FAQ

What to do if a foreign citizen dies in Russia?
What is the set of documents necessary to transport the decedent from Russia to the country of permanent residence?
Who provides funeral services in Moscow?
What is the cost of funeral services?
What funeral services are provided in Moscow?
What to do if a Russian citizen dies abroad?

What are the functions of funeral directors?
How to contact a funeral director?
What is the legal basis for funeral services in Russia?
What funeral services are provided in mortuaries?
What mortuary services are provided free of charge?
What is the cost of mortuary services?
What things are to be brought to the mortuary for the decedent?

What documents are to be obtained for burial or cremation?
What to do if a police officer or health professional imposes funeral services?
What is the cost of transportation to mortuaries?
How to transport a decedent from the Moscow region to Moscow?

Is it possible to bury a foreign citizen in Russia?
What is the cost of a new cemetery plot?
How to order a new cemetery plot?
How to order a burial at a family plot?
What is the cost of burial at the family plot?

What is the cost of cremation?
How to order cremation?
What is the cost of burying the urn?

What social benefits are provided for funeral in Russia?
Where to get the funeral allowance?
What are the documents required to get the funeral allowance?

What to do if a foreign citizen dies in Russia?

If a foreign citizen dies in Russia, the decedent is transported to one of the city mortuaries (forensic science laboratories). In this case the medical death certificate is issued by the laboratory.

If a person is missing you can address the accident office (phone +7 (495) 688-22-52) or the police. If you do not know which mortuary the decedent was transported to you can call anytime +7 (495) 748-82-01. This phone can also come in handy if you need a funeral director to manage funeral arrangements.

If the decedent was officially employed in Russia, the employer is to be informed about the death as soon as possible. Official Russian employers are in charge of their foreign employees and assist in transportation of the decedent to the country of permanent residence.

If the decedent originally came to Russia as tourist, the respective consulate takes care of the necessary documents and assists in transportation.

In both cases in order to observe the legislation and to simplify the procedure of transportation it’s preferable to address one of Moscow’s funeral homes experienced in international transportation issues. The funeral director in charge can assist in collecting the necessary documents as well as provide consultation concerning the legal issues and order the funeral products required for transportation.

What is the set of documents necessary to transport the decedent from Russia to the country of permanent residence?

The basic set of documents necessary for long-distance transportation of the decedent within Russia or from Russia include:

medical or official (certified) death certificate
the embalming certificate
the certificate of absence of alien enclosures
the Health Inspection Services certificate.

Besides that the casket is to be placed into a special container and sealed in a funeral home.

Who provides funeral services in Moscow?

Funeral services in Moscow (as well as in Russia in general) are provided by funeral homes. The services offered by the funeral homes include:

obtaining the necessary documents
providing caskets, wreaths and other funeral products
providing automotive equipment
ordering cemetery plot or cremation
providing pall bearing services
arranging commemoration dinner after funeral
managing transportation procedures, both within Russia and abroad.

Note that typically embalming as well as other procedures required to prepare the decedent for the wake and/or further transportation are performed in mortuaries by medical staff. The medical staff and the police (and not the funeral directors) are the first people to be informed about the occurred death.

What is the cost of funeral services?

There is no fixed price for funeral arrangement in Moscow thus the overall cost of funeral services can considerably vary in different funeral homes.

However the objective criterion for the minimum cost of the funeral services is the funeral allowance which amounts to 16002 roubles for the Moscow citizens.

In case of transportation the average expenses are made up of the following:

collecting the necessary documents
providing the embalming services
purchasing the casket and the container for transportation
sealing the container
loading and transporting the container to the airport/ railway station
providing the flight arrangements

You can assess the average cost of funeral services by addressing the Products and Services section.

What funeral services are provided in Moscow?

The services offered by the funeral homes in Moscow include:

concluding contracts for funeral services
arranging disinterment and reinterment
obtaining the documents necessary for funeral arrangement
providing caskets, wreaths and other funeral products
providing automotive equipment
ordering cemetery plots and cremations
embalming and other sanitary procedures
providing pall bearing services
arranging commemoration dinner after funeral
managing transportation procedures, both within Russia and abroad
sealing the containers
manufacturing and installing headstones.

Note that embalming as well as other procedures required to prepare the decedent for the wake and/or further transportation are typically performed in mortuaries by medical staff. The medical staff and the police (and not the funeral directors) are the first people to be informed about the occurred death.

What to do if a Russian citizen dies abroad?

If a Russian citizen dies during a temporary visit abroad the death is registered in the respective medical institution. After that the decedent is transported home according to the insurance contract. The Russian consulate assists in obtaining the necessary documents and transporting the Russian citizens to Russia.

