Exhumation in the USA and Reburial in Ukraine
If your relative is already buried in the USA, 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.
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Repatriation of the deceased from the USA to Ukraine
We bring the deceased home from any US state to your town in Ukraine, from €7,100 for the whole journey. The state death certificate, the transit permit, the apostille, translations, the Embassy file and a metal coffin are on us. After the flight across the Atlantic, our driver takes the coffin over at a European airport. The road itself takes from 24 hours.
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 €7,100 including documents, the coffin, the flight and the road 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 the USA to Ukraine the whole journey costs from €7,100 and the funeral in Ukraine is extra. Each state keeps its own death records and its own transport rules, so the state where the death occurred comes first. Ukraine needs that state's death certificate with an apostille and a notarised translation, and a coffin of galvanised steel or tin. The coffin crosses the Atlantic by air, and at a European airport our vehicle takes over. The road takes from 24 hours after collection. Tell us the city and the state, 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.
What we do when you call
There is no single federal procedure in the USA for taking a body out of the country: the rules of the state apply, and sometimes those of the city. So we first find out in which state the death occurred. We handle everything ourselves, and XREQUIEM handles the whole case for you. We speak Ukrainian, English, Polish and German, so we can make arrangements with the family and all parties in the USA in English.
We check the state and give you the price
We ask for the state and city, and where the body is now: in a hospital, at a funeral home or with a coroner or medical examiner. Each state decides for itself which deaths the coroner investigates. You hear the cost to your town in Ukraine in the same call.
We obtain the death certificate
Everything else depends on the death certificate. Without it, no permit to transport the body is issued.
We obtain the burial-transit permit
This is the permit to transport the body, and state laws require it. It is issued by an official of the health authority or by a clerk. In some states the funeral home itself can issue it.
We collect the documents for Ukraine
Each one carries an apostille and a notarised translation into Ukrainian. The list is below.
We deal with the Embassy
We send the deceased's passport with a notarised copy of the death certificate, and tell the Embassy the date, time and place of delivery.
We prepare the coffin and the flight
A metal coffin, which we seal. We book the air transport, state which cemetery in Ukraine will receive the coffin and receive it there ourselves.
We take over the coffin after the flight
Our driver waits for the flight from the USA at a European airport, collects the coffin with its American papers and drives it across the Ukrainian border to your town. There we hand the deceased over to the family.
We work out your price
Call or leave your number.
Documents in the USA
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not regulate taking bodies out of the country: the rules of the state apply, and sometimes those of the city. And whoever takes the body out must meet the requirements of the destination country. So the main task is to gather everything Ukraine requires.
What the USA issues
- Death certificate.
- Burial-transit permit: the permit to transport or bury the body. It is issued only after the death certificate. In New York State, for example, the registrar of vital statistics issues it as soon as the death certificate is filed.
- A health authority statement confirming the death was not caused by an infectious disease.
- A certificate that the coffin contains no prohibited items.
For Ukraine, the death certificate, the health certificate and the certificate of no prohibited items must carry an apostille and be translated into Ukrainian, with the translation notarised.
What we take on
- We obtain the death certificate and the permit in the right state ourselves.
- We arrange the apostille and the notarised translations.
- We file the papers with the Embassy in Washington and confirm with it when and where the coffin arrives.
- We book the air transport and act as the Ukrainian funeral home that receives the coffin.
- We prepare the written customs application for the Ukrainian border.
What we need from you
- The deceased's passport: it has to go to the Embassy.
- Your passport and a document showing your relationship to the deceased.
- A power of attorney for XREQUIEM. Without it the Embassy releases the coffin only to the closest relatives; with it we receive the coffin in your name.
The general list of documents is on the Documents page.
The Embassy and consulates of Ukraine in the USA
Ukraine has its Embassy in Washington and Consulates General in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston. Each mission serves its own consular district, a group of states, so the right consulate depends on where the death occurred. The Embassy also runs a hotline for when a citizen of Ukraine dies.
- A consul registers the death of a Ukrainian citizen in the USA. Registration and the first certificate carry no consular fee.
- For the funeral allowance in Ukraine you will need the consul's certificate for the social protection authorities. We will ask for it together with the other documents.
We file with the consul under your power of attorney, so you rarely need to travel to Washington or a consulate. More about the consul's role is in the article The Ukrainian consulate when someone dies abroad. The first steps are on the What to do if a loved one dies abroad page.
