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

1. 1

   Medical Certification of Death and Coroner or Medical Examiner Clearance in the United States

   • Death in a hospital, hospice, or care facility: When the death occurs under medical supervision in a hospital or licensed care facility, the attending physician or authorized medical practitioner pronounces the death, records the medical cause of death in the state's Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS), and authorizes the release of your family member's body to a licensed funeral home [1]. If the person died at home under registered hospice care, contact the hospice nurse on duty first so the hospice team can verify the death without triggering an unnecessary emergency investigation.
   • Sudden, accidental, or unattended death outside a medical facility: If the death occurs unexpectedly at a private residence, workplace, hotel, or public place, call 911 immediately. Local law enforcement and emergency medical services will respond and refer the death to the county or municipal Coroner or Medical Examiner (for example, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York City, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office in Illinois, or the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner in California) [1]. The Coroner or Medical Examiner investigates the cause and manner of death, performs an autopsy if required by state law, completes the medical certification of death, and issues formal release clearance before a funeral provider can transfer the deceased [1].
2. 2

   Repatriation Insurance, Licensed Funeral Providers in Both Countries, and Ukrainian Consular Contact

   • Check travel, medical-assistance, or repatriation insurance first: Before signing an independent funeral contract, check whether your family member had travel insurance, international medical-assistance coverage, or employer-sponsored repatriation coverage. If a policy applies, contact the insurer's 24-hour assistance desk immediately, as the insurer normally appoints the funeral coordinator and pays eligible transport costs directly.
   • Appointing a licensed funeral home in the United States and a receiving funeral service in Ukraine: In the United States, a state-licensed funeral director handles care of the body, civil death registration, state burial-transit permits, and international air cargo booking [1][3]. You can search for a licensed provider through the directory of the National Funeral Directors Association [3]. Under the Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule, U.S. funeral homes must give you an itemized General Price List (GPL) in person and quote prices over the telephone, allow you to select only the specific goods and services you want, and obtain explicit permission before charging for embalming [2]. If repatriating remains to Ukraine, the U.S. funeral director coordinates with a receiving municipal or licensed funeral provider in Ukraine (ритуальна служба, such as the municipal enterprise КП Ритуальна служба in Kyiv or Lviv) to handle customs reception and cemetery interment. Clarvia supplies directory information for orientation and does not endorse, recommend, or rank listed organisations.
   • Contacting the Embassy or Consulate of Ukraine in the United States: Report the death immediately to the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States (consular emergency phone: +1 202-349-2947; email: [email protected]) or the competent Ukrainian Consulate General in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, or Houston (or the 24/7 hotline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine at +38 044 238-15-88, email: [email protected]) [5][6]. Consular officers guide the family on required repatriation documents, register or verify civil status records, and process the deceased's Ukrainian passport for official cancellation [5][6].
3. 3

   Civil Death Registration in the United States, Hague Apostille, and Ukrainian Recognition

   • Obtaining certified U.S. Death Certificates (Vital Records): Your appointed U.S. funeral director gathers the deceased's personal and demographic information and files the death record with the county health department or state Office of Vital Statistics / Vital Records in the U.S. state of death [1]. You can verify the competent state Vital Records agency through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) directory [1]. Request multiple certified copies of the long-form U.S. Death Certificate.
   • Hague Apostille and Ukrainian translation vs. Consular registration: Neither the United States nor Ukraine uses the multilingual CIEC Form C, so U.S. civil records must be authenticated for official use in Ukraine:
     • Hague Apostille and certified Ukrainian translation: Because both the United States and Ukraine are parties to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, obtain an Apostille on the certified U.S. Death Certificate from the Office of the Secretary of State in the U.S. state where the death certificate was issued, followed by a notarized translation into Ukrainian [5][6]. Once apostilled and translated (with the translation notarized in Ukraine or certified by a Ukrainian consulate), the U.S. Death Certificate is legally recognized across Ukraine by civil registry departments (відділ державної реєстрації актів цивільного стану - ДРАЦС of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine), Administrative Service Centers (ЦНАП), notaries, and pension authorities without requiring duplicate civil registration [6][9].
     • Consular registration and domestic deadlines: Where a death of a Ukrainian citizen abroad is registered directly by a Ukrainian diplomatic mission or consulate, the consulate issues a Ukrainian Death Certificate (свідоцтво про смерть) and transmits the record to the State Register of Civil Status Acts ( whereas for deaths occurring inside Ukraine, declaration to the ДРАЦС or via the Дія portal is ordinarily required within 3 days to obtain the death certificate and funeral grant extract) [5][7][9].
4. 4

   International Repatriation to Ukraine vs. Local Burial or Cremation in the United States

