Repatriation from Russia: documents and route

Medical death certificate: the first paper

In Russia everything starts with a medical certificate of death, which a medical organisation provides. For a death in hospital, the document is prepared on the ward; after a death at home, a doctor examines the body and the certificate is drawn up on the basis of that finding. When a death is sudden, violent or unexplained, the body is sent for forensic examination, and the certificate is then issued by the forensic expert. On its own this document is not yet the official death certificate, but registration cannot begin without it.

Registration at the ZAGS

Under Russian law, a death must be reported to the ZAGS or to a multifunctional public services centre (MFC) within three days of the death or of the body being found. That duty rests on the spouse, other family members, a person who was present at the death, or the medical organisation if the death happened there. The ZAGS is given the medical certificate and an identity document of the deceased. After registration it issues the death certificate, the cornerstone of the whole file that will travel to Georgia.

Russian funeral agency: its role

On the ground the case is run by a Russian funeral agency. It takes the deceased from the morgue, deals with the ZAGS on behalf of the family or a trusted person, carries out embalming, prepares the coffin and gathers the transport documents. Big cities have plenty of agencies, but far from all of them have experience of the Georgian route or a vehicle able to drive as far as Verkhny Lars. Our partners work on Georgia regularly and know which paper each side will want, sparing the family the role of go-between for Russian and Georgian authorities.

Interests Section of Georgia in Moscow

Because there is no functioning Georgian embassy in Russia, Georgian citizens are assisted on consular matters by the Interests Section of Georgia at the Embassy of Switzerland in Moscow. It opened on 5 March 2009 under an agreement between Russia, Georgia and Switzerland and is housed in the former Georgian embassy building. The section provides document-related consular services to Georgian citizens and has an on-duty contact for emergencies. After a death its involvement is needed to confirm identity and to handle the power of attorney and any certificates the Georgian side requires.

Consular steps from a distant region

The Interests Section exists only in Moscow, yet Georgians live in many parts of Russia, from Siberia to the North Caucasus. Families often fear they will have to travel to Moscow, but much can be settled remotely: the section offers online consultation hours and an email address, and copies of documents can be exchanged by correspondence. Whether a personal visit is required depends on the specific service. We help the family work out in advance which step needs a signature in person and which can be dealt with from Tbilisi.

Apostille on a ZAGS certificate

Russia is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, as is Georgia, and in the convention's official records we find no Russian objection to Georgia's accession. A Russian certificate is therefore used in Georgia with an apostille. Under the Russian law on apostilles, documents issued by a ZAGS are apostilled by the competent body within the ZAGS system itself. The request can be made in person, through the state services portal or by post, and a state fee is charged. The original must be presented, not a copy.

Transport and sanitary documents

At the border and with the airline, the coffin is usually accompanied by:

• the death certificate from the ZAGS with an apostille;
• the medical death certificate or a certified copy of it;
• a sanitary and epidemiological certificate stating that no dangerous infection led to the death;
• an embalming certificate;
• a record of the zinc coffin's sealing and a certificate that it contains no foreign objects;
• the passport of the deceased, if it is available;
• a consular or other certificate the Georgian side asks for in the particular case.

The list may vary with the region and the route, so we check it with our partner every time.

Embalming and the soldered zinc coffin

The journey from Russia is often long: from Siberia or the Urals the road trip takes several days, and air transport brings transit and waiting. So the body is embalmed and placed in a hermetically soldered zinc coffin, which in turn goes into a wooden coffin or a shipping crate. This preparation meets the sanitary requirements of both countries and protects the body even in summer heat. More about embalming is on our Embalming page.

Overland via Verkhny Lars

The main land crossing between Russia and Georgia is Verkhny Lars on the North Ossetian side, facing the Kazbegi checkpoint on the Georgian side. From there the road runs through the Darial Gorge, Stepantsminda and the Cross Pass, along the Georgian Military Road, to Tbilisi. From southern Russia, especially the North Caucasus and neighbouring regions, this route is often the fastest and cheapest. But the crossing depends on the weather: winter snow and the threat of avalanches and mudflows close the road for a while, sometimes even in summer, so its condition is always checked before departure.

Crossing the border in practice

The vehicle carrying the coffin is checked twice: on leaving the Russian side and on entering Georgia. At both points the original documents must be close at hand, with copies in a separate folder. Queues change with the season and sometimes stretch to several hours. Before every departure we find out what is happening on the road on both sides. Once across, the coffin is met on the Georgian side by our team, or a partner vehicle takes it on to Tbilisi, depending on what has been agreed and what is more convenient on the day.

The air route

From Moscow, St Petersburg and other distant cities, where the drive would take several days, we often choose air cargo. That may be a direct or a connecting flight; the choice depends on which carrier will agree to take the coffin and what its schedule looks like that week. With a connection we also adapt the document file to the requirements of the transit country. On landing at Tbilisi airport the coffin is cleared at the cargo terminal like any international consignment, then handed over to the hearse.

Cremation in Russia and carrying the urn

Some families opt for cremation locally, especially when a relative died in a remote region and moving a coffin would be very slow and costly. Large Russian cities have crematoria, and after cremation the family receives the urn and a cremation certificate. To carry an urn across the border you normally need the death certificate and the cremation document with you; it is best to check the specific customs requirements beforehand. In Georgia the ashes can then be laid in the family grave; see Burial of ashes.

Translation from Russian

To present a Russian certificate and apostille in Georgia, they are translated into Georgian and notarised. The patronymic is a frequent stumbling block: Russian documents add a patronymic to the first name and surname, while a Georgian passport has none, and the Cyrillic spelling of a surname does not always match its Georgian form either. We therefore check the translation against the passport and, where necessary, attach an explanatory note so that registration at the House of Justice goes through without delays.

Power of attorney and signatures

A family member who is not in Russia needs a power of attorney to work with the funeral agency and the ZAGS. A relative living in Russia can often act in person in their own name, provided they are a close relative of the deceased and can prove it with a document