Before the decedent is transported to Russia it is recommended to contact one of the Moscow funeral homes for cooperation. The Russian funeral directors take care of the container and arrange the transportation and burial on the Russian territory.

The funeral home RITUAL has an extensive experience in transporting the decedents both within Russia, to Russia and abroad. In case you have any questions or need assistance do not hesitate to call us +7 (495) 642-28-83 and +7 (495) 642-28-84.

What are the functions of funeral directors?

A funeral director has a number of functions able to considerably simplify the funeral arrangement.

A funeral director can:

collect the necessary documents
offer professional consultation
assist in choosing and ordering casket, wreaths, etc.
manage the delivery of casket and other funeral products to mortuary
become the relatives’ official representative in mortuary (order embalming, schedule the wake at the mortuary on the day of burial, etc.)
order a cemetery plot or cremation
order the automotive equipment to transport the decedent and the relatives to the cemetery
accompany the funeral procession on the day of burial/cremation to the cemetery or crematorium
manage the transportation of the decedent within Russia, to Russia and abroad.

How to contact a funeral director?

If you have any questions regarding the funeral arrangement or need assistance of a funeral director you can call a funeral home. Most funeral homes in Moscow have a 24-hour information desk. The operators offer immediate consultation and if necessary connect you with one of the funeral directors.

The information desk of the funeral home RITUAL is ready to help you 24/7. In case you have any questions or need assistance do not hesitate to call us +7 (495) 642-28-83 and +7 (495) 642-28-84.

What is the legal basis for funeral services in Russia?

The legal basis for funeral services in Russia virtually falls into two instances. The first instance concerns the legislative regulations of the federal law “Concerning Burial and the Funeral Business”.

The funeral arrangement in general and the funeral business in particular are all subject to this law. According to this document the Russian Federation provides mandatory and decent burial for any citizen. Moreover, any decedent irrespective of citizenship is provided with burial.

Besides that the federal law “Concerning Burial and the Funeral Business” stipulates a number of social benefits including the funeral allowance, funeral arrangement and cemetery plot free of charge. The social benefits are provided solely for the citizens of Russia.

To learn more about the social benefits please see the “Social Benefits” section.

The second instance of legal basis concerns the funeral home and its work. It goes without saying that in order to fulfill its obligations a funeral home needs to be legally registered and conclude a contract for funeral arrangement with the family of the decedent. In this case the relatives of the decedent will have no trouble in getting professional assistance in full compliance with law.

What funeral services are provided in mortuaries?

The pathology departments as well as forensic study laboratories serve to ascertain the cause of death, issue the medical death certificate and keep the decedent until the funeral day.

Besides that the medical staff performs embalming and other sanitary procedures (washing, dressing, make-up, placing into the casket).

What mortuary services are provided free of charge?

The services provided by the mortuaries free of charge include:

keeping the decedent until the funeral day up to 7 days (in some cases up to 14 days)
washing
dressing
placing in the casket
carrying the casket to the hall of honor.

What is the cost of mortuary services?

The embalming as well as makeup services are provided on the paying basis. The cost of these services depends upon the mortuary and the complexity of the required work and amounts to 8-17 thousand roubles. The services of forensic laboratories are typically more expensive as the decedent usually requires more care to be taken of.

What things are to be brought to the mortuary for the decedent?

for men

underwear
socks
suit, shirt, tie
shoes
razor, eau de cologne
soap, comb, towel.

for women

underwear
tights or stockings
long-sleeved gown
head scarf
shoes
eau de toilette
soap, comb, towel.

What documents are to be obtained for burial or cremation?

Irrespective of the chosen way of funeral (burial or cremation) the relatives of the decedent are to obtain the medical death certificate (in mortuary) and the official death certificate (in the vital records office).

The medical death certificate is changed for the official death certificate in one of the registry (vital records) offices. The official death certificate is accompanied by the certificate according to form 33 which is required for funeral allowance. The official death certificate is also required for cemetery plot allocation as well as cremation.

If the decedent is buried in cemetery a plot passport is issued with the name of the decedent and the name of the person in charge of the plot. If the burial is performed at the family plot the official death certificate is to be produced by the person in charge together with the plot passport.

In case of cremation the person in charge obtains the cremation certificate on the day of cremation. This document is required to get the urn in three days.

If the funeral arrangements are managed by a funeral director the funeral services contract is to be concluded. The contract includes the name and description of all the chosen services and products and their cost.

What to do if a police officer or health professional imposes funeral services?

Please note! Neither the medical staff nor the police have the right to offer or impose funeral services. Mind that in this case inflicting products or services is illegal and originates from vested interest.

In case either the police or the medical professionals act illegally you can lodge a complaint to the Public Health Department, the Department of Internal Affairs or the Public Prosecution Office. You will find the respective phone numbers and addresses in our Reference Book.

