China → Ukraine · 24/7
Repatriation of a Body from China to Ukraine
XREQUIEM repatriates the deceased from China to Ukraine. We collect the body from the hospital or funeral home, obtain the Chinese certificates and the apostille, arrange embalming and the quarantine inspection, and handle the case at the Embassy of Ukraine. The price is fixed in the contract, and the journey takes from 72 hours.
Oleg Zdendiak, ownerpersonally responsible for every case “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. We bring your loved one home from Beijing, Shanghai, Harbin or any other city in China to your city in Ukraine. Chinese and Ukrainian paperwork, the coffin and the flight are arranged by us. The price is fixed in the contract before the transport begins.
Included in the price:
- Documents from the country of death and the consulate
- Embalming and body preparation
- Sealed zinc-lined coffin for transport
- Transport to your city
- Coffin of your choice and urn free of charge
- No prepayment
Three things set the cost: where in China we start, how many layovers the flight has, and which Ukrainian city we drive to. More about pricing →
In short. China has accepted the apostille since 2023, so the Chinese death certificate needs no consular legalization. Before leaving China, the body must be embalmed and placed in a hermetically sealed coffin, then declared to customs and cleared through quarantine inspection at the border. We transport the deceased by plane to an airport in a country neighboring Ukraine, and then by hearse; the journey takes from 72 hours.
- Since 2015 bringing people home
- Ukrainian company Company code (EDRPOU) 46261246
- Contract with a fixed price
- Own workshop coffins and funeral goods
- 24/7 one number throughout
If This Just Happened
- Call us at any hour. We will explain what to tell the Chinese hospital and police, and then our team and partners deal with them directly.
- Find the insurance policy. Compensation depends on it.
- Name two cities: the one in China and the one in Ukraine. The passport of the deceased can wait until later.
What to Do When Someone Dies in China
In China, the body of a foreign national passes through several offices: the hospital or a police forensic examiner, the Exit-Entry Administration, a funeral home and customs. XREQUIEM goes through each of them for you together with our partners in China and explains every step to you.
We listen and state the price
Tell us the Chinese city and where the body is now: a hospital, a morgue or a funeral home. We will ask whether a death certificate has already been issued. Then we name the price and put it in the contract.
We obtain the death certificate
If the death was natural, a medical death certificate is issued by a hospital at the county level or higher. If the death was unnatural (accident, violence), the certificate is issued by a police forensic medical examiner. To transport the body abroad, the police (Exit-Entry Administration) also issue a Certificate of Death for a Foreigner (外国人死亡证).
Source: Shanghai Municipal Government, "Handling post-death affairs for foreign nationals in Shanghai", 2026
We get the apostille and translation
China has joined the Hague Apostille Convention; it entered into force for China on November 7, 2023. Only India raised an objection to this; Ukraine did not. In China, the apostille is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC. Therefore, the Chinese death certificate is apostilled and translated into Ukrainian without consular legalization.
Source: HCCH, Status Table of the Apostille Convention, 2026 · HCCH, Declarations and Objections regarding China
We handle the case at the Embassy or Consulate of Ukraine
The death of a Ukrainian citizen is registered by the Embassy in Beijing or the Consulates General in Shanghai or Guangzhou. The same mission certifies the papers that let the coffin cross the Ukrainian border.
We embalm the body and prepare the coffin
Embalming is mandatory for repatriation from China: an embalming certificate and a coffin-sealing certificate must be issued by an organization authorized for the international transport of human remains. The coffin must be hermetically sealed, undamaged, leak-proof, and odor-free; quarantine control will not clear a body without embalming and a proper coffin.
We declare the body and pass quarantine inspection
A separate permit to export a body is no longer required in China. The body is declared to customs, and after passing quarantine inspection, it is cleared for departure. If the person died of a quarantinable infectious disease, the body must be cremated locally.
International repatriation of human remains in China is managed by the International Corpse Transport Network Service Center of the China Funeral Association (中国殡葬协会国际运尸网络服务中心) together with local funeral homes. Other organizations are not permitted to carry out this work without authorization.
We bring the deceased home
From the airport near Ukraine, our hearse takes over. We hand your loved one over to the family at the place you choose in your city.
Documents Required to Repatriate a Body from China
Issued in China
- Death certificate from a county-level or higher hospital or from a police forensic medical examiner; for export, also a Certificate of Death for a Foreigner from the police.
- Embalming certificate (防腐证明) and coffin-sealing certificate (入殓证明).
- Health declaration for the body for customs.
- Health and quarantine inspection certificate for the body and coffin, issued after the inspection.
Source: Shanghai Municipal Government, 2026 · AQSIQ Order No. 189, 2017; now applied by the General Administration of Customs (GACC), Art. 6, 7, 20
Handled by us
- Obtaining the death certificates.