How we bring the deceased home from the USA
We plan the route from the USA in two stages: the flight across the ocean, and then our vehicle to your town.
Where we collect from
We collect the deceased from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia, Miami, Seattle and from any other city in the USA. The state decides which transport permits are needed, so please name it right away.
The flight across the ocean
Across the Atlantic the coffin travels in the hold of a passenger aircraft or on a cargo plane. We pick the departure airport nearest to the state and a flight to Europe for the day the papers are ready. We do not promise direct flights to Ukraine.
From the airport, in our vehicle
After landing, our driver takes over the coffin and the documents. From there a specialist vehicle takes it to the Ukrainian border and on to your town.
How long it takes
The road itself takes from 24 hours after we collect the body. The wait is for papers: the apostille on the death certificate comes from the secretary of state of the state that issued it, not from a federal office. Then come the translations and the flight confirmation.
The coffin for transport from the USA
For a flight from the USA, the Embassy of Ukraine asks for a metal coffin of zinc-plated steel or tinplate, and we seal it ourselves. The Ukrainian border wants the same thing: hermetic, metal, officially sealed. We agree the documents with the countries involved before booking, so that the coffin is not held up at the airport. More on the Air transport and Coffins pages.
How much it costs to bring the deceased home from the USA
Body from the USA from €7,100Urn with ashes from €2,500
This amount covers both the flight across the ocean and the drive in our vehicle from Europe. A funeral in Ukraine is not in it; we quote that 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
- a flight from the USA to Europe and our vehicle from there to your town
- handover to the family
Coffin of your choice and urn: free of charge.
What can change the price
The state and city, because records and permits are handled locally. Which US airport the coffin leaves from and the airline's fare that day. Whether the airline insists on embalming. Which papers the family already holds. The town in Ukraine at the end of the road. All of it goes into the price we give you. 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 the USA
How much does it cost to bring the deceased home from the USA?
From €7,100 for the whole way from the USA, the transatlantic flight included. The total depends on the state, the departure airport and the airline fare. A funeral in Ukraine is separate. All prices are on the Prices page. What the price is made of is explained in the article How much it costs to bring a body home to Ukraine from abroad.
How long does it take?
The transport itself takes from 24 hours. The overall time depends mostly on how fast the state office issues the death certificate and permit and the secretary of state adds the apostille. Then the translations and the Embassy's approval.
Is embalming required?
No rule covers every state. Some airlines, though, take only embalmed bodies, and a transatlantic flight is long, so it may be needed. We will tell you in advance what the carrier requires and whether the price will change. More about preparing the body.
Who can receive the coffin in Ukraine?
The Embassy of Ukraine's rules allow only the closest relatives, or a person with their power of attorney, to receive the coffin. Your power of attorney gives us the right to receive the coffin after the flight and bring it to you.
Why do I need to name a cemetery in Ukraine?
For air transport, the Embassy asks for the cemetery in Ukraine and the Ukrainian funeral home that will receive the coffin. That funeral home is us. Tell us which cemetery when you are ready. If you have not decided yet, we will advise you.
Which documents do you need from the family?
Only the deceased's passport, your passport, proof of your relationship and a power of attorney for us. The state certificate and permit, the apostille and the notarised translations are on us.
Do I need to fly to the USA?
Usually not. We collect the papers in the state ourselves. From you we need a power of attorney and the family's documents, and we will tell you how to send them. We write to you about every step and take the time difference into account. What can be done from home is set out in the article If the family cannot travel abroad.
Will insurance cover the transport?
It may, if the policy includes repatriation of remains; then the insurer pays part or all of it. Send us a photo of the policy. We read the terms and deal with the insurer for you. A policy sometimes covers only the journey as far as the border of Ukraine or an airport in Europe. In that case we tell you the remaining amount before we start. More in the article Insurance and bringing a body home.
Which states do you collect from?
From any state and city in the USA. The rules differ between states, so at the start we ask where exactly the death occurred.
Can an urn with ashes be brought home?
Yes, from €2,500: an urn from the USA is priced on its own. At the Ukrainian border you show the death certificate and a consulate-certified statement that the urn holds nothing else. How it works: Urn transport.
Tell us what happened
Oleg Zdendiak and the team. We explain the next steps.
Send a request for repatriation from the USA
Leave your number and tell us your state. We call back at a time that suits you in your US time zone.
Repatriation from other countries: Canada. All countries are on the countries page.