Exhumation in Greece and Reburial in Ukraine
If your relative is already buried in Greece, 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.
GR → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from Greece to Ukraine
XREQUIEM brings the deceased home from Greece to Ukraine from €3,800. We handle the embalming, the Greek certificates, the regional health permit and the papers for the Ukrainian consul. The body flies with a connection or travels by road through Bulgaria and Romania, and from an island, a ferry comes first. Allow at least 24 hours from 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 €3,800 including documents, preparing the body, 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 €3,800 we take the deceased from Greece to your town in Ukraine, paperwork and coffin included; a funeral in Ukraine is charged separately. Greek rules require embalming before removal, and the regional public health directorate issues the removal permit free of charge. From an island the body first goes to an airport or by ferry to the mainland. Then comes a connecting flight (air leg from 2.5 hours) or the road through Bulgaria and Romania. Give us the city and address, and the exact price follows 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 handle your case
First, the death is registered at the registry office of the municipality (dimos) where it happened, and the certificate is issued in Greek. If the cause of death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or violent, the police ask court-appointed doctors to carry out a post-mortem. We run the embalming and the paperwork in parallel, and you deal only with XREQUIEM.
We answer your call day or night
Tell us where the deceased is: Athens, Thessaloniki, Crete or a smaller island. That shows whether a ferry is needed, and you hear the price on the same call.
We obtain the death certificates
The medical certificate of death and the death record from the civil registry office.
We arrange the embalming
We embalm the body and obtain the certificate of embalming.
We obtain the permit to take the body out of the country
The regional Public Health Directorate where the death occurred grants it, free of charge.
We prepare the Ukrainian part
The Greek certificates are translated into Ukrainian and certified. The Greek certificate of no prohibited items goes to the Embassy in Athens or the Consulate in Thessaloniki for legalisation.
We pack the coffin for the journey
Usually the coffin is placed in a metal container that is welded shut. Ukraine also requires a hermetically sealed coffin at the border.
We bring the deceased home and hand them over to the family
By air with a connection, or by car through Bulgaria and Romania; from an island, a ferry first. The family receives the deceased in your town.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in Greece
The Greek names may look unfamiliar, but there are only a few documents. Four papers are involved in taking the body out of the country, and we arrange all of them ourselves.
What Greece issues
- Ιατρικό πιστοποιητικό θανάτου: the medical certificate of death.
- Ληξιαρχική πράξη θανάτου: the death record from the civil registry office.
- Βεβαίωση ταρίχευσης: the certificate of embalming.
- Άδεια μεταφοράς σορού στο εξωτερικό: the permit to take the body out of the country. It is issued by the Public Health Directorate (Διεύθυνση Δημόσιας Υγείας) of the region, on an application supported by the three documents above. The authority charges nothing for it.
What we take on
- Our team files the permit application with the regional directorate and gathers every certificate.
- We write the coffining statement.
- We translate the Greek certificates into Ukrainian and certify the translations.
- We submit the documents to the Ukrainian embassy or consulate.
- Ukrainian customs papers: also ours.
What we need from you
- The deceased's passport, or a photo of it.
- Your passport and a document showing that you are a relative.
- A power of attorney for us; it can be signed in Ukraine.
Under the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement, which Greece has joined, the permit comes from the health directorate of the region where the person died. Ukraine's general document list is on the Documents page.
The Embassy and consulate of Ukraine in Greece
Ukraine has two diplomatic missions in Greece: the Embassy in Athens and the Consulate in Thessaloniki. We apply to whichever is more convenient, given where the death occurred.
- Ukrainian registration of the death is done by the consul in Athens or Thessaloniki. The law allows it by place of death, residence or burial, or where the body was found.
- We hand the consul the Greek medical certificate and the death record from the registry office, both with certified Ukrainian translations.
- The consul charges nothing for registration and the first certificate.
- For the funeral allowance in Ukraine the consul gives a separate certificate addressed to social protection.
- The Greek certificate of no prohibited items is legalised in Athens or Thessaloniki. The Ukrainian border will not let the body in without it.
A Greek death certificate has legal force in Ukraine only after an apostille or legalisation, which we arrange. Other duties of the consul are covered in the article The Ukrainian consulate when someone dies abroad.
