Body repatriation from Russia to Montenegro
A citizen of Montenegro died on the territory of the Russian Federation. What to do?
1. Contact local emergency services
Regardless of the citizenship of the deceased, the procedure in case of death of a person in the territory of Russia is always the same. The first thing is to call the police (02 or 102) and ambulance (03 or 103), who will document the fact of death and send the body of the deceased to the morgue. Law enforcement officers will inform the Montenegrin Embassy about the death of the deceased person whose employees will contact her / his family.
Important! Taking into consideration all bureaucracy associated with the registration of death and processing of relevant documents by Russian state institutions it may take from a couple of days or more to get the deceased person's family informed. If possible, contact relatives yourself – this will allow them to avoid some problems in arranging the repatriation of the body.
2. Call the insurance company
If the deceased person had an insurance policy in effect during the trip or stay in Russia, the first step is to call the insurance company for help. In case of death of the insured client, the insurer will undertake all organizational and financial matters concerning repatriation to his/her home country or burying the deceased person on the territory of the Russian Federation. An insurance agent will coordinate all arrangements and consult you at any time.
Important! The registration of medical insurance is compulsory for foreigners entering Russia. Although today visa-free regime for the citizens of Montenegro allows them to stay in Russia for 90 days without applying for a visa, they are not exempt from the requirement to have medical insurance while staying in the country.
3. Contact the Montenegrin Consulate in Russia
In case of illness, accident, or death of a loved one abroad every Montenegrin citizen may turn for help to the Montenegrin Consulate. Its staff will explain the repatriation procedure (registration of death; the processing of necessary documents) and will give up-to-date information on burial or transportation of the body across the border. The Montenegrin consulate can also recommend reliable funeral agencies experienced in the repatriation of the deceased from Russia to Montenegro.
The Embassy and consular department of Montenegro are located in Mytnaya Street, 3, Moscow.
4. Sign a contract with a ritual agency
The organization of postmortem repatriation is not an easy task. Although you can organize the transportation of remains through the border on your own, the Embassy of Montenegro recommends assigning this to a local company that has the necessary experience and competence. Qualified funeral agents know all the nuances of customs and funeral legislation of both countries and can quickly prepare everything for the return of the deceased to his native country.
5. Organize meeting of the deceased in his home country
The insurance company and/or the local funeral agency are responsible for the transportation of the deceased to the nearest airport, station, or a seaport, after which all responsibility for further actions regarding the deceased person lies on the family. Therefore, you should prepare for the arrival of the deceased in advance: order the hearse, buy funeral accessories, plan the funeral, etc.
Ways of transportation
There can be several main ways of transportation of the coffin with the body/urns with ashes across the border. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages:
Airplane: safety, speed, convenience, not cheap. Although each airline company sets its tariffs for transportation of the coffin or urn, they are generally much higher than the cost of train tickets or gasoline for automobiles. In addition, you will need to pay separately for the accompanying person's tickets.
The train is cheaper than the plane, more convenient than the car. Note that not every train is equipped with a freight car, and therefore the delivery of the coffin/urn is at risk of delay.
The automobile is the cheapest of the three types of transport, but the necessity to cross several borders will require additional documents and organization of an overnight stay for the driver and passengers.
Rules for transporting remains in a coffin/urn
If handled improperly, a dead body can pose a danger to the health of others, and therefore when transporting a coffin with a body or an urn, you must make sure that they meet certain safety requirements. When transporting a coffin with a body, a sealed, galvanized coffin should be used, and the corpse should be embalmed. In addition, the coffin should not contain any extraneous attachments. The same applies to the urns. The surface of the coffin/urns must be X-ray proof, so that the customs officials can personally check the contents.
Required Documents
The preparation of documents is the most important and time-consuming stage of the repatriation of remains. First, you should inquire at the Montenegrin embassy about the exact list of documents necessary for transportation of the body across the border. Apart from the original documents, you will also need to have them translated into Montenegrin and apostilled.
Here is the general list of documents required for the posthumous repatriation:
- Medical certificate of death.
- Documents confirming the compliance of the consignment with the rules of transportation of mortal remains across the border: certificate of absence of infectious diseases, certificate of sanitary treatment of the body and embalming, certificate of absence of foreign objects, certificate of hermetic sealing of the coffin/urns.
- Permit to export the body from Russia to Montenegro.
- Statement in the customs declaration.
Ritual.ru - assistance in posthumous repatriating to Montenegro
Years of experience, knowledge, and resources allow Ritual.ru quickly and efficiently fulfill orders of any complexity. Our staff will save you from bureaucratic hassles and organize your loved one's transportation to the homeland as quickly as possible. To receive detailed information about all issues concerning the repatriation of remains to Montenegro, call on the hotline +7 (495) 100-3-100.
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