PL → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from Poland to Ukraine
XREQUIEM brings the deceased home from any Polish town to Ukraine by road, with no flight involved. The whole way costs from €800 and takes from 24 hours after collection. We deal with the USC records, the sanitary inspector's permit, the Ukrainian consulate and the border, and there is no prepayment.
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 €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. Poland and Ukraine share a land border, so the deceased travels home overland and crosses at one of nine road checkpoints. A relative applies, and the county sanitary inspector signs the removal permit. We fit the coffin to Polish rules so that Ukraine accepts it too. Allow 24 hours or more from collection. The whole way starts at €800; a funeral in Ukraine is extra.
- 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
If a Ukrainian citizen has died in Poland, the first three steps are in the “If it has just happened” box above. And do not pay anyone until you know the full price to your home. Poland is our closest destination. We also provide a hearse for a funeral inside Poland. Whether a family can bring the deceased home on its own is explained in the article Can a family bring a body home themselves?. Here is how the case goes when we handle it, from the first call to your home.
We listen and give you the price
Tell us the Polish town, where the body lies now and which papers you hold: a karta zgonu, an akt zgonu or nothing yet. The price follows on the same call.
We contact the hospital or the morgue
We agree when and where to collect the deceased. You do not need to find contacts for Polish services or speak Polish yourself.
We register the death in Poland
We obtain the death record at the Polish civil registry office (USC) and its short copy (odpis skrócony), which is needed for everything that follows.
We handle the Ukrainian side
While the Polish permit is pending, the Polish records are translated into Ukrainian and certified, and the consulate covering the place of death confirms the coffin holds no prohibited items.
We obtain the sanitary inspector's permit
The Polish sanitary inspector issues the permit to take the body out of the country. It requires a coffin that meets the rules, and we prepare it.
We drive to the border and across it
In a specialist vehicle, through one of the crossing points on the Polish-Ukrainian border. We handle customs ourselves.
We hand the deceased over to the family
The road ends where you choose: the house, a church, a farewell hall or the cemetery. Should you want it, the funeral in Ukraine is ours to arrange as well.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in Poland
There are not many Polish documents, but each has its own deadline. In short, what is issued and by whom.
What Poland issues
- Karta zgonu: the medical death card. A doctor writes it.
- Akt zgonu: the death record. It is drawn up by the civil registry office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego, USC). The death must be registered within 3 days. The USC draws up the record on the same day and issues a short copy of it (odpis skrócony) free of charge.
- The permit to take the body out of the country: signed by the county or border sanitary inspector (państwowy powiatowy or graniczny inspektor sanitarny). Polish law applies the same rules to ashes, so an urn needs this permit too.
What we need from you
- Two passports, yours and the deceased's (a copy will do while the original sits with the police or the hospital), plus a birth or marriage certificate. In Poland the relative signs the permit application, so kinship has to be shown on paper.
- Contacts of the hospital, the morgue or the police, if you already have them.
Everything else is ours. We flag early any paper only you can provide.
How the Polish permit works
The permit is issued on the application of relatives: a husband or wife, children, grandchildren, parents, or other relatives up to the fourth degree. It is issued within 3 days of the application.
The sanitary inspector signs the permit only after documents from the country of burial are submitted. They must confirm that there is no obstacle to bringing the body in. For Ukraine, these are documents from the Ukrainian consulate. So we run the Polish and the Ukrainian parts in parallel, not one after the other.
Special rules apply for some rare, particularly dangerous infections. We will tell you if this applies to your case.
Details may differ between voivodeships (Polish regions); we check them locally for each case.
The Embassy and consulates of Ukraine in Poland
A foreign death document is recognised in Ukraine only with an apostille or legalisation. The death of a Ukrainian citizen abroad is registered by the consul, at the place of death, residence, discovery of the body or burial.
There are several Ukrainian missions in Poland. The Embassy is in Warsaw. There are Consulates General in Wrocław, Kraków and Lublin, and a Consulate in Gdańsk. We apply to the consulate whose district covers the place of death.
- The consul works from two Polish papers, the doctor's karta zgonu and the akt zgonu from the USC, each translated into Ukrainian and certified. No consular fee is charged for this first certificate.
