Exhumation in Finland and Reburial in Ukraine
If your relative is already buried in Finland, 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.
FI → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from Finland to Ukraine
XREQUIEM collects the deceased from any town in Finland and brings them to Ukraine: by ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn or part of the way by plane, then in our vehicle. The price is from €2,900 for the whole way. Once the burial permit is issued, we arrange the ruumiinkuljetuslupa, the translation from Finnish or Swedish and the papers for the embassy in Helsinki.
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 €2,900 including documents, the coffin and transport to your town. We will give you the exact price 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. From €2,900 covers the papers, the coffin and the drive to your town; a funeral in Ukraine is extra. Finnish rules let the body leave only once the cause of death is clear and the burial permit (hautauslupa) is signed. After that we arrange the ruumiinkuljetuslupa. The usual way is the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn, or a flight for part of the way (from 2.5 hours in the air). Count on at least 24 hours on the road after collection. Send us the city and the address, and you get a quote 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 a case in Finland works
Who looks into the cause of death depends on the place. After a death in a hospital or care home, a doctor does it. After a death at home, outdoors or in a public place, the police start the inquiry. Only then is the burial permit issued and the body may leave Finland. The papers come in Finnish or Swedish, and we have them translated. If the hospital or the police ask who handles the transport, give them our number +380 77 882 77 77, and we will take care of the rest. We speak Ukrainian, English, Polish and German, so you or the hospital can call us in English. If an international call is expensive for you, write to us on Viber, WhatsApp or Telegram, or leave your number and we will call you back.
We listen and give you the price
Tell us whether the death was in a hospital or at home. That decides whether a doctor or the police lead the inquiry, and you hear the price during the same call.
We wait for the doctor's findings
The doctor establishes the cause of death and writes the death certificate (kuolintodistus) and the burial permit (hautauslupa). We stay in touch with the hospital and tell you where the case stands.
We obtain the permit to transport the body
Transport in a coffin needs a separate permit, the ruumiinkuljetuslupa. We arrange it.
We translate the documents
We translate the Finnish or Swedish documents into Ukrainian and have them certified as Ukraine requires.
We prepare the body and the coffin
The coffin must meet the international rules for transport and the Ukrainian requirement: it must be metal, hermetically sealed and carry an official seal.
We handle the Ukrainian side
The hospital informs the Embassy of Ukraine in Helsinki about the death. We bring the embassy the certificate of no prohibited items and the translated Finnish papers.
We bring the deceased home
Ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn and on by road, or a flight for part of the way. We hand the deceased over to the family in your town.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in Finland
There are three Finnish documents. The key point is that they are issued only after a doctor has established the cause of death.
What Finland issues
- Kuolintodistus: the death certificate. A doctor writes it, and it is issued together with the body.
- Hautauslupa: the burial permit. The doctor signs it, or the forensic pathologist if the police ordered an autopsy. The body cannot leave Finland without it.
- Ruumiinkuljetuslupa: the permit to transport the body in a coffin. We arrange it.
In Finland, the documents on the cause of death are issued only in Finnish or Swedish.
What we do
- We keep in contact with the hospital, or with the police if they lead the inquiry.
- We arrange the permit to transport the body ourselves.
- We order the translation into Ukrainian and have the documents certified.
- We draw up the papers for the consul in Helsinki and the border declaration.
What we need from you
- The deceased's passport, or a photo of it.
- Your passport and a document showing you are a relative.
- A power of attorney for us; we explain the form.
Ukraine has not joined the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the transfer of corpses, which Finland applies. So the Finnish papers alone do not satisfy the Ukrainian border: we add the death certificate and a certificate of no prohibited items, legalised in Helsinki. The general list of papers is on the “Documents” page.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Finland
The Embassy of Ukraine is in Helsinki and has a consular section. When a citizen of Ukraine dies, a Finnish authority or the hospital notifies the embassy. The embassy advises on transport and burial.
- The consular section in Helsinki can enter the death in the Ukrainian register. We ask them first whether they will do it in your case.
- For that the consul needs the Finnish papers certified and translated from Finnish or Swedish.
- No consular fee for registration and the first certificate.
- The consul also gives a certificate for the funeral allowance.
