What to Do When a Ukrainian Citizen Dies in Poland: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain the Medical Death Card (karta zgonu) from the doctor at the hospital or clinic

   The first step is to obtain the free medical death card (karta zgonu), which is issued by the physician certifying the death on the hospital ward (or by a primary care physician or emergency medical team leader if the death occurred outside a hospital) [1].

   • Release of the medical death card: Provided the circumstances of death do not require a prosecutor's investigation or medico-legal autopsy, the hospital releases the karta zgonu to an authorized family member of the deceased or to a funeral home acting under a written power of attorney [1][2].
   • Two-part structure of the karta zgonu: The karta zgonu consists of two parts: one section used to register the death at the Civil Registry Office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego - USC), and a second section intended for the cemetery administration, which the head of the USC completes during registration and which is mandatory for burial, cremation, or international transport [1].
2. 2

   Register the death at the competent Civil Registry Office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego - USC)

   The death must be reported to the Civil Registry Office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego - USC) with jurisdiction over the place where the death occurred within 3 days of the date the karta zgonu was issued (or within 24 hours of death if the cause of death was a contagious disease) [1][2]. For example, in Warsaw, a death may be registered at any district office operated by the Urząd Stanu Cywilnego m.st. Warszawy (Civil Registry Office of the Capital City of Warsaw, including at ul. gen. W. Andersa 5; 24-hour Warsaw City Contact Center helpline 19115 within Poland or +48 22 443 19 11 from abroad) [2].

   • Who can report the death: The death may be reported in person by a family member (such as a spouse, descendants, ascendants, or collateral relatives) or through a funeral home authorized in writing, which is the most common practice [1][2].
   • Required documents: The karta zgonu issued by the physician, the deceased person's Ukrainian passport (together with their Polish residence card - karta pobytu - or PESEL confirmation, if they held one), and the declarant's identity document (for inspection) [1][2].
   • Issued certificates and fees: Registration of the death record (akt zgonu) is completed on the same day free of charge; the office issues one free abbreviated copy of the death certificate (odpis skrócony aktu zgonu), returns the stamped cemetery section of the karta zgonu, and automatically updates the PESEL register [1][2]. It is advisable to request additional abbreviated copies (PLN 22 stamp duty per copy) or full copies (odpis zupełny, PLN 33) immediately for consular, banking, and insurance procedures [2].
3. 3

   Choose a funeral home and decide between burial in Poland and repatriation to Ukraine

   Before signing a contract with a funeral company, check whether the deceased person held travel, health, or life insurance covering repatriation of remains, as insurers typically appoint their own assistance operator. Otherwise, the family may instruct a funeral home in Poland or a specialized company handling cross-border transport between Poland and Ukraine. Directories of member funeral companies are maintained by nationwide industry associations: the Polska Izba Branży Pogrzebowej (Polish Funeral Industry Chamber, tel. +48 798 198 997, email [email protected]) [5] and the Polskie Stowarzyszenie Pogrzebowe (Polish Funeral Association, tel. +48 22 834 84 60, email [email protected]) [6]. Clarvia provides these directories for guidance only and does not endorse, recommend, or rank individual funeral providers.

   • Burial or cremation in Poland: The selected funeral home arranges the ceremony at a municipal or religious cemetery in Poland based on the USC-annotated section of the karta zgonu and the copy of the akt zgonu [1].
   • International transport of the body or urn with ashes to Ukraine: Under the Polish Act on Cemeteries and Burying the Dead, transporting human remains or ashes outside the Republic of Poland requires a permit from the State County Sanitary Inspector (Państwowy Powiatowy Inspektor Sanitarny / Sanepid) competent for the place of death (in coordination with the county governor - starosta - or city mayor with county rights - prezydent miasta na prawach powiatu - depending on the administrative procedure) [3]. For example, in Warsaw, the competent sanitary authority is the Państwowy Powiatowy Inspektor Sanitarny w m.st. Warszawie (State County Sanitary Inspector in the Capital City of Warsaw, County Sanitary and Epidemiological Station at ul. Jana Kochanowskiego 21, tel. +48 22 310 79 00, email [email protected]) [3]. Technical formalities - including providing and officially sealing a metal-lined coffin, or performing cremation and sealing the urn, as well as filing the Sanepid application - are handled on the family's behalf by the authorized international funeral company [3].
4. 4

   Complete formalities at the Ukrainian Consular Office in Poland and border clearance

   The death of a Ukrainian citizen should be reported to the territorially competent consular office of Ukraine in Poland (in Warsaw, Kraków, Gdańsk, Lublin, or Wrocław) [4]. For example, for the Masovian and Łódź voivodeships, the competent mission is the Wydział Konsularny Ambasady Ukrainy w Warszawie (Consular Section of the Embassy of Ukraine in Warsaw, ul. Antoniego Malczewskiego 17, 24-hour emergency hotline for deaths +48 698 608 837, general telephone +48 22 621 39 79, email [email protected]) [4].

