Repatriation to and from Ukraine

Your loved one travels with the Ukrainian death certificate, apostilled and with a certified translation, a separate medical cause-of-death certificate (Ukrainian certificates omit the cause of death), and a health certificate confirming the death was not from a communicable disease.

Ukraine is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so the documents are legalised with an apostille rather than a longer legalisation chain. We obtain everything on your behalf.

Your loved one leaves Ukraine by road, so the transport combines a land-border clearance with the road route home, or a flight from Poland where needed, and typically takes around 2 to 7 days, sometimes longer.

The timing depends on how quickly the death is registered, the apostille and translation of the documents, and above all the security situation, which can change at short notice.

Yes. A burial can generally proceed on the apostilled and translated Ukrainian death certificate. For a cremation in England and Wales, the coroner must give authority first, the Cremation Form 6, issued once the coroner is satisfied there is no need for further investigation.

In Scotland this role falls to the procurator fiscal; in Northern Ireland, the coroner. We liaise with the coroner's office so the authority is in place without delay.

The quoted price covers the Ukrainian documentation, the apostille and translation, hygienic treatment, a sealed coffin, the road transport out of Ukraine and on to the UK (or a flight from Poland where needed), with handover to your funeral director. We put a firm price in writing on the first call, and that is the figure on the invoice.

Ukraine is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so UK public documents are legalised with an apostille rather than through a longer legalisation chain. The Embassy of Ukraine in London also signs off the papers before departure, and we deal with it for you. Each apostilled document is accompanied by a notarised Ukrainian translation.

The Ukrainian authorities also require a health certificate confirming the death was not from a communicable disease and a certificate that there are no foreign objects in the casket, both apostilled and translated. We prepare the full file on your behalf.

Before removal, the coroner must be given at least four clear days' notice and issues an "out of England" acknowledgement confirming there is no objection to removal. In Scotland this role falls to the procurator fiscal; in Northern Ireland, the coroner.

Your loved one then travels after hygienic treatment, in a sealed coffin with the apostilled documents. We complete the coroner notification on your behalf.

As no flight can land in Ukraine, the transport is by road with a land-border clearance, sometimes with a flight to Poland for the first leg, and typically takes around 2 to 7 days, sometimes longer.

The timing depends on the coroner's notice, the apostille and translation of the documents, and above all the security situation, which can change at short notice. We keep the family informed at every stage.

The quoted price covers the coroner notification, the apostille and translation, hygienic treatment, a sealed coffin, the dedicated road transfer across the border (with a flight to the Polish hub where needed), with the border formalities in Ukraine. We put a firm price in writing on the first call, and that is the figure on the invoice.