ON THIS PAGE YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT
• When the death of a family member occurs
• Documents to arrange a funeral
• Burial in Hungary
• Burial in Ukraine
• Transferring the ashes to Ukraine
• Consulting the Ukrainian authorities
• Financial support for the funeral
• If you are in no position to organise a funeral
When the death of a family member occurs
According to Hungarian laws, the fact of death must be confirmed through a formal procedure. The aim of this procedure is to determine all the relevant details of the death (e.g. the cause, time, manner of the death). It is conducted by a competent doctor.
If the death occurs at the hospital, the doctor who treated the deceased will perform the determination.
If the death occurs at home, the general practitioner will complete the procedure with the assistance of paramedics. It is very important to report the death to the general practitioner or the ambulance service (by calling 112) as soon as possible.
After the procedure has been completed, an official document (“halottvizsgálati bizonyítvány”) testifying all the relevant facts regarding the death will be issued. This is an important document which will be needed for the burial or transportation of the deceased.
The attending doctor will arrange for the temporary transportation of the body. You have the option to choose the funeral service provider to be used for the transportation, otherwise, the attending doctor will decide on the service provider and notify you. The costs of transportation generally have to be covered by the family members.
To find your general practitioner, please visit our search site.
Documents to arrange a funeral
To arrange for the burial or the transport of the deceased back to Ukraine, you only need the previously mentioned document.
However, another official document will be issued after the death (“halotti anyakönyvi kivonat”). This certifies that the death has occurred and can be used as official confirmation before authorities and service providers (e.g. closing bank accounts or opening insurance claims). It is issued by the registrar’s office (“anyakönyvi hivatal”) of the place of death. Please note that you do not need to notify the registrar to start the legal procedure, as the attending doctor is required to do so after finishing the examination.
You are required to hand over any document previously issued by the Hungarian authorities to the deceased person (e.g. residence permit), and – if you have them – present any documents pertaining to the deceased’s family status (e.g. marriage certificate) to the registrar.
You do not need to pay for the issue of the certificate, as it is exempted from procedural fees by law.
Burial in Hungary
Currently, there are no special regulations in place for the burial of foreign nationals in Hungary. This means that you can choose the type of burial (i.e. without cremation or with cremation), the cemetery and whether to have a religious ceremony or not.
However, if you choose burial with cremation, you will need additional documents. Firstly, you will need to obtain a permit from the embassy/consulate of Ukraine in Hungary. Secondly, you will need to procure the authorization for cremation from the local government office. You do not need to pay for the latter, as it is exempted from procedural fees by law.
If you commission a funeral service provider, they will take care of all the necessary administrative issues before the authorities and arrange for the funeral itself as well.
Burial in Ukraine
If you choose to bury the deceased in Ukraine, you will need two additional permits.
Firstly, authorisation is required from the Ukrainian authorities. Secondly, you will need to obtain a permit from the local government office. You do not need to pay for the issue of the latter, as it is exempted from procedural fees by law.
Please note that there are a number of funeral service providers in Hungary who offer international funeral services as well.
Transferring the ashes to Ukraine
The ashes of the deceased can be transferred from Hungary to Ukraine without any authorisation or permit required from the Hungarian authorities.
Consulting the Ukrainian authorities
You should also contact the authorities in Ukraine, as Ukrainian law might impose additional requirements. If a Ukrainian national dies in Hungary, the consular section of the Embassy of Ukraine in Hungary can give information about the necessary procedures for repatriating the remains and obtaining a burial permit in Ukraine. They can also inform you of the procedure for opening the inheritance and about measures to protect the property of the deceased.
For more information, please visit the website of the Embassy of Ukraine.
Financial support for the funeral
Unfortunately, there is no general aid introduced in Hungary to this end. However, municipalities (“önkormányzat”) have the option to establish local funeral aids on a social need basis. Each municipality regulates the conditions of such support, if available. Therefore, the exact criteria for receiving local funeral aid varies by municipality. It is advisable that you contact your local municipality for more information.
If you are in no position to organise a funeral
Under Hungarian law, the following persons, in the order they are mentioned, are obliged to arrange the funeral: (a) who is bound by a contract to do so (e.g. a funeral service provider), (b) who is bound by the will of the deceased, (c) spouse or partner living with the deceased before their death and (d) other close relatives.
If there is no such person, or they reside in an unknown place or if they fail to fulfil this obligation, the mayor of the municipality of the place of death will arrange the burial.
Please note that if the deceased had temporary protection or the death happens before the deceased’s application for protection (for refugee status or temporary protection) has been decided, the Hungarian state will bear the costs of the funeral. Otherwise, the municipality has the right to seek compensation from the above persons.
