Exhumation in Latvia and Reburial in Ukraine
If your relative is already buried in Latvia, 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.
LV → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from Latvia to Ukraine
XREQUIEM gets the Latvian transport permit from the Health Inspectorate, prepares the papers for the embassy in Riga and a sealed coffin, then drives the deceased through Lithuania and Poland to your town in Ukraine. Prices start from €1,800 for the whole journey, and the road takes from 24 hours after 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 €1,800 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. In Latvia one paper decides when the journey can start: the Health Inspectorate permit, issued within 10 working days. Until then we register the death, prepare the coffin and handle the Ukrainian documents. From €1,800 covers all of this and the road home; a funeral in Ukraine is a separate service. Tell us the city and the address, and 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.
From the first call to home: the steps in Latvia
In Latvia everything depends on one document: the permit from the Health Inspectorate. To get it, the death has to be registered first and the coffin prepared to Latvian rules. We handle this. We explain every step to you and prepare the Ukrainian documents.
In Latvia an autopsy is ordered by the State Police, and the body may be taken to the National Centre of Forensic Medicine Expertise first. You are not obliged to use an undertaker suggested by the hospital or the police. Give them our number +380 77 882 77 77. We speak English with hospitals and the police. Calling abroad is expensive? Message us on Viber, WhatsApp or Telegram, or leave your number for a callback.
We listen and give you the price
Which Latvian town? Is the body at a hospital, a morgue or the forensic centre? Is the death already registered? With these answers you hear the cost in the same call.
We agree the details with the hospital
The hospital writes the cause-of-death certificate. We take a copy for the permit file and book a collection time.
We register the death
The death can be registered at any Latvian civil registry office (dzimtsarakstu nodaļa) within 6 working days. The office issues the death certificate (miršanas apliecība).
We prepare the coffin to Latvian rules
We give a certificate that the body will be placed in a coffin that meets the requirements for taking it out of the country, and prepare the coffin ourselves. Without this certificate there will be no permit.
We get the permit to take the body out
We submit the application to the Health Inspectorate. The review is free of charge. It takes up to 10 working days, but the Inspectorate says it will issue the permit as soon as possible.
We handle the Ukrainian side
While the Inspectorate reviews the application, we work on the Riga embassy file: translations into Ukrainian, certification and the certificate of no prohibited items.
We bring the deceased home
Through Lithuania and Poland to a crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border, then on to your town: the family home, a church or a farewell hall.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in Latvia
The Inspectorate needs four papers before a body may leave Latvia. We gather all of them.
What is submitted to the Inspectorate
- The application for a permit to transport a deceased person's body (miruša cilvēka ķermeņa pārvadāšanas atļauja). It can also be submitted online, through the latvija.gov.lv portal.
- A copy of the healthcare facility's certificate of the cause of death.
- A copy of the death certificate (miršanas apliecība) from the civil registry office (dzimtsarakstu nodaļa).
- A statement from us, as the funeral firm, that the body will lie in a coffin built to Latvian rules.
What we do
- We register the death and obtain the certificate ourselves.
- We submit the application to the Inspectorate and keep an eye on the deadline.
- We get the Latvian papers certified and translated into Ukrainian, then put together the set for the embassy in Riga and for Ukrainian customs.
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, so that we can act for you in Latvia. We explain how to sign it.
The language of the permit
The permit is completed in Latvian and in one more official language of the Council of Europe. The cause of death is written in Latvian and in English or French, or given as an international disease code. We translate the permit into Ukrainian.
Latvia signed the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the transfer of corpses; Ukraine did not. At the Ukrainian border the Latvian permit alone is not enough, so we add the death certificate and a separate certificate that nothing prohibited is in the body or the coffin. The general list of documents is on the “Documents” page.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Latvia
The Embassy of Ukraine is in Riga and has a consular section. We handle the Ukrainian part of the documents with it.
- The consul in Riga can register the death of a Ukrainian citizen who died, lived, was found or will be buried in Latvia. The miršanas apliecība must first be certified and translated into Ukrainian; we confirm your case with the embassy.
- Registration and the first Ukrainian certificate carry no consular fee. The consul also writes the note for social protection that your family needs to claim the funeral allowance.
- The embassy in Riga certifies the certificate of no prohibited items, which Ukrainian border officers ask to see.
What to do in the first hours is on the page “What to do if a loved one dies abroad”.
