KZ → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from Kazakhstan to Ukraine
XREQUIEM brings the deceased home from Kazakhstan to Ukraine from €3,000 and asks for no prepayment. Our team registers the death in Kazakhstan, gets the apostille, files the papers at the Embassy in Astana and arranges embalming. The coffin usually changes planes in Istanbul, lands near Ukraine, and our vehicle drives it to your town.
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. From Kazakhstan the body has to fly. The plane lands in Poland or another neighbour of Ukraine, and our vehicle does the last part of the trip. The death certificate is issued in Kazakh and Russian, and it gives no cause of death. Without embalming, the body cannot leave the country. We handle the papers, the translations and the Embassy.
- 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 to do if someone has died in Kazakhstan
Sometimes a person was working in Kazakhstan or staying with family there. The relatives in Ukraine then have to deal with a Kazakh morgue, civil registry and customs office, where papers are written in Kazakh or Russian. You do not have to do this yourselves: we organise everything on the ground, and XREQUIEM is responsible for the case. Call at any hour and we will tell you where to start.
The first call
Tell us whether the body is in Almaty, Astana or a smaller town, and what the hospital has handed you. You hear the total during that call, and the contract repeats it.
Medical certificate and passport translation
The hospital issues the medical certificate. It goes to the civil registry, and if the deceased's passport is not in Kazakh or Russian, we first have it translated and notarised.
Registering the death
A Kazakh registry office records the death. We go there with your notarised power of attorney, and you stay at home.
An autopsy, if one is ordered
Kazakh doctors may order one after a sudden, violent or unexplained death. It is usually finished within a day. The family rarely gets the full report, but a copy can be requested.
Apostille and the Embassy
We have the Kazakh certificate apostilled, translate it into Ukrainian and file it with the Embassy of Ukraine in Astana. There is no longer a consulate in Almaty, so everything goes through the capital.
Embalming and the coffin
A body does not leave Kazakhstan without embalming, and the health inspection service issues the certificate for it. The body is then placed in an airtight coffin, which is sealed shut.
Flight and road
Turkish connections are the usual choice. When the coffin lands near the Ukrainian border, our driver collects it and brings it to the address you gave.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents needed to bring the deceased home from Kazakhstan
These are the Kazakh documents and who issues each one. The exact set depends on the city and on whether there was an autopsy, so we check it with the local authorities for your case.
What Kazakhstan issues
- Medical certificate of death: drawn up by the hospital or the morgue, and it is the paper the civil registry needs to record the death.
- Death certificate: issued by the civil registry authority once the death is registered. It is in the local language and does not state the cause of death.
- Autopsy documents, if there was an autopsy. They are what shows the cause of death.
- Embalming certificate: a body is not taken out of Kazakhstan without embalming. The certificate comes from the health inspection service.
- Permission to remove the body: given by the morgue, hospital or forensic facility where the deceased is held.
- Customs permit from the Kazakh customs department, which allows the coffin to leave the country.
- A letter from the funeral director stating that no foreign objects were put in the coffin before sealing, with a list of the items travelling with the deceased.
- The carrier's documents: the air waybill for the coffin.
We go through these administrative steps on the family's behalf.
What we take on
- We collect the hospital paperwork and get the Kazakh death certificate from the registry office.
- We have the documents apostilled and translate them into Ukrainian.
- We submit the documents to the Embassy of Ukraine.
- We book the air transport and obtain the air waybill.
- We seal the coffin to Ukrainian border standards, obtain the Kazakh customs permit and write the statement for customs on entry to Ukraine.
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 in our name. We explain how to word it.
Documents for every country are collected on the Documents page, and the first hours are covered on the page What to do if a loved one dies abroad.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Kazakhstan
Ukraine's mission in Kazakhstan is the Embassy in Astana. The Consulate General in Almaty was closed back in 2014, and its work passed to the consular section of the Embassy. So wherever in Kazakhstan the death occurred, the Ukrainian documents are handled in Astana.
- Both countries accept the apostille under the Hague Convention, so the Kazakh certificate needs no further legalisation. After the apostille we have it translated into Ukrainian.
- Ukrainian border guards check a certificate confirming that nothing prohibited is inside the body or the coffin. A Kazakh authority writes it and the Embassy in Astana stamps it.
- We ask the Embassy in advance about consular registration of the death, the fee and the papers for the Ukrainian funeral allowance, so that everything goes in as one package.
Nobody from the family has to make the trip to Astana: our staff put the Embassy file together and hand it in. More about the consul's role in the article The Ukrainian consulate when someone dies abroad.
How we bring the deceased home from Kazakhstan
There are no passenger flights to Ukraine right now, so the plane from Kazakhstan lands in a neighbouring country, most often Poland. The body covers the rest of the way in our vehicle.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from a hospital or morgue in Almaty, Astana, Shymkent, Karaganda, Aktobe, Atyrau, Aktau or any village. Flights to Istanbul leave from Almaty and from some regional airports, such as Aktau or Shymkent. We choose the airport by the city and the flight, so start by telling us where the body is now.
