Shipping Remains from Ukraine

Funeral homes in Kyiv:

Gemma
19 vul. Volodymirska
Tel: 269-6518

Ritualni Poslugy
123 vul. Saksaganskogo
Tel. 220-6035

Ritualni Poslugy
17 vul. Mala Zhytomirska
Tel. 229-1277

Ritualni Poslugy
23a vul. Serhiyenka
Tel. 559-0157

Shipping remains outside Ukraine:

To transport remains outside Ukraine, they must be placed in a hermetically sealed zinc casket. The zinc casket is placed into a wooden shipping crate. All required containers can be obtained through either the Kyiv crematorium or the Kyiv municipal mortuary. Sealing by soldering is made on the spot for an additional fee. Arrangements for remains to be shipped by air from Kyiv region normally are made through Kyiv.

The cost of a zinc casket in Kyiv is approximately 500 US$, in Poltava - 200 US$ (with support of local authorities a special direct order was placed to the manufacturing plant). Cost for a shipping crate in Kyiv is about 200 US$, in Poltava - 80 US$.

Air shipment of human remains in a zinc container from Kyiv to New York with Air Ukraine costs about 1,650 US$, from Kyiv to Chicago with KLM - about 1,800 US$ (7.55 US$ per kg plus service fee), to New York with Lufthansa -1,600 US$ (6.90 US$ per kg plus service fee).

Paperwork Requirements:

Following are the requirements of Ukrainian law for the exportation of human remains outside Ukraine:

• Embalming remains, after authorization from civil authorities;
• Enclosure of remains;
• Certificate from funeral home stating that there are no other inserts in the coffin except the body and that the container was sealed in the presence of an authorized representative of funeral home;
• Transport authorization from central epidemiological station stating that decedent did not suffer any communicable disease;
• Transport authorization from the city/oblast administration or prosecutor's office;
• Certified copy of local certificate of death;
• Embassy-issued report of death of an American citizen abroad; certified copy of decedent's passport;
• Embassy-issued original consular mortuary certificate;
• Air waybill clearance with Ukrainian customs;
• All documents in Ukrainian must be accompanied by English translation for American customs.

Notes on Cost:

All dollar costs in this flyer have been converted from the cost in local currency (hryvnya). As the exchange rate is not stable, the above mentioned costs may shift accordingly. All payments must be made in Ukrainian currency. However, very often funeral service facilities still charge foreigners in dollars or in hryvnya at very unfavorable exchange rates.