Exhumation in Belgium and Reburial in Ukraine
If your relative is already buried in Belgium, 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.
BE → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from Belgium to Ukraine
XREQUIEM collects the deceased from any city in Belgium and drives them home through Germany and Poland. The price is from €2,700 for the whole journey, and the road takes from 24 hours after collection. We arrange the Belgian LPM permit, the coffin and the Ukrainian border papers.
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 €2,700 including documents, the coffin and transport to your town. You get the exact price within 5 minutes of the call.
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. Without the laissez-passer mortuaire (LPM), a body cannot leave Belgium. Ukraine is outside the Strasbourg Agreement, so we add the Ukrainian border papers to the LPM. The price starts at €2,700 and covers the documents, the coffin and transport to your town. A funeral in Ukraine is extra. We drive through Germany and Poland or fly part of the way to Warsaw, Rzeszów or Chișinău. The road home takes from 24 hours after collection. 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.
How we work in Belgium
In Belgium, the main document for taking a body out of the country is the laissez-passer mortuaire, or LPM for short. Without it, the body cannot leave. Here is how we handle the whole process.
We listen to you
We ask which Belgian city the death occurred in, which hospital or morgue the deceased is in now and whether the family has the passport. You get the price and the first step in the same call.
We collect the Belgian documents
The death record (acte de décès), an attestation that the person had no contagious disease, and a certificate that the body has been placed in the coffin.
The application for the LPM
In Belgium we submit it online, through one system for the whole country. We make sure the application goes in on time.
We prepare the body and the coffin
A hermetic coffin, usually with a zinc liner inside, as required by the international agreement to which Belgium is a party.
We prepare the documents for Ukraine
Ukraine is not a party to that agreement, so the Belgian permit alone is not enough. We put together what Ukrainian customs requires.
We bring the deceased home
From Brussels or Liège east through Germany and Poland, or by plane to Warsaw, Rzeszów or Chișinău and on in our vehicle.
We hand the deceased over to the family
In your town, at a morgue or straight to the farewell, as we agree.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in Belgium
What Belgian rules require
Laissez-passer mortuaire (LPM) is the mortuary permit: permission for the international transport of a body. The document is in three languages: French, Dutch and English.
Belgian law requires three documents before an LPM can be issued:
- Acte de décès: the death record.
- Attestation de non contagiosité: an attestation that the deceased had no contagious disease.
- Certificat de mise en bière: the coffining certificate, which confirms the body was placed in a coffin that meets the Belgian rules.
They are scanned and submitted together with the application.
Who issues the permit
The LPM is issued by Belgium's federal public health service. Applications for the whole country are handled by Saniport staff at Brussels Airport and are submitted online.
Some embassies require the original LPM, not an electronic copy. In that case it is collected at the airport. We make sure the original is in hand on time.
What we need from you
- The deceased's passport, if you have it.
- Your passport and a document showing you are a relative.
- Your consent for us to act on behalf of the family.
The general order of steps in the first hours is set out on the page “What to do if a loved one dies abroad”. Which documents are needed on the Ukrainian side is in the “Documents” section.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Belgium
Ukraine's embassy for Belgium sits in Brussels and serves Luxembourg as well. Honorary consuls work in Brussels and Borgloon.
What the consul does when a citizen of Ukraine dies:
- registers the death (where the person lived, where they died or where they are buried);
- issues the first death certificate free of consular fees;
- issues a certificate for the funeral allowance, which the family then claims in Ukraine.
Belgian documents for use in Ukraine must carry an apostille and a Ukrainian translation. The apostille goes on the death certificate. We put together the package for the border under Ukrainian law, which is the same for every country. Before submitting, we check with the Embassy in Brussels exactly what the consulate will ask for.
How we bring the deceased home from Belgium
Within Benelux, and between members of the Strasbourg Agreement on the transfer of corpses, a body leaves Belgium on a single permit. Ukraine is outside both, so Belgium applies its rules for other countries. Our border also asks for two papers besides the LPM: the death certificate with an apostille, and a certificate that the coffin holds no foreign items. The Belgian authority issues the second one, and the Ukrainian consulate certifies it.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liège, Charleroi, Bruges and from any other Belgian town: from a hospital, a morgue or another place where the deceased is. Belgium is small, so the distance to the Ukrainian border is almost the same from every city.