Plane plus vehicle
The flight usually has a change in Istanbul. In the country next to Ukraine, our vehicle waits for the coffin at the airport.
How the coffin travels by air
Coffins travel in the hold of a passenger jet or on a freighter. Before a seat is booked, the airline sees the customs permit and the embalming certificate, which keeps the transfer in Istanbul smooth.
How long it takes
Once we have collected the body, plan on 72 hours or more for the trip. Delays come from the registry office, a possible autopsy and waiting for space on a plane.
The Ukrainian border lets a body through only in a hermetic metal coffin under official seal, which is why we use a coffin with a sealed zinc liner. For customs we prepare a written statement and the documents. Details on the Air transport page.
What to know about Kazakhstan
These local rules affect both the timing and the list of papers. We took them from the UK government guidance “When someone dies in Kazakhstan” (14 May 2025) and from the government portal gov.kz. The guidance was written for British nationals, so we check each point for your case with the Kazakh authorities.
- The language of the documents. All papers in Kazakhstan are drawn up in Kazakh or Russian, and officials rarely speak English. We take care of the translation.
- The cause of death. The Kazakh death certificate does not state it. If the cause is needed for insurance or an estate, tell us at once: we will request the doctors' or the autopsy documents.
- An autopsy can be avoided. If the person was under a doctor's care and the police see no signs of violence, the family can waive the autopsy in writing. We will find out whether this is possible in your case.
- Registration online. If the deceased lived in Kazakhstan and had a local individual identification number (IIN), the death can be registered on the eGov.kz portal or at a Public Service Centre (TsON). Registering a death is free of charge.
- Cremation. For a long time there was none in Kazakhstan. The legal basis for crematoria was approved in early 2026, and the country's first crematorium opened in Almaty on 30 April 2026. Cremation is only allowed with written, notarised consent the person gave during their lifetime, and only after a non-violent death. Scattering ashes is prohibited. If the family is thinking about an urn, tell us and we will check the conditions for cremation.
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from Kazakhstan in 2026?
Body from Kazakhstan from €3,000One amount covers everything from the Kazakh morgue to your town, the flight included, and it goes into the contract. You pay nothing upfront. A funeral in Ukraine is priced separately.
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 flight out of Kazakhstan, then our vehicle from the arrival airport to your town
- handover to the family
Coffin of your choice and urn: free of charge.
What can change the price
Five things move the amount: where in Kazakhstan the body is, which airport it leaves from, the fare that day, whether there was an autopsy, and your town in Ukraine. Insurance may also pay part. We cover all of this on the first call. 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 Kazakhstan
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from Kazakhstan?
From €3,000 for the whole journey home. See the list above for what is included; your exact figure goes into the contract. A breakdown of the price is in the article How much it costs to bring a body home to Ukraine from abroad.
How long does repatriation from Kazakhstan take?
Allow 72 hours or more. Paperwork sets the pace: the registry office, any autopsy, the apostille, the Embassy in Astana and the booking. We push all of them forward at the same time.
Is an autopsy compulsory?
Not always. UK guidance says Kazakh authorities may order one when the cause is unclear or the death was sudden, unnatural or violent. If a doctor was treating the person and the police see no violence, relatives can refuse it in writing. When it does happen, the body is usually released within a day.
Who issues the death certificate in Kazakhstan?
The civil registry authority, once the death has been registered. We do this under a notarised power of attorney. The certificate is in the local language and does not state the cause of death, so for Ukraine we have it apostilled and translated.
Is embalming needed?
Yes. Kazakhstan does not release a body without embalming, and the health inspection service issues the certificate. The type of embalming is chosen to suit the case, and we agree it on the very first day. More about preparing the body.
Which documents do you need from the family?
Just four things: the deceased's passport or a photo of it, your own passport, a birth or marriage certificate that shows kinship, and a power of attorney in our name. We take care of the Kazakh papers, the apostille, the translations and the Embassy.
Do I have to fly to Kazakhstan?
In most cases, no. At the civil registry, the morgue and the Embassy we act under the power of attorney, and we message or call you at every step. When your own signature is needed, we warn you ahead of time. How to manage the case from home is covered in the article If the family cannot travel abroad.
What kind of coffin is needed?
Kazakh rules call for an airtight soldered zinc coffin, and Ukraine wants a sealed hermetic metal one. A single coffin of this type satisfies both sides. Which coffins exist is on the Coffins page.
Will insurance cover the transport?
Often yes, if repatriation is in the policy. A photo of the policy is enough for us to read the terms and call the insurer. Wait for the insurer's approval before paying anything, or the claim may be refused. More in the article Insurance and bringing a body home.
Can an urn with ashes be brought home from Kazakhstan?
Yes. Transporting an urn costs from €800. In Kazakhstan cremation needs the notarised consent of the person, signed while they were alive. For the Ukrainian border an urn needs the death certificate and a consulate-certified certificate of no prohibited items, ideally with the cremation certificate too. More on the Urn transport page.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from Kazakhstan
Leave your number and we will call you back.
Families also call us about Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey. The full list is on the countries page.