- A certificate for social protection, needed for the funeral allowance, is also issued by the consul.
- A Ukrainian checkpoint turns a coffin back unless the consulate has certified that nothing prohibited lies inside.
The Embassy in Warsaw has a hotline for cases of danger to life, road accidents or the death of a Ukrainian citizen. If you have already called them, that is good. We will pick up the case from there and do the rest.
How we bring the deceased home from Poland
Polish law asks for papers from every transit country on the way, and a direct drive to Ukraine has none. Our specialist vehicle goes from the Polish town to a checkpoint and on to your town, from 24 hours after collection. Permits and the border queue set the exact time. How road transport works.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Poznań, Łódź, Lublin, Rzeszów and from any other Polish town or village: from a hospital, a morgue or from another place where the deceased is. The distance from a Polish town to the border varies, and it affects the amount more than anything else.
There are 9 road crossing points on the Polish-Ukrainian border. We choose the one closest to the city we collect from and to your town in Ukraine.
| Ukraine | Poland |
|---|---|
| Rava-Ruska | Hrebenne |
| Shehyni | Medyka |
| Yahodyn | Dorohusk |
| Ustyluh | Zosin |
| Krakovets | Korczowa |
| Smilnytsia | Krościenko |
| Hrushiv | Budomierz |
| Uhryniv | Dołhobyczów |
| Nyzhankovychi | Malhowice |
The coffin for leaving Poland
The coffin must meet Polish rules for transport abroad: with metal inside, in a tight wooden case. The sanitary inspector seals it.
The Ukrainian side also requires a sealed metal coffin. So from the start we prepare a coffin that suits both borders.
Price of repatriation from Poland
Body from Poland from €800That covers the road from the Polish town to your door. A funeral in Ukraine is quoted 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
- we bring the deceased home in our specialist vehicle, all the way to your town
- handover to the family
Coffin of your choice and urn: free of charge.
What can change the price
Most of the difference comes from the kilometres between the Polish town and the border crossing. Then come the coffin you pick, the papers to translate and certify, and your town in Ukraine. You can compare with other countries 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 Poland
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from Poland?
From €800 for the whole road: Polish and consular papers, the coffin and the drive to your town. Any funeral in Ukraine is priced apart. See the Prices page.
How long does it take?
It takes from 24 hours after collection for the body to get home to Ukraine. What usually takes longest is the documents: registration at the USC, the sanitary inspector's permit (up to 3 days from the application) and the consulate. We run them in parallel so as not to lose days.
Do I need to travel to Poland?
In most cases, no. We handle it in Poland and keep you updated by phone or messenger. The Polish permit to take the body out is issued on a relative's application; we will tell you straight away how to do it in your case. What can be done from home is set out in the article If the family cannot travel abroad.
Which documents do you need from the family?
The deceased's passport (or a copy), your passport and a document confirming the family relationship. In Poland this matters more than elsewhere: the permit to take the body out is issued on the application of a relative (a husband or wife, children, grandchildren, parents or other relatives up to the fourth degree). We prepare the application; you only need to sign it.
Is embalming needed in Poland?
Not always. It depends on the condition of the body, the length of the journey and the carrier's rules. We say before departure whether it is needed. More on preparing the body.
What kind of coffin is needed?
The coffin must meet Polish rules. We prepare one that suits both Poland and the Ukrainian border: metal, airtight and sealed.
The person worked in Poland. Will insurance cover the transport?
It may, if repatriation is in the policy. Photograph it and send it over; we read the terms and talk to the insurer. Often, a policy pays only as far as the border, and we name the rest of the cost up front.
Which cities in Poland do you collect from?
From any town or village in Poland: Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Lublin, Gdańsk, Poznań, Łódź, Rzeszów and smaller places. The distance to the border affects the price, which is why we ask for the city first.
What if the body has already been cremated?
Then we bring the urn home, from €800. Polish law treats ashes like a body for transport, so the sanitary permit still applies, and the Ukrainian border asks for the papers it would for a coffin. Details: 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 Poland
Leave your number and we will call you back.
We also take the deceased from Ukraine to Poland
Nearby destinations: Slovakia, Czechia, Lithuania and Germany. All countries are on the countries page.