Coffin
Ukraine is outside the Strasbourg Agreement, so Belgium applies its rules for other countries: a metal coffin, soldered shut and placed inside a wooden one, with an absorbent layer on the bottom. That is the coffin we prepare, and the Ukrainian border accepts it.
Road
From Brussels or Liège, our vehicle heads east through Germany and Poland to the Ukrainian border, and that is the longest stretch. If we fly part of the way, the plane lands in Warsaw, Rzeszów or Chișinău, not in Ukraine, and our vehicle takes the coffin on from there. The air leg takes from 2.5 hours.
Timing
The road home takes from 24 hours after we collect the body. What takes longer is waiting for the LPM from Saniport and assembling the package for the Ukrainian border.
We compare the two ways home from Belgium on the pages “Road transport” and “Air transport”.
Price of repatriation from Belgium
Body from Belgium from €2,700Urn with ashes from €800
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
- the road through Germany and Poland or partly by air, whichever suits you better
- handover to the family
Coffin of your choice and urn: free of charge.
The “from” price covers the body's whole journey home, and a funeral in Ukraine is paid separately. The amount may change with the distance from the Belgian city to the border and on to your town in Ukraine, and with the choice of transport and coffin. Name your town and we will give you the price straight away. Prices for all countries →
Our work
Call us, day or night
Languages: Ukrainian, English, Polish, German. The same number in messengers.
Questions about repatriation from Belgium
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from Belgium?
From €2,700 for the whole journey home: documents, preparing the body, a transport coffin, transport and border clearance. A funeral in Ukraine is paid separately. We will give you the exact price for your town as soon as you call or message us on a messenger app.
How long does it take?
The road takes from 24 hours after collection, and an air leg, if there is one, from 2.5 hours. Most of the wait is for documents: the Belgian death record, the attestations, the LPM from Saniport and the Ukrainian border package.
What is the LPM and who arranges it?
Laissez-passer mortuaire is the mortuary permit that allows a body to leave Belgium. It is issued by the federal public health service through Saniport staff at Brussels Airport. We submit the application. We take care of everything else.
Why is one permit not enough for Ukraine?
In Belgium, the LPM follows the Strasbourg Agreement format, and between member countries it is enough on its own. Ukraine is not a member, so our border also asks for the death certificate and a certificate that the coffin holds no foreign items, legalised by the Ukrainian consulate.
Which documents do you need from the family?
From you: the deceased's passport, if there is one, your passport and proof that you are related. We handle the Belgian death record, the attestations, the LPM application and the translations. We will name the full list after our first conversation.
Do I need to travel to Belgium?
Usually not. We submit the application for the LPM, and we deal with the other offices with your consent. If your personal signature is needed anywhere, we will tell you in advance. What you can do from home is described in the article “If the family cannot travel abroad”.
What coffin is needed? Is embalming required?
A hermetic metal coffin, sealed and placed inside a wooden one. Belgian rules require this for countries outside the Strasbourg Agreement, and the Ukrainian border expects the same. Embalming depends on the route and the carrier. Preparing the body is already in the price, and if embalming is needed, we will tell you in advance whether the amount changes. More in “Preparing the body”.
What should I do about insurance?
Whether the policy covers repatriation from Belgium depends on its terms. Photograph the policy and send it to us, and we will contact the insurer ourselves. Do not sign anything locally until the insurer has approved the transport.
Which cities in Belgium do you collect from?
From any Belgian town, whether the deceased is in a hospital, a morgue or elsewhere. If the death happened in Luxembourg, call us as well: the Embassy of Ukraine in Brussels covers Luxembourg too, and we will quote the price during the call.
Can you bring home an urn with ashes?
Yes. Belgium does not restrict taking ashes abroad, and the Strasbourg Agreement does not cover them. Ukrainian law asks for the death certificate and a certificate that the urn holds no foreign items, and customs clears it on a written declaration. Urn transport is priced from €800. More in “Urn transport”.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from Belgium
Leave your number and we will call you back.
Belgium borders the Netherlands, France and Germany, and we bring people home from there too. The full list is on the countries page.