needed in Austria. Do not pay anyone until you know the full price of the journey home.
Which documents are needed for an urn with ashes?
The Embassy of Ukraine in Austria lists these: the Sterbeurkunde, confirmation of the cremation and of the sealing of the urn, an apostille and a translation. For the Ukrainian border you also need a certificate, certified by the embassy, that the urn contains no foreign objects, and a written declaration from you at customs. The price for bringing an urn home is from €800. How we transport an urn is described on the page Transport of an urn with ashes to Ukraine.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from Austria
Leave your number and we will call you back.
Nearby destinations: Germany, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia and Italy. All countries are on the countries page.