Exhumation in the UK and Reburial in Ukraine
If your relative is already buried in the UK, 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.
GB → UA · 24/7
Repatriation of the deceased from the United Kingdom to Ukraine
XREQUIEM brings the deceased home from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to any town in Ukraine, from €3,300. We handle the coroner forms, the consulate papers, the sealed coffin and the transport, by road or part of the way by air. The road home 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 €3,300 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 €3,300 pays for the British and Ukrainian papers, the coffin and the road to your town. A funeral in Ukraine is booked separately. In the UK the coroner permits removal of the body: in England and Wales it is Form 103, in Northern Ireland the coroner's certificate; Scotland has a separate system, and we establish the procedure for it case by case. We most often go with an air leg (from 2.5 hours) to an airport near the Ukrainian border and then by road; British law does not require embalming. From the moment of collection the body needs 24 hours or more to reach Ukraine. Call us and within 5 minutes you will have the exact price.
- 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 from the first call
In the United Kingdom the rules for taking a body abroad differ from those in continental Europe. In England and Wales the coroner is the key official: without the coroner's permission a body cannot be taken abroad, even when the death was entirely natural. Scotland has a different system: there the Procurator Fiscal investigates deaths, while in Northern Ireland the coroner gives the permission. We know these procedures and handle the case from start to finish. We speak Ukrainian, English, Polish and German, so you can call us in English.
The first call and the price
First we need to know which part of the kingdom the death happened in. That decides who signs the release. Then we name the price and the first step for you.
Registering the death
In England and Wales a medical examiner checks the cause of death first. Only then can the registrar register it. In Scotland any registration office can register a death. We help with this and get the certified copy of the death certificate that the coroner needs.
Notifying the coroner
In England and Wales we submit Form 104 to the coroner: the notice that the body is to be taken abroad. In Scotland and Northern Ireland we apply to the authority responsible there; more on this below.
Permission to take the body abroad
In England and Wales this is Form 103 signed by the coroner, in Northern Ireland the coroner's certificate; for Scotland we establish the procedure separately. Only after that do we book the flight.
Papers for the Ukrainian border
We have the British certificate of no prohibited items legalised through a Ukrainian consular office and arrange translations of the documents. We prepare the body and the hermetically sealed coffin.
The flight and the journey home
The air leg to an airport near the Ukrainian border, then our specialist vehicle takes the deceased to your town.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in the United Kingdom
Each part of the United Kingdom has its own procedure. In England and Wales and in Northern Ireland the coroner gives permission to take a body abroad. In Scotland the Procurator Fiscal investigates deaths, and we establish separately what is required to take a body out from there.
What is issued in the United Kingdom
- A certified copy of the death certificate from the registrar. If the coroner is still investigating the cause of death, an interim certificate from the coroner is issued instead.
- Form 104 (England and Wales): the notice to the coroner that the body is being taken abroad. We submit it, and the form is available from the registrar who registered the death.
- Form 103 (England and Wales): the coroner's permission to take the body abroad (“Out of England”). The coroner signs it and passes it to us.
- In Scotland: where the Procurator Fiscal is handling the case, Scottish councils name a “Furth of Scotland” certificate (West Dunbartonshire Council); what your case needs, we establish.
- In Northern Ireland: the coroner's certificate for taking the body abroad. If a death was reported to the coroner, the registrar registers it only after the coroner's certificate arrives.
What Ukraine needs
- The British death certificate with a translation. It is shown at the Ukrainian border together with the other papers.
- A certificate of no prohibited items. A British authority confirms that the coffin holds nothing forbidden. Then the Embassy in London or the Consulate in Edinburgh legalises the paper.
- A hermetically sealed metal coffin, put under official seal. Ukrainian law requires this, so we choose the coffin in the United Kingdom with that requirement in mind.
- A statement for Ukrainian customs, which can be in any form. We will draw it up for you.
In England and Wales, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, the coroner's permission can be obtained only if the death has already been registered and the death certificate issued. If the death happened just before a weekend, we begin the registration at once.
How long the coroner takes depends on the case. The road home of 24 hours or more is counted separately, from the moment the body has been collected.
The Embassy and consulate of Ukraine in the United Kingdom
Two Ukrainian offices work in Britain: the consular section of the Embassy in London and the Consulate in Edinburgh. Which of them takes your case, we will tell you.
- Based on the British papers, the consul enters the death in the Ukrainian civil register. The first Ukrainian death certificate is issued free of consular fees.
