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

1. 1

   Medical Certification of Death and Forensic Clearance in Ukraine

   The mandatory first stage in Ukraine is official confirmation of the death and issuance of the medical document required for state civil registration of the death [1].

   • Death in a healthcare facility: The attending physician at the medical institution where the deceased was treated issues the medical death certificate (лікарське свідоцтво про смерть or paramedic death certificate, фельдшерська довідка про смерть) where there are no signs of violent death [1].
   • Death at home, in a hotel, or in a public place: Immediately call an emergency medical team at 103 and the National Police of Ukraine at 102 [1]. The police inspect the scene; in the event of a sudden death, suspected violent death, or death under unexplained circumstances, the body is transferred to the bureau of forensic medical examination (бюро судово-медичної експертизи, for example in Kyiv, Lviv, or Odesa). In such cases, release of the body, cremation, or repatriation is only permitted after the forensic examination has been completed and clearance has been granted by the investigator or prosecutor [1].
2. 2

   Checking Insurance, Funeral Services in Ukraine and Poland, and Consular Assistance

   Before independently commissioning paid international transport services, check whether the deceased held a travel insurance policy or repatriation coverage [2]. If an active policy exists, the insurance company's assistance centre normally appoints a specialised funeral provider itself and covers the associated costs [2].

   • Coordination of funeral providers in Ukraine and Poland: If there is no insurance coverage, the family can engage a licensed funeral company or municipal funeral service (ритуальна служба) in Ukraine working in coordination with a Polish funeral home (zakład pogrzebowy), such as members of the Polish Funeral Industry Chamber (Polska Izba Branży Pogrzebowej) or the Polish Funeral Association (Polskie Stowarzyszenie Pogrzebowe) [2][3]. Clarvia lists examples from public sources solely for orientation and does not recommend, endorse, or rank any service providers.
   • Polish consular assistance in Ukraine: Report the death to the Polish diplomatic mission, Посольство Республіки Польща в Києві (Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Kyiv, Consular Section: phone +38 044 284 00 35, email [email protected]), or to the competent Consulate General of the Republic of Poland (in Lviv, Lutsk, Vinnytsia, or Odesa) [2]. The Polish consul explains the required documents, cancels the deceased's Polish passport, and issues the consular certificate for transporting the body or ashes to Poland, although the consulate does not pay funeral expenses [2].
3. 3

   State Registration of Death in Ukraine and Recognition in Poland

   An application for state registration of death in Ukraine must be submitted no later than 3 days from the date of death or discovery of the body (or within 5 days if it is impossible to obtain the medical certificate immediately) [1].

   • Registration with DRACS and obtaining the death certificate in Ukraine: Under martial law, the principle of extraterritoriality applies: the declaration may be filed with any civil status registration office (DRACS, operating under the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Міністерство юстиції України) or through an Administrative Services Centre (TsNAP), following the official instructions published on the Ukrainian state portal Портал Дія (Diia Portal) [1][4]. The applicant receives the official Ukrainian state death certificate (свідоцтво про смерть) free of charge together with an extract from the State Register of Civil Status Acts of Citizens regarding the death (витяг з Державного реєстру актів цивільного стану громадян про смерть) [1][4]. Matters relating to consular registration and document legalisation are also coordinated by the Department of Consular Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Міністерство закордонних справ України [5].
   • Transcription and registration in Poland (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego): For official recognition and recording of the death in the Polish civil status register, an application for transcription (transkrypcja zagranicznego aktu zgonu) is submitted to any chosen Registry Office in Poland (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego - USC, for example in Warsaw or Kraków) or through a Polish consul, in accordance with the rules on the Polish government portal Serwis Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (gov.pl) [6]. The original Ukrainian death certificate must be accompanied by a sworn Polish translation (tłumacz przysięgły) or a translation certified by the consul (a bilateral legal assistance treaty between Ukraine and Poland exempts official documents from an apostille, although Polish authorities also accept apostilled documents in practice) [6]. Where a death occurs directly in Poland, registration with the USC takes place within 3 days of issuance of the medical death card (karta zgonu), or within 24 hours in the case of an infectious disease, with the option to obtain a multilingual CIEC Form C extract under the Vienna Convention [6].
4. 4

   Choosing Between Repatriation to Poland and Local Burial or Cremation in Ukraine

   The family decides whether to arrange international transport of the body or urn of ashes to Poland or to hold the burial or cremation in Ukraine [2][3].