How we bring the deceased home from Greece
The route depends on where the death occurred: on the mainland or on an island, near a large airport or far from one. We choose it together with you.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion on Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Zakynthos and from any other Greek town, island or village: from a hospital, a morgue or another place where the deceased is. Name the town or the island, and we will tell you at once which route is faster.
By air, then by road
Coffins usually leave Greek airports on any day of the week. After the change of planes, the flight lands in a country bordering Ukraine, and our vehicle drives the rest. We do not promise direct flights to Ukraine. Time in the air: from 2.5 hours.
By road
By road we usually go through Bulgaria and Romania to the Ukrainian border. From an island we first go by ferry to the mainland.
How long it takes
Count at least 24 hours from collection to your town. How soon we set off depends on the Greek papers and the embalming.
The coffin for leaving Greece
The Greek method for removal: a wooden coffin, a welded metal container around it and a wooden case outside. That also satisfies the Ukrainian rule of a hermetic metal coffin under seal. At the border, customs clearance runs on a written statement with documents, which we prepare. More on the Air transport page.
Price of repatriation from Greece
Body from Greece from €3,800Urn with ashes from €800
The price above is for the whole way from Greece to your town. A funeral in Ukraine is billed 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
- transport overland via Bulgaria and Romania, or part of the way by air, whichever is faster and better value
- handover to the family
Coffin of your choice and urn: free of charge.
What can change the price
The total depends on where we collect (island or mainland), how far the nearest airport is, air or road, the coffin you choose and your town in Ukraine. We weigh all of this when we quote. 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 Greece
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from Greece?
From €3,800. It covers the Greek and Ukrainian papers, preparing the body, the travel coffin, transport and customs clearance. A funeral in Ukraine is extra. Island or mainland, and your town in Ukraine, move the amount the most.
How long does it take?
Count at least 24 hours from collection to arrival in Ukraine; a flight leg alone is from 2.5 hours. The registry papers and the embalming take longest, so we run them in parallel.
Is embalming compulsory?
In Greece, yes. The certificate of embalming is among the documents without which the permit to take the body out is not issued. When we give you the exact price, we will tell you at once whether embalming changes the amount. More in the Preparing the body section.
The person died on an island. Is that more complicated?
From an island we first take the body to the airport, or by ferry to the mainland, and then on by the usual route. The permit to take the body out is issued by the public health directorate of the region the island belongs to. Tell us the name of the island and we will give you the price and the timing.
Who issues the permit to take the body out?
The public health directorate of the region where the death occurred. The permit requires an application, the death record, the medical certificate of death and the certificate of embalming. The permit itself is free of charge. We submit everything in one package.
Which documents do you need from the family?
No Greek papers from you: the certificates, the embalming certificate and the permit are ours to obtain. We need a photo of the deceased's passport, your passport, proof of kinship and a power of attorney, which can be signed in Ukraine; we will explain how.
Do I need to travel to Greece?
Usually not. Collection, the permit application, the embalming and the visits to Athens or Thessaloniki are on us. If an office asks for your signature in person, we will warn you in advance. What can be done from home is covered in the article If the family cannot travel abroad.
The person was insured. What should I do?
Before you agree anything with a hospital or undertaker in Greece, send us a photo of the policy. Insurers usually approve costs in advance, and without that the compensation can be lost. Many policies pay only to the Ukrainian border or the nearest airport, so we name the extra for the rest of the way at once.
Which cities and islands do you collect from?
Anywhere in Greece, from Athens and Thessaloniki to Crete, Rhodes, Corfu or a mainland village, whether it is a hospital, a morgue or another place. Say where the deceased is now and we name the collection day.
Can an urn with ashes be brought home?
Yes. To take ashes out of Greece, you show the death certificate and the cremation certificate. An urn cannot go by post or courier, only as air freight or carried by hand. At the Ukrainian border, it also needs a certificate of no prohibited items, legalised by the consulate. Bringing an urn costs from €800. More on the Transport of an urn with ashes page.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from Greece
Leave your number and we will call you back.
The road home from Greece usually runs through Bulgaria. We also work in Turkey and Italy; see the full countries page.