Body repatriation to the Kyrgyz Republic
Kyrgyzstan has one of the most liberal visa policies in Central Asia. Citizens of more than 60 countries of the world can visit the Kyrgyz Republic without a visa: a national passport is usually the only document that a traveler will need to enter the country. In turn, a group of 26 countries (including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and the Russian Federation), exempt Kyrgyz passport holders from visa requirements, provided they stay in the country for a period of at least 60–90 days. However, this visa-free regime only partially simplifies the procedure for posthumous repatriation.
General procedure
1. Notify the insurance company
Although border guards tend not to bother checking medical documents most of the time, a certificate of insurance is required to enter and stay in the Russian Federation. According to the legal norms of medical care for foreigners in Russia, emergency medical care for life-threatening diseases and health conditions is provided to foreigners free of charge, immediately, and in full, regardless of whether they have a certificate of insurance or not. This applies not only to the ambulance services but also to all state medical institutions. Doctors will bring a seriously ill person into a stable condition, but any further treatment will be possible upon a policy or on a paid basis
*Based on the Medical Care Agreement signed by the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (including the Kyrgyz Republic).
The certificate of insurance must include basic medical care, the return of a citizen, or his posthumous repatriation to his homeland. The certificate holder can add the coverage of the risks of active and extreme sports to the insurance contract – otherwise, the insurer may refuse to pay for treatment and repatriation.
Attention! Usually, the insurance company will not recognize death as an insurance event in the following cases:
- The insured person died as a result of injuries sustained while doing sports (and especially – in case this was not part of the contract);
- A foreign citizen died due to chronic diseases that manifested before the trip. Some insurers allow to include coverage of such risks in the contract for an additional fee;
- The deceased was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the moment;
- The death occurred during the client committing a felony or as a result of suicide;
Please note, that Kyrgyzstan and other EAEU member states citizens temporarily or permanently staying in Russia and working under an employment contract are required to obtain a VHI certificate.
2. Contact the Kyrgyz Republic embassy or consular department
After calling the insurance company, you should contact the consular department of the Kyrgyz Embassy in Russia. Consulate staff will inform the relatives of the deceased about all the nuances and formalities associated with the return of the body or remains of a citizen of Kyrgyzstan back home. In certain cases, the consul can also provide material assistance to the families of Kyrgyz citizens who died on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The Kyrgyz embassy and its consular section are located in Moscow, but Kyrgyz citizens staying in other regions of the country can contact one of the nearest consulates. They are located in the following cities: St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnodar, Orenburg, Khabarovsk, Voronezh, Tomsk, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. There are also branches of the Kyrgyz embassy in Vladivostok and Krasnoyarsk. Their contact details are available at the end of this article.
3. Choose means of transportation
Transportation can be carried out by plane, by train or by car.
The fastest way of transportation is by plane. However, its cost will be appropriate: depending on the weight of the remains, the flight distance, and the airline tariffs* it can reach a sum of 10-15 thousand dollars. In addition to the direct transportation of the so-called «cargo 200», this price includes tickets for an accompanying person and payment for a hearse transport, which will take the deceased to the airport of departure, and the place of burial upon arrival.
*When transporting the remains by air, you must first contact the airline representative to clarify the rules and tariffs for this service: according to the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization, it is an airliner itself who sets up the rules for cargo transportation.
Railway transportation will take longer but saves money. However, it should be borne in mind that for this, the train must have a baggage car, which is often not included in passenger trains.
Road transport, in comparison with the above modes of transport, is the most economical option for posthumous repatriation, but in this case, you face risks of unforeseen road situations and delays.
4. Seek the help of a local funeral service
Posthumous repatriation is a complex and lengthy process that can take many weeks or even months. Although it is possible to organize the transportation of the body or ashes on your own, even with the assistance of the insurance company and the embassy, collecting the necessary package of documents and solving organizational issues will require relatives to know the procedural intricacies of this procedure and overcome exhausting bureaucratic red tape. The Consulate of Kyrgyzstan advises seeking the help of a qualified funeral service, whose specialists will be able to collect all the required documents in the shortest possible time and organize the transportation in the most convenient way for their clients.
List of required documents
The transportation of a deceased citizen of Kyrgyzstan to their homeland should begin with the registration of the required documents. These include:
1. Identification documents
A copy of the passport of the deceased, as well as a document proving the identity of the person responsible for transportation. In case of loss of the passport, one must contact the consulate or consular department of the embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic and issue a certificate for returning the remains to Kyrgyzstan. Photocopies of a passport, driver's license, or military ID can significantly speed up the identification of the deceased.
2. Certificate of death
Issued at a medical institution where the deceased received treatment, or in a morgue.
3. Permission for the transportation of the body (ashes) from Russia to Kyrgyzstan
These documents are issued by Rospotrebnadzor and at the consular department of the embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic.
4. Certificates of cargo compliance
For the transportation of the body or remains of the deceased across the border, it is required to obtain documents that confirm the compliance of the cargo with transportation rules. This is, first of all, a certificate of sanitization and embalming of the corpse, a certificate of the sealing of the coffin and the absence of extraneous objects, as well as a certificate of the absence of infectious diseases (in the case of transportation of the remains in the coffin). All these papers can be obtained from the morgue.
5. Customs declaration
This document is necessary to pass the registration at the airport and when transferring the cargo to the plane’s hold section.
Repatriation costs compensation
The Resolution of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic «On measures to compensate the costs associated with the delivery of bodies of Kyrgyz citizens who died abroad» states that Kyrgyz citizens can claim reimbursement of expenses for posthumous repatriation in the amount of 50 thousand soms (≈48 thousand rubles). The sum is to be paid to the relatives of the deceased. To receive this sum, relatives must provide copies of his/her passport, documents confirming the relationship, and a death certificate certified by a notary. If the applicant (who paid the costs of repatriation) is not a relative, then the above package must be accompanied by documents proving that he/she paid for transport services.
Useful links:
Gosuslugi
This is the state services of the Russian Federation website. Rules for organizing the posthumous repatriation of a foreign citizen are available here.
Website: https://www.gosuslugi.ru/
Embassy of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan in Moscow
Address: Moscow, Bolshaya Ordynka street, 64
Phones: +7 (499) 237-48-82, +7 (499) 237-46-01
Website: https://mfa.gov.kg/ru
Consular Section of the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan
Address: Moscow, Bolshaya Ordynka street, 62s4
Phones: +7 (499) 238-33-04, + 7 (499) 230-11-17
Hotline phone: + 7 925 103 29 11
E-mail: kgembassy.ru@mfa.gov.kg
Honorary Consulate in St. Petersburg
Address: St. Petersburg, Nevsky prospect, 132-16
Phones: +7 (812) 717-00-27
E-mail: abdiev.cons.kg@mail.ru
Ritual.ru – effective assistance in posthumous repatriation
The state funeral service Ritual.ru is in the ritual business for almost 30 years. The experience and vast knowledge accumulated through the years allow us to quickly and efficiently fulfill funeral assignments of any complexity level, both when organizing a burial on the territory of Russia, and when repatriating a deceased to his homeland. Our employees will save you from bureaucratic red tape and arrange the transportation of your loved one home in the shortest possible time. For detailed advice on all issues related to the transportation of cargo 200 to Kyrgyzstan, call the hotline 8 (495) 181-97-25. Our services are available 24/7.
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