How we bring the deceased home from Latvia
Latvia has no border with Ukraine. The usual road runs south through Lithuania and Poland, and we enter Ukraine at a crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border.
Where we collect from
Riga, Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava, Jūrmala, Ventspils or a small town: we collect from a hospital, a morgue or the forensic centre. Tell us where the body is now, and we will fix the collection day.
By road
This is how most journeys from Latvia go. One specialist vehicle carries the coffin all the way to the cemetery town, with no reloading.
Plane and road
If you would rather save time than money, we fly the body to an airport near Ukraine and continue by road. The air leg takes from 2.5 hours. We do not promise direct flights to Ukraine.
How long it takes
Once we collect the body, the road to Ukraine takes from 24 hours. Most of the waiting happens earlier, while the Health Inspectorate considers the permit.
The coffin Latvia requires
Latvian rules require a hermetically sealed coffin with a moisture absorber. The walls are wooden: at least 20 mm thick with a soldered zinc liner, or at least 30 mm thick with zinc cladding. If needed, a pressure-equalisation valve is fitted. The coffin is then placed in a tight wooden case that does not look like a coffin. For Ukraine we choose the option with a zinc liner, because Ukraine accepts a body only in a metal, hermetically sealed coffin under official seal. More on the pages “Coffins and sealed zinc liners” and “Road transport of the deceased to Ukraine”.
Price of repatriation from Latvia
Body from Latvia from €1,800Urn with ashes from €800
The starting price covers the road from Latvia to your town in Ukraine. Funeral services there are a separate order.
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
- usually by road; if needed, part of the way by air
- handover to the family
Coffin of your choice and urn: free of charge.
What can change the price
The city in Latvia and the town in Ukraine. Road or air. The model of the coffin. How many documents are already in place. You will hear the full amount before we start. 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 Latvia
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from Latvia?
From €1,800 for the Inspectorate permit and the other papers, preparing the body, the sealed coffin, the road and customs. A funeral in Ukraine is extra. The exact figure depends on the Latvian city and the Ukrainian town.
How long does it take?
Counting from collection, the body's way home to Ukraine takes from 24 hours. Before the journey we have to wait for the permit from the Health Inspectorate: up to 10 working days, although the Inspectorate says it will issue it as soon as possible. We submit the application as soon as we have all the documents.
What should I do first?
Start by calling us: we will tell you what to say to the hospital or the police. The details are on the page “What to do if a loved one dies abroad”. Do not pay anyone until you know the full cost of bringing the deceased home.
Who issues the permit to take the body out?
The Health Inspectorate of Latvia (Veselības inspekcija). It reviews the application free of charge. We submit the application together with copies of the death certificate, the certificate of the cause of death and our certificate about the coffin.
Do I need to travel to Latvia?
In most cases, no. We prepare the documents, and the application to the Inspectorate can be submitted online. If a relative's signature in person is needed at any point, we will tell you in advance. What you can do from home is described in the article “If the family cannot travel abroad”.
Which documents do you need from the family?
Only a few things: the deceased's passport (a photo will do), your passport, proof that you are related and a power of attorney. The miršanas apliecība, the Inspectorate permit, the translations and the embassy papers are our job.
What kind of coffin is needed? Is embalming compulsory?
The coffin is hermetically sealed, with a zinc liner and a moisture absorber, and is placed in a tight wooden case. Such a coffin is already included in the price. For a road journey, we will advise whether embalming is appropriate. If part of the journey is by plane, we take the airline's requirements into account: some accept only embalmed bodies. We will tell you in advance if the price changes. More in “Preparing the body”.
The deceased had insurance. What should I do?
First tell us about the policy, and do not hire a local funeral home yourself until you have agreed it with the insurer. We will check the terms and deal with the insurer. Often a policy pays only as far as the Ukrainian border; we will tell you in advance about the part it does not cover.
Which cities in Latvia do you collect from?
Anywhere in Latvia, from Riga to a village near the Lithuanian border. Send the address of the hospital or morgue and we will name a collection time.
Can you bring home an urn with ashes?
Yes. Latvia's only crematorium is in Riga. The urn then travels with the death certificate and the certificate of no prohibited items certified by the embassy. Urn transport costs from €800; more on “Transport of an urn with ashes to Ukraine”.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from Latvia
Leave your number and we will call you back.
Nearby destinations: Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland. All countries are on the countries page.