   • Repatriation of the body or ashes from Ukraine to Poland: To bring a body or human remains into Poland, you must first obtain a permit from the county governor or city president (pozwolenie starosty lub prezydenta miasta) for the planned place of burial in Poland, issued after consultation with the county sanitary inspector (Państwowy Powiatowy Inspektor Sanitarny - Sanepid / State Sanitary Inspection of Poland) [2][3]. On the basis of that Polish permit, the Ukrainian state death certificate, the medical death certificate, a certificate from the Ukrainian sanitary-epidemiological authority (State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, Держпродспоживслужба) confirming the absence of infectious diseases, and the local export clearance, Посольство Республіки Польща в Києві (or the relevant Polish consulate) issues the Polish consul's certificate for bringing the corpse or ashes into Poland (zaświadczenie konsula RP na przewóz zwłok lub prochów, subject to a consular fee of EUR 70) [2]. A body must be transported in a hermetically soldered zinc-lined coffin, whereas if cremation takes place in Ukraine (for example at the Kyiv, Kharkiv, or Odesa crematorium), the ashes are transported in a tightly sealed funerary urn accompanied by the cremation certificate [2][3].
   • Local burial or cremation in Ukraine: If burial or cremation takes place in Ukraine, cemetery plot arrangements or crematorium services are organised through the local funeral service on the basis of the Ukrainian state death certificate [1][5].
5. 5

   Pensions, Funeral Grants, Taxes, and Estate Administration in Poland and Ukraine

   Once funeral arrangements are complete, financial, pension, and inheritance matters must be settled in both countries.

   • Procedures in Poland:
     • Funeral grant and survivor's pension (ZUS / KRUS): If the deceased was insured or received a pension in Poland, an application for the one-off funeral grant (zasiłek pogrzebowy, Form Z-12, which must be filed within 12 months of the date of death) and for the family survivor's pension (renta rodzinna, Form ERR) should be submitted to the Polish Social Insurance Institution, Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych (or to KRUS for agricultural social insurance), together with original funeral invoices and the transcribed death certificate [7][8].
     • Inheritance and tax filing in Poland: Heirs in Poland have 6 months from the date on which they learn of the opening of the succession to file a declaration accepting the estate (either unconditionally or with limited liability for debts under benefit of inventory, z dobrodziejstwem inwentarza) or renouncing it [9]. Formal confirmation of inheritance rights is completed either via a Notarial Deed of Certification of Inheritance (Akt Poświadczenia Dziedziczenia), registered by the National Council of Notaries, Krajowa Rada Notarialna, in the public Inheritance Register (Rejestr Spadkowy), or via a court order confirming acquisition of the estate (sądowe stwierdzenie nabycia spadku) [9]. Immediate family members (the "zero tax group") are exempt from Polish inheritance tax provided they submit Form SD-Z2 to the competent tax office (Urząd Skarbowy) within 6 months from the registration of the notarial deed of inheritance or the date the court order becomes final, via the tax portal of the Polish Ministry of Finance, Ministerstwo Finansów (podatki.gov.pl) [10].
   • Procedures in Ukraine:
     • Benefits through the Pension Fund of Ukraine: If the deceased received a Ukrainian pension or worked in Ukraine, contact any service centre of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, Пенсійний фонд України (presenting your passport, Ukrainian tax number RNOKPP, death certificate, DRACS extract, and IBAN bank details), to claim the Ukrainian funeral grant (допомога на поховання) and apply for a survivor's pension (пенсія у зв'язку з втратою годувальника) [11][12].
     • Probate file in Ukraine: If property or bank accounts remain in Ukraine, heirs must submit an application to accept the inheritance to a state or private notary in Ukraine within 6 months from the date of death in order to open a probate file in the Ukrainian Inheritance Register (Спадковий реєстр); information on open probate files can be checked via the professional body of Ukrainian notaries, Нотаріальна палата України (Notary Chamber of Ukraine) [4][13].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   State registration of death: time limits, required documents, and DRACS authorities — Гід з державних послуг (Портал Дія)
2. [2]
   Consular certificate for transporting a body or ashes from Ukraine to Poland — Serwis Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - Polska w Ukrainie (gov.pl)
3. [3]
   Sanitary requirements for transporting corpses and human remains — Państwowa Inspekcja Sanitarna (gov.pl)
4. [4]
   Procedure for obtaining an extract from the State Register of Civil Status Acts regarding death — Центральне міжрегіональне управління Міністерства юстиції України
5. [5]
   Registration of death and consular support — Міністерство закордонних справ України
6. [6]
   Registration of a foreign death certificate (transcription at the Urząd Stanu Cywilnego) — Serwis Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (gov.pl)
7. [7]
   Obtaining a funeral grant in Poland (Zasiłek pogrzebowy ZUS / KRUS) — Serwis Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (gov.pl)
8. [8]
   Family survivor's pension in Poland (Renta rodzinna): eligibility conditions — Ministerstwo Rodziny, Pracy i Polityki Społecznej (gov.pl)
9. [9]
   Inheritance Register of Poland (Rejestr Spadkowy): searching deeds of certification of inheritance — Krajowa Rada Notarialna (rejestry-notarialne.pl)
10. [10]
    Filing tax return SD-Z2 on the acquisition of inherited property in Poland — Ministerstwo Finansów (gov.pl)
11. [11]
    Payment of a pensioner funeral grant in Ukraine — Гід з державних послуг (Портал Дія / ПФУ)
12. [12]
    Specific rules for applying for a survivor's pension in Ukraine — Безоплатна правнича допомога (legalaid.gov.ua)
13. [13]
    Information resources regarding open probate and inheritance files in Ukraine — Нотаріальна палата України