   • Role of the consulate: The Ukrainian consular office does not fund or perform commercial funeral services, but when a coffin or urn with ashes is transported to Ukraine, it issues the consular certificate required to cross the Polish-Ukrainian border and provides guidance on registering the death in Ukrainian civil status registries [4].
   • Documents required for border transport: The authorized funeral company presents to the consulate and border customs authorities the Polish death certificate (odpis aktu zgonu), the medical certificate stating the cause of death and absence of contagious disease, the Polish sanitary inspector's (Sanepid) permit to export the body or ashes, the coffin soldering/sealing certificate (or cremation certificate), and a certificate confirming that no unauthorized items are inside the coffin or urn, together with sworn translations into Ukrainian prepared by a sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły) [3][4].
5. 5

   Check eligibility for the ZUS funeral grant (zasiłek pogrzebowy) and notify banks and pension authorities

   If the deceased person was covered by social insurance in Poland under ZUS (for example, through an employment contract - umowa o pracę, mandate contract - umowa zlecenia, or receipt of a Polish pension or disability benefit) or if the family member paying for the funeral is covered by ZUS social insurance, a Polish funeral grant (zasiłek pogrzebowy) is payable by the Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych (Social Insurance Institution - ZUS, Customer Contact Center tel. +48 22 560 16 00, email [email protected]) [1][7]. Holding temporary protection status (PESEL UKR) alone without ZUS social insurance coverage or pension entitlement does not confer eligibility for the ZUS funeral grant [7].

   • Grant amount and filing deadline (rules from 1 January 2026): For deaths occurring on or after 1 January 2026, the zasiłek pogrzebowy is PLN 7,000 [1][7]. Immediate family members (including a spouse, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren) receive the full flat rate of PLN 7,000 regardless of the actual amount spent and regardless of whether the funeral took place in Poland or in Ukraine [1][7]. The application on form Z-12 must be filed within 12 months of the date of death (at a ZUS branch, via the PUE ZUS / eZUS portal, or through a Polish funeral home), enclosing an abbreviated death certificate (odpis skrócony aktu zgonu), original invoices (with a sworn translation if issued in Ukraine), and documents proving family relationship [1][7]. ZUS pays the benefit within 14 days of clarifying the final required detail [7].
   • Banks in Poland and institutions in Ukraine: Submitting an abbreviated Polish death certificate to a Polish bank closes the deceased's accounts, executes any payment-on-death instruction (dyspozycja wkładem na wypadek śmierci), and allows reimbursement of documented funeral expenses to the person who paid them (up to the account balance, based on original invoices under Article 55 of the Polish Banking Law). For matters involving the Pension Fund of Ukraine (Пенсійний фонд України) or inheritance proceedings in Ukraine, use the Polish death certificate accompanied by a sworn translation into Ukrainian [4].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Report a Death - Official Guide to Civil Registration and Funeral Grant (gov.pl) — Portal Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (gov.pl)
2. [2]
   Civil Registry Office of the Capital City of Warsaw (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego m.st. Warszawy) - Death Registration — Urząd m.st. Warszawy
3. [3]
   County Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Warsaw - State County Sanitary Inspector (Sanepid) — Portal Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (gov.pl)
4. [4]
   Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Poland - Consular Affairs and Contacts — Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych Ukrainy
5. [5]
   Polish Funeral Industry Chamber (Polska Izba Branży Pogrzebowej) - Contact and Directory — Polska Izba Branży Pogrzebowej
6. [6]
   Polish Funeral Association (Polskie Stowarzyszenie Pogrzebowe) - Contact and Member Directory — Polskie Stowarzyszenie Pogrzebowe
7. [7]
   ZUS Funeral Grant (Zasiłek pogrzebowy, Form Z-12) and Customer Contact Center — Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych (ZUS)