   • Repatriating a casket or cremated ashes from the United States to Ukraine:
     • U.S. export and transit preparation: For casket repatriation, the U.S. funeral director embalms the body, seals it inside a hermetically soldered zinc-lined or metal shipping casket, and obtains the state burial-transit permit, a medical/health department certificate confirming the absence of communicable disease, and a mortuary certificate confirming no unauthorized objects are inside the casket [4][5]. (In reverse cross-border cases entering the United States, human remains importation is governed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regulations under 42 CFR 71.55 and cleared by U.S. Customs and Border Protection [4]).
     • Ukrainian border and consular requirements: Under Ukrainian border and sanitary rules overseen by the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States and Ukraine's sanitary-epidemiological and customs authorities, importing a casket or an urn with cremated ashes into Ukraine requires: (1) a notarized statement from the next of kin expressing their wishes regarding the place and manner of burial in Ukraine; (2) the U.S. Death Certificate bearing a Hague Apostille and notarized Ukrainian translation; (3) the health/non-infectious disease certificate and the certificate of absence of foreign objects inside the hermetically sealed casket or urn, each bearing an Apostille and notarized Ukrainian translation; and (4) submission of the deceased's Ukrainian passport to the Embassy or Consulate for official processing [5][6]. Because civil aviation into Ukraine is currently suspended, international air cargo shipments typically fly to a neighboring European hub airport (such as Warsaw, Krakow, Rzeszów, or Chisinau) for licensed overland hearse transfer across the Ukrainian state border.
   • Local burial or cremation in the United States: If the family chooses burial or cremation in the United States without repatriation, the U.S. funeral director obtains the county/state disposition permit locally, and the family still submits the apostilled U.S. Death Certificate and the deceased's Ukrainian passport to the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States so Ukrainian civil and pension records can be updated [5][6].
5. 5

   Survivor Pensions, Funeral Benefits, Tax Filings, and Estate Administration in Ukraine and the United States

   • Funeral grants, survivor pensions, and inheritance in Ukraine:
     • Pension Fund of Ukraine (Пенсійний фонд України): If the deceased received a Ukrainian pension, the person who paid for the funeral can apply to any service center of the Pension Fund of Ukraine (or online through the Diia Portal / PFU electronic portal) for the statutory funeral benefit (допомога на поховання, equal to two months' pension for a civilian pensioner or three months' pension for a military pensioner, with no statutory time limit on claiming) as well as any unpaid pension up to the month of death [7]. Eligible dependent family members can also apply for a survivor's pension (пенсія у зв'язку з втратою годувальника) supported by the Free Legal Aid System of Ukraine (Безоплатна правнича допомога) [8].
     • Opening an inheritance case within 6 months (Нотаріальна палата України): Under the Civil Code of Ukraine, heirs who did not permanently reside with the deceased at the time of death must personally submit an application to accept the inheritance (заява про прийняття спадщини) to a Ukrainian state or private notary within 6 months from the date of death (or, under martial law rules where death registration was delayed by more than one month, within 6 months from the date of civil death registration) [9][10]. The notary registers the case in the Inheritance Register (Спадковий реєстр of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine), and families can check open inheritance files via the Notary Chamber of Ukraine [9][10]. If heirs remain in the United States, they can sign the inheritance acceptance statement before a Ukrainian consular officer (or before a U.S. notary public with a Hague Apostille and certified Ukrainian translation) and mail it to the notary in Ukraine before the 6-month deadline expires [9].
   • Social Security, Veterans benefits, tax filings, and probate in the United States:
     • Social Security Administration (SSA) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): If your family member had a U.S. Social Security number or worked in the United States, report the death to the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (or through the relevant U.S. Federal Benefits Unit if survivors reside abroad) to stop ongoing payments and check eligibility for monthly survivor benefits or the $255 lump-sum death payment [11]. If the deceased served in the U.S. armed forces, contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs regarding burial allowances and memorial benefits [13].
     • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and U.S. State Probate Court: The personal representative or survivor responsible for the estate must file a final federal income tax return (Form 1040, or Form 1040-NR for non-resident aliens with U.S. source income) with the Internal Revenue Service by April 15 of the year following death [12]. Any U.S. bank accounts, real property, or other assets held solely in the deceased's name without a designated beneficiary are administered through the county Probate Court (or Surrogate's Court) in the U.S. state where the deceased was domiciled or held property.

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Where to Write for Vital Records (State Death Certificates) — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - NCHS
2. [2]
   Shopping for Funeral Services and the FTC Funeral Rule — Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
3. [3]
   Remembering A Life - Find a Funeral Home Directory — National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)
4. [4]
   42 CFR 71.55 - Importation and Transport Standards for Human Remains — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / eCFR
5. [5]
   Repatriation of Deceased Citizens of Ukraine from the United States — Embassy of Ukraine in the United States of America (MFA of Ukraine)
6. [6]
   Consular Issues, Apostille, and Emergency Assistance for Ukrainian Citizens in the USA — Embassy of Ukraine in the United States of America (MFA of Ukraine)
7. [7]
   Funeral Benefit (Допомога на поховання) Application Guide — Diia Portal (Портал Дія) / Pension Fund of Ukraine
8. [8]
   Survivor Pension (Пенсія у зв'язку з втратою годувальника) Eligibility and Filing — Free Legal Aid System of Ukraine (legalaid.gov.ua)
9. [9]
   Procedure and 6-Month Deadline for Accepting an Inheritance in Ukraine — Western Interregional Department of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine
10. [10]
    Opening and Administering Inheritance Cases (Спадкові справи) — Notary Chamber of Ukraine (Нотаріальна палата України)
11. [11]
    What to Do When Someone Dies - Survivor Benefits — Social Security Administration (SSA)
12. [12]
    File the Final Income Tax Returns of a Deceased Person — Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
13. [13]
    VA Burial Benefits and Memorial Items — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)