Repatriate a Foreign Citizen from Russia – Step by step
Stage 1 – Get the accompanying sheet at the embassy of the deceased person’s home country.
Stage 2 – Hand over the body to the cargo service at the terminal
How to get the accompanying sheet at the embassy
- Get a notarized translation of the deceased person’s passport
- Get the medical certificate of death at the morgue
- Get the stamped death certificate and a copy of the medical certificate at the municipal services office for submitting to Rospotrebnadzor (SES, СЭС) service for Moscow and the Moscow Region,
- Get an air transportation permit at Rospotrebnadzor (SES). SES address: Moscow, Grafsky pereulok 4 bld. 2 Make sure you have an valid ID, which is required to enter the building. SES is open 24 hours a day, but the medical officer on duty admits till 8PM.
- Get a hearse sealing certificate to evidence that there are no unauthorized contents inside. The certificate is issued by the hearse supplier who also does the sealing. Note: For transportation, it is always advisable to use zinc although a better looking hearse might be purchased at the destination: you never know how well the body was sewn up and embalmed at the morgue). Note: The maximum allowed hearse weight is 250 kg.
- One day before transportation, instruct the morgue to prepare the body for repatriation.
- Get accompanying sheet at the embassy of the destination country. You will also need: your ID and 5-10 EUR or USD for processing fee.
Documents you’ll need to get the accompanying sheet at the embassy
- Notarized translation of the deceased foreign citizen’s passport;
- Stamped death certificate in Russian;
- Rospotrebnadzor (SES) certificate;
- Certificate of no unauthorized contents;
The embassy returns all the submitted documents, issues the accompanying sheet, and revokes the deceased person’s passport. At this point everything is ready for bringing the body home.
Stage 2 – Take the body to the airport
- Hire a cargo agent. Phone the cargo agent at the airport to arrange the next available shipping date.
Note: The maximum allowed hearse weight is 250 kg. The hearse must be handed over to the cargo service at least 6 hours before the flight. If someone is escorting the cargo, they have to book a seat at the same flight. For a hearse over 120 kg handlers are required (they load in the vehicle at the morgue and help to unload it at the airport). They must have their IDs on them.
- Hand over the documents (SES certificate, sealing certificate, stamped death certificate, the deceased person’s passport) to the cargo agent, as well as provide the contact information of the person who will pick up the body at the destination (full name, passport details, phone number).
- Let this person know the flight and airway bill number.
The body is shipped.
Repatriation from Russia step by step:
- Working with the representative of the deceased person in Russia.
- Ritual.ru staff visit to the location of the body within the Russian Federation.
- Arrange transportation of the body to the morgue.
- Get the death documents. Work with the embassy or consulate of the deceased person’s home or resident country.
- Get the notarized translation of the required documents into Russian and retranslation if necessary.
- Select the funeral items and agree upon them with the deceased person’s representative.
- Arrange the embalming required for transportation of the body to the home country.
- Have the embalming certificate issued and registered.
- Arrange (with the deceased person’s representative) the date and manner of the farewell ceremony according to the religious tradition, to be conducted in Russia (if required).
- Order a special container (zinc hearse) in accordance with the carrier’s requirements.
- Get the documents required for transportation (“SanEpidemNadzor” certificate, permit from the destination country’s embassy, other documents if necessary).
- Have the hearse sealed.
- Get a hearse sealing certificate to assert that there are no unauthorized contents inside.
- Have the body taken to an international cargo terminal by a hearse van, for shipping to the destination country.
- Escorting the hearse van with the body by Ritual.ru representative.
- Arrange load handling operations at the terminal, process the documents and hand over the hearse to the cargo service.
- Organize the body pickup in the home country.
The insurance company and Ritual.ru:
- The insurance company uses its established communication channels to notify Ritual.ru of an insurance case and provides contact information of the deceased person’s representative.
- Ritual.ru employee works together with the deceased person’s representative on documents preparation, transportation of the body, and the funeral arrangements.
- The insurance company and Ritual.ru prepare and sign a Certificate of completion.
- Payment of the invoice in accordance with the Certificate of completion.
Suggested list of goods and services for repatriation from Russia:
- Makeup and embalming service package.
- Funeral items.
- Hearse (zinc box).
- Farewell ceremony arranged and conducted in accordance with the religious tradition.
- Hearse sealing.
- Processing of the transportation documents for bringing the deceased person abroad by air or by train.
- Process hearse sealing documents and certify absence of unauthorized or illegal contents inside.
- Arrange a hearse van to take the body from the morgue to the airport or the burial (cremation) site.
- Escort the body to the airport or railway terminal for handover to the cargo service.
- Funeral service's specialist handlers escort the body from the morgue, church, or other place to the terminal.
- Hearse handover services at the terminal.
Repatriation for the foreign citizens working in Russia
The list of services for the foreign citizens who came to Russia as immigrant workforce is the same as the one for the persons traveling in Russia. The difference is that the employer is involved into the process.
See Also