- Without the embassy stamp on the certificate of no prohibited items, the border turns the body back.
The first hours after a death are described on the page “What to do if a loved one dies abroad”.
How we bring the deceased home from Finland
The Baltic Sea lies between Finland and Ukraine, so a ferry or a plane covers the first stretch.
Where we collect from
We collect from Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Turku, Oulu or any smaller place in Finland: a hospital, a morgue or wherever the deceased is now. The route depends on the town, the timing and what the family wants.
Plane and road
From Finland the coffin can fly in the cargo hold to an airport close to Ukraine, where our vehicle takes over. In the air it is from 2.5 hours. There are no direct flights to promise.
Ferry and road
The ferry crosses from Helsinki to Tallinn. From there our vehicle drives through Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to the Ukrainian border.
How long it takes
Count from collection: the road home takes from 24 hours. Before that, most of the time goes on the cause-of-death inquiry and the permits.
The coffin for transport
The coffin is hermetically sealed and holds a moisture absorber. For a flight it also needs a pressure valve or a strong enough build. Ukraine accepts only a metal, hermetically sealed coffin with an official seal, and that coffin is in the price. More on the pages “Coffins and sealed zinc liners” and “Air transport”.
Bringing home an urn from Finland
Finnish rules allow cremation in Finland and taking the urn abroad for burial. For the Ukrainian border the urn travels with the death certificate and the certificate of no prohibited items, legalised by the embassy in Helsinki.
An urn costs from €800 to bring home. Details: “Urn transport”.
Customs, flights and postal rules for urns are covered in the article “Customs clearance of an urn with ashes”.
Price of repatriation from Finland
Body from Finland from €2,900Urn with ashes from €800
That covers the whole way from Finland to your town. A funeral in Ukraine is priced on its own.
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
- ferry Helsinki–Tallinn and road, or a flight for part of the way, whichever is faster
- handover to the family
Coffin of your choice and urn: free of charge.
What can change the price
The distance from the Finnish town to yours, ferry or plane, the coffin model, how many Finnish or Swedish papers need translating and whether the airline wants embalming. You hear the total before we start. 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 Finland
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from Finland?
From €2,900 for the whole way: Finnish permits, translations, preparing the body, the coffin, transport and customs. A funeral in Ukraine is separate. Name the town in Finland, your town and the transport, and we give the exact amount.
How long does it take?
From 24 hours on the road after collection, with the air leg, if any, from 2.5 hours. The start depends on when the doctor or the forensic pathologist signs the burial permit.
What should I do first?
The first steps are described near the top of this page, and fully on the page “What to do if a loved one dies abroad”. Please pay nobody before you know the total cost of getting the deceased home.
The documents are only in Finnish or Swedish. Who will translate them?
We will. In Finland the documents on the cause of death are issued only in Finnish or Swedish, and the family has to order the translation. We have them translated into Ukrainian and certified on your behalf.
Do I need to travel to Finland?
Usually not. We deal with the Finnish offices under your power of attorney. If someone insists on a relative signing in person, we tell you early. More in the article “If the family cannot travel abroad”.
Which documents do you need from the family?
The deceased's passport or a photo, your passport, proof that you are a relative and a power of attorney. The hospital sends the burial permit to the funeral home the family chose, which is us, and we do the rest.
What kind of coffin is needed? Is embalming compulsory?
A hermetically sealed coffin with a moisture absorber, included in the price. Embalming depends on the route, as some airlines take only embalmed bodies. We tell you in advance if that changes the amount. More in “Preparing the body”.
The deceased had insurance. What should I do?
Send us a photo of the policy. If it covers repatriation, we check the limits and deal with the insurer directly. Do not hire a funeral home in Finland before the insurer agrees.
Where in Finland do you collect from?
From cities, towns and villages alike in Finland: hospital, morgue or funeral home. Give us the address; we will tell you the day we can collect.
Can you bring home an urn with ashes?
Yes, from €800. Finland allows cremation there and taking the urn abroad; the papers are listed in “Bringing home an urn from Finland” above.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from Finland
Leave your number and we will call you back.
Neighbouring countries we also serve: Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Latvia. The full list is on the countries page.