FR → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from France to Ukraine
XREQUIEM brings the deceased home from France to your town in Ukraine from €3,000 for the whole way. We deal with the mairie, the prefect's permit and the Ukrainian consulate ourselves. The coffin travels by road across Europe, or by air to Warsaw, Rzeszów or Chișinău and then on by road.
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. from €3,000 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. Three French and Ukrainian offices are involved: the mairie draws up the death certificate, the prefect of the département authorises removal, and the Embassy's consular section certifies the coffin for transport. We handle all three. Once we know the city and the address, you get 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.
What we do when you call
In France, taking a body out of the country goes through three authorities: the town hall, the prefecture and the Ukrainian consulate. Under French rules a licensed funeral home carries out these steps, and the Ukrainian consulate requires a funeral home licensed in France. You will not need to look for anyone, as we take responsibility for every stage. Transport is carried out under the law of this country. We check each step and see the whole matter through to the end.
We listen and give you the price
You tell us the town or département, whether the deceased is in a hospital or a morgue, and what the mairie has already issued. The price follows in the same call.
The death certificate
After the death is declared, the town hall (mairie) draws up the death certificate, the acte de décès.
Apostille and translation
For use in Ukraine, the certificate needs an apostille and a translation into Ukrainian. The Embassy of Ukraine can also do the translation.
Closing the coffin
For a flight the coffin must be hermetic, with a metal casing. Once the coffin is closed, we file a declaration of transport with the town hall.
The prefect's permit
The permit to take the body out of France is issued by the prefect of the département where the coffin was closed.
The consulate's certificate
The consular section of the Embassy of Ukraine issues the certificate for transporting the coffin.
The journey home
Our vehicle drives across Europe, or the coffin flies to Warsaw, Rzeszów or Chișinău and our vehicle meets it there. The family receives the deceased in their own town.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in France
French documents
- Acte de décès: the death certificate. The town hall (mairie) draws it up after the death is declared.
- The declaration of transport of the body: filed after the coffin is closed, with the town hall of the place where it was closed.
- The prefect's permit to take the body out of France: issued by the prefect of the département where the coffin was closed.
- The doctor's medical death certificate (certificat de décès) and the mayor's permit to close the coffin.
- A doctor's statement that there was no contagious disease, or a statement from the regional health agency (ARS) that there is no epidemic.
For the Ukrainian consulate
To issue the certificate for transporting the coffin, the consular section of the Embassy needs:
- the death certificate with an apostille and a translation into Ukrainian;
- proof that the coffin was closed and that the deceased had no infectious disease;
- the prefecture's permit to take the body out;
- copies of the passports of the applicant and of the deceased;
- a document showing the family relationship.
The documents are submitted by the next of kin or by us under a power of attorney.
What we need from you
- A copy of the deceased's passport and of your passport.
- Proof of kinship, such as a birth or marriage certificate.
- Your written consent for us to deal with the mairie, the prefecture and the consulate for the family.
We assemble the French file above ourselves. The family's own first steps, while the deceased is still in hospital, are covered in “What to do if a loved one dies abroad”, and the list that applies to every country is in “Documents”.
The Embassy of Ukraine in France
The Embassy of Ukraine in the French Republic is in Paris, on avenue de Saxe. There are honorary consulates in Bordeaux and Lille, and since 9 July 2026 there is also a Consulate General in Lyon, which provides all consular services and whose district covers Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Corsica.
The consular section of the Embassy has a 24/7 hotline. It is meant only for emergencies, and the death of a loved one is one of them. Call us and we will give you the hotline number.
What the consular section does:
- Issues the certificate for transporting a coffin or an urn to Ukraine.
- Can translate the French death certificate into Ukrainian if the body or the ashes are being taken to Ukraine.
- Records the death of a Ukrainian citizen, with the first Ukrainian death certificate free of the consular fee, and gives the family a certificate for the funeral allowance in Ukraine.