What is the cost of transportation to mortuaries?

The transportation to mortuaries in Moscow is provided by the government service responsible for the transportation of the decedents. These services are free of charge in Moscow.

How to transport a decedent from the Moscow region to Moscow?

Although it seems quite a complicated task, in order to transport the decedent from the Moscow region to Moscow it is necessary to follow the same recommendations as when the death occurs within Moscow. That is – first of all you are to inform the police and the medical services. The decedent is then transported to one of the Moscow region mortuaries, the medical certificate of death being issued the next day at the mortuary. Subsequently you are to contact a funeral home in Moscow to order automotive equipment to transport the decedent to one of the mortuaries in Moscow.

Is it possible to bury a foreign citizen in Russia?

The Russian legislation insures mandatory burial for every decedent in case there is no person in charge of funeral as well as in case the relatives wish to bury the decedent in Russia. A foreign citizen can be buried either at a new plot or at the family plot (provided that the decedent is a relative of the previously buried at the family plot and the person in charge of the family plot consents to the burial).

What is the cost of a new cemetery plot?

According to the Russian legislation a new cemetery plot at the open cemeteries is allocated for the Russian citizens free of charge. However the relatives or the person in charge of funeral arrangements are to pay the cemetery services for the preparation of the plot as well as assistance in burial. The cost of these services at the Perepechinskoye cemetery in Moscow amounts to 9070 roubles.

As for the closed cemeteries the new plots are scarce and are much more expensive. The reason for that – it takes much more effort for the cemetery authorities to provide the plots as a new plot usually appears on the place of former demolished buildings or after other works aimed at the territory extension. The cost of new plots at closed cemeteries can reach several hundreds of thousands of roubles.

How to order a new cemetery plot?

A new cemetery plot is ordered at the cemetery main office. To order a plot a person in charge of funeral is to produce:

official (certified) death certificate
own passport.

A funeral director can as well order a new cemetery plot. In this case a funeral director acts as official representative of the relatives of the decedent. A new cemetery plot at the open cemeteries usually has sufficient space for two side-by-side burials.

How to order a burial at a family plot?

A new burial at the family plot is to be ordered by the person in charge of the plot or a person having a notarized consent (authorization) of the person in charge.

The following documents are to be produced:

official death certificate
passport of the plot
own passport
the documents confirming family relation of the decedent to the decedents previously buried at the plot.

What is the cost of burial at the family plot?

The cost of burial at a family plot is not uniform and depends upon the cemetery (open, closed) and the tombstones which are required to be dismantled in order to make a new burial. Typically the cost of burial at the family plot is higher than the one at a new plot and amounts to 17-20 thousand roubles. The exact cost is calculated individually in each particular case.

What is the cost of cremation?

The cost of cremation is the same for all the three Moscow crematoriums and amounts to 3600 roubles excluding the cost of urn.

How to order cremation?

Cremation is ordered via a funeral home. Funeral directors have the opportunity to order cremations directly via the Central Information Desk of the State Unitary Enterprise “Ritual”.

What is the cost of burying the urn?

There are two ways of burying the urn – by placing it into the ground and by putting it into columbarium. There are several cemeteries in Moscow that house columbariums. The cost of placing an urn into columbarium depends upon the cemetery location and the columbarium shelf position. Respectively the cost of placing the urn can vary within 1000 and 70000 roubles.

As for placing the urn into the ground the cost is much lower at the open cemeteries (having a free space for new burials) than the closed ones. For instance, the cost of urn burial into the ground at the Perepechinskoye cemetery amounts to 1600-2000 roubles.

What social benefits are provided for funeral in Russia?

The Russian legislation envisages the following benefits concerning the funeral procedure for all citizens of Russia:

funeral allowance
funeral arrangement free of charge
new cemetery plot free of charge.

Note that the funeral allowance and the funeral arrangement free of charge are mutually exclusive. That is – the relatives are to choose either variant of government assistance. As for cemetery plot – it is allocated free of charge provided that a cemetery has sufficient land for new plots. In this case the relatives or other person in charge pays solely the cost of preparation and performing the burial.

Where to get the funeral allowance?

The funeral allowance is paid by the employer if the decedent was officially employed, by the social security department if the decedent was unemployed and was not a retiree and by the Pension Fund if the decedent was a retiree.

What are the documents required to get the funeral allowance?

The basic set of documents to obtain the funeral allowance includes:

if the decedent was officially employed

official death certificate
certificate according to form 33
passport of the person applying for the allowance
allowance application

if the decedent was unemployed

certified death certificate
certificate according to form 33
passport of the person applying for the allowance
allowance application
employment record book and its copy.