- The consul legalises the British certificate of no prohibited items. Ukrainian border guards check this certificate in particular.
- For the funeral allowance in Ukraine, the family needs a consular certificate addressed to the social protection office. The consul issues it.
- The consul helps to bring the body or an urn with ashes home and keeps in touch with the relatives.
The consul accepts British papers only when they are certified and translated into Ukrainian. We arrange this. See also the article “The Ukrainian consulate when someone dies abroad”.
How we bring the deceased home from the United Kingdom
Most often the journey includes an air leg. The deceased travels on a cargo flight from London or a regional airport to an airport near the Ukrainian border. Our specialist vehicle then takes them on from there. We do not promise direct flights to Ukraine.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast and from any other town or city in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: from a hospital, a morgue or from another place where the deceased is. The part of the kingdom where the death occurred decides which authority gives the permit.
Timing. Everything waits for the coroner. We book the flight only once the release is signed, so you never pay for a cancelled booking. After that the air leg takes from 2.5 hours. The whole road from collection to Ukraine takes from 24 hours.
Preparing the body. British law does not require embalming for a body to be taken abroad. But Ukraine requires a hermetically sealed metal coffin, and airlines have their own rules: some accept only embalmed bodies. So before booking we agree the preparation of the body with the carrier.
Price of repatriation from the United Kingdom
Body from the United Kingdom from €3,300Urn with ashes from €800
The “from” price runs from the British morgue to your door in Ukraine. The funeral there is not part of it.
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 by road, or part of the way by air, whichever is faster and better value for you
- handover to the family
Coffin of your choice and urn: free of charge.
What can change the price
The city in the United Kingdom matters most: it decides the departure airport and the road to it. Next come the town in Ukraine and the preparation of the body that the airline requires. We will give you the exact price when we talk.
Call us, day or night
Languages: Ukrainian, English, Polish, German. The same number in messengers.
Questions about repatriation from the United Kingdom
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from the United Kingdom?
From €3,300. The list above shows what that covers. For the exact figure we need the British city and your town in Ukraine. We name it during the call.
How long does it take?
The body's journey home to Ukraine takes from 24 hours after collection, and part of that is the flight, from 2.5 hours. The total time depends on the coroner: the flight is not booked until Form 103 is signed. We submit Form 104 as soon as possible and tell you as soon as the permission is ready.
The death was natural. Why is a coroner needed?
In England and Wales the coroner's permission is needed every time a body is taken abroad, even when the death was entirely natural. This does not mean there are any suspicions or that an investigation is under way. It is simply a required step. In Northern Ireland the coroner is also told when a body is taken out, and Scotland has a system of its own.
The person died in Scotland. Does anything change?
Yes, Scotland has a different system: deaths there are investigated by the Procurator Fiscal, not a coroner. Where the Fiscal is handling the case, Scottish councils name a “Furth of Scotland” certificate. In Northern Ireland the coroner issues a certificate. We collect the deceased from all parts of the United Kingdom and establish the procedure for the part where the death occurred.
Which documents do you need from the family?
The passport or another ID of the deceased, if you have it, and a phone number to reach you. The coroner forms, the registration, the Ukrainian certificates, legalisation and translations are our job.
Do I need to travel to the United Kingdom?
In most cases, no. The registrar, the coroner and the consulate deal with us, and you get news by phone or messenger. If someone from the family has to come, we will say so early. To help from home, read the article “If the family cannot travel abroad”.
Is embalming compulsory?
Not under British law. The airline may still ask for it, and Ukraine needs a hermetically sealed metal coffin. So we settle the preparation of the body with the carrier before booking. More in the article on the coffin and embalming.
The deceased had insurance. What should I do?
Send us a photo of the policy. If it covers transport of the body, we check the limits and talk to the insurer ourselves. Please wait for the insurer to approve before you sign with a British funeral director, or the claim may be refused.
Where in the United Kingdom do you collect the deceased?
From any town or city in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The location affects the departure airport and the road to it.
Can an urn with ashes be brought home?
Yes. For the border an urn needs the same papers as a coffin: the death certificate and the certificate of no prohibited items with consular legalisation. We bring an urn home from €800. More on the page “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 the United Kingdom
Leave your number and we will call you back.
Close to Britain we also bring people home from Ireland, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. The full list is on the countries page.
We also take the deceased from Ukraine to the United Kingdom