How we bring the deceased home from France
France belongs to the Strasbourg Agreement on the transfer of corpses, but Ukraine does not. For agreement countries the prefecture issues a simplified laissez-passer mortuaire; for Ukraine a full prefect's authorisation is needed. The Ukrainian border then also asks for the death certificate and a statement that the coffin holds no foreign objects, legalised by the Ukrainian consulate.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Lille and from any other French town or village: from a hospital, a morgue or another place where the deceased is. The region of France affects the amount: Strasbourg is closer to the Ukrainian border than Brittany or Nice.
By road
The road route runs from wherever the coffin is in France to your door in Ukraine. From Strasbourg and the east the drive is the shortest; from Brittany, Bordeaux or Nice it takes much longer.
Plane and road
From the south and west, a flight often saves time: the coffin leaves Bordeaux, Marseille or Nice for Warsaw, Rzeszów or Chișinău, as there are no direct flights to Ukraine we can promise. French rules then require a hermetic coffin with a metal casing, and the flight number and air waybill (LTA) go into the prefecture file. The air leg takes from 2.5 hours, and our vehicle covers the rest.
Timing
The clock starts when we collect the deceased: from then on, the road home takes 24 hours or more. Before that, the pace is set by the mairie and the prefecture, because without the prefect's permit the coffin cannot leave France.
The prefecture file names the vehicle registration, or the flight and air waybill, so we settle the route before we apply. Ukraine admits the deceased only in a sealed hermetic metal coffin, and we write the customs declaration for the crossing. More on the pages “Air transport” and “Road transport”.
Price of repatriation from France
Body from France from €3,000What 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 drive across Europe, or a flight to Warsaw, Rzeszów or Chișinău and the drive from there
- handover to the family
Coffin of your choice and urn: free of charge.
The “from” price runs from collection in France to the handover in your town; a funeral in Ukraine is quoted on its own. The total moves with the region (Strasbourg and Bordeaux lie at very different distances from the Ukrainian border), with road or air, and with the coffin. Name the city and we calculate it at once. 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 France
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from France?
From €3,000 for the whole way, from the mairie paperwork and the prefect's permit to the Ukrainian border and your town. The full breakdown is above. A funeral in Ukraine is not part of this price.
How long does it take?
The road home takes 24 hours or more after we collect the deceased. Most of the waiting is for the prefect's permit, which follows the mairie papers, and for the consulate's certificate. If the death is under investigation, the public prosecutor (Parquet) must first raise no objection. We run all the papers in parallel.
Who issues the permit to take the body out of France?
The prefect of the département where the coffin was closed. French law requires the application to come from the funeral company the family has appointed, which is us, so nobody from the family has to go to the prefecture.
Can we manage without a funeral home?
No. Under French rules a funeral home handles the steps for transporting a body, and the Ukrainian consulate requires the transport of a coffin or an urn to be handled by a funeral home licensed in France. Even so, you deal with one team and one phone number from beginning to end.
Which documents do you need from the family?
Three things: a copy of the deceased's passport, a copy of yours and proof of kinship. The French papers, from the mairie to the prefecture, are our job.
Do I need to travel to France?
In most cases no. We can file with the consular section under a power of attorney, so from you we only need proof of kinship and your consent. If we need anything from you in person, we will tell you in advance. What you can do from home is in the article “If the family cannot travel abroad”.
What coffin is needed? Is embalming required?
On a flight, French rules call for a hermetic coffin with a metal casing, and the Ukrainian border accepts only a sealed hermetic metal coffin. Embalming is not always needed; the route and the carrier decide. Body preparation is in the price, and if embalming is required we say beforehand whether it costs extra. More in “Preparing the body”.
The deceased had an insurance policy. What should I do?
Before signing anything at a French hospital or funeral home, photograph the policy and send it to us. We check what it covers and settle the transport with the insurer ourselves. Many policies pay only as far as the border, and we tell you up front what remains for the family.
Which cities in France do you collect from?
Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Lille or any smaller town or village. We collect from the hospital, the morgue or wherever the deceased is; the region changes only the distance and the price.
Can you bring home an urn with ashes?
Yes. The consulate has a separate certificate for an urn, and the file carries a cremation certificate where a coffin would have the coffin-closing certificate. Bringing home an urn costs from €800. More in “Transport of an urn with ashes”.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from France
Leave your number and we will call you back.
Neighbours of France we also cover: Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Italy. For any other country, see the countries page.