- Arranging embalming, the coffin, and the quarantine inspection.
- Obtaining the apostille and translating the documents into Ukrainian.
- Filing with the Embassy in Beijing or a Consulate General under your power of attorney.
- Booking air cargo transport.
- Preparing the customs declaration and gathering the paperwork for the Ukrainian border.
Needed from you
- The deceased's passport or a photo of it.
- Your passport and a document proving your family relationship.
- A power of attorney for us. We will guide you on how to arrange it.
Full list of paperwork: in the Documents section.
Embassy and Consulates of Ukraine in China
The Embassy of Ukraine operates in Beijing. Consulates General are located in Shanghai and Guangzhou. For emergencies involving threats to life or the death of Ukrainian citizens, the Embassy and the Consulate General in Shanghai maintain dedicated hotlines. We contact the mission closest to the place of death.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, "China" page, 2026
- To register the death, we give the consul the Chinese certificate with an apostille from the PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a Ukrainian translation.
- No consular fee is charged for the first Ukrainian death certificate.
- The Embassy or Consulate General also issues an extract for social services, which the family uses to apply for funeral assistance.
- A Chinese authority confirms in writing that the body and coffin contain no foreign items, and the Consulate of Ukraine certifies that paper. The Ukrainian border will not let the body through without it.
Source: Customs Code of Ukraine, Art. 365
The consul's role: Consulate When a Death Occurs Abroad.
How We Transport a Body from China to Ukraine
Where we collect the deceased
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Harbin, Yiwu, Hainan or any other city or province in China: we collect the deceased from the hospital, morgue or funeral home. International transport there goes through the China Funeral Association's center and a local funeral home, and our partners in China handle this part in Chinese. Tell us the city, and we will outline the route.
Plane plus hearse
Once Chinese customs and quarantine release the coffin, it flies in the cargo hold, often with a layover, since there is no direct flight to Ukraine. The plane lands in a country next to Ukraine, and our vehicle drives the rest of the way to your city.
Transit time
From 72 hours. Paperwork takes the most time: certificates, apostille, consular processing, and quarantine inspection. That is why we handle the Chinese and Ukrainian procedures in parallel.
Coffin for export from China
China requires a leak-proof hermetically sealed coffin, while the Ukrainian border requires a sealed metal-lined coffin. We use a wooden coffin with a sealed zinc liner: it meets the requirements of both countries as well as air cargo regulations. Learn more: Coffins and Air Transport.
How Much Does It Cost to Repatriate a Body from China?
Funeral services in Ukraine are calculated separately.
What is included in the price
- coordination with the hospital and morgue
- documents: local, consular, and border clearance
- embalming and preparing the body for transport
- coffin with a sealed zinc liner
- official sealing for border requirements
- air cargo transport and hearse to your city
- handover to the family in your city
Coffin of your choice and urn free of charge.
What can affect the price
The city in China, the flight and number of layovers, and the destination city in Ukraine. Prices for other countries: on the Prices page.
Cremation in China and Urn Transport
We arrange cremation in China only together with transporting the urn to Ukraine. A Chinese funeral home cremates the body upon a written application from the family or the embassy of the person's country of citizenship, and the ashes may be collected by the family or the embassy. Burying or scattering the ashes of foreign nationals in China is generally not permitted.
Source: Shanghai Municipal Government, 2026
Ashes from a Chinese funeral home travel with the death certificate and a paper on the absence of unauthorized items, which the Consulate of Ukraine in China certifies. Our service: Transport of an Urn with Ashes.
Questions About Repatriation from China
How much does it cost to transport a body from China?
We write the amount into the contract before the transport starts. Tell us which Chinese city and which Ukrainian city, and you will have the price in 5 minutes.
How long does the transport take?
From 72 hours. Waiting for documents takes the longest, so we submit everything in parallel.
Is embalming mandatory?
Yes. Without a certificate of embalming and coffin sealing, quarantine control in China will not clear the body for departure.
Do documents need legalization at the embassy?
No: since November 7, 2023, China has recognized the apostille. The death certificate is apostilled and translated into Ukrainian.
Do I need to fly to China?
In most cases, no. Under your power of attorney, our partners and we obtain the certificates, the apostille and the quarantine clearance in China. You get updates by messenger or phone. If a Chinese office wants to see a relative in person, we will tell you at once. See If the Family Cannot Travel.
Who pays if the person was working or studying in China?
Look at the insurance policy and at the contract with the employer or university in China. Send us a photo of the policy by messenger: we will go through the terms and talk to the insurer ourselves. More: about insurance.
Can an urn with ashes be transported from China?
Yes, from €2,500.
Call us, day or night
Languages: Ukrainian, English, Polish, German. The same number in messengers.
Send a request for repatriation from China
Leave your number and we will call you back.
Also in Asia: Vietnam. Further routes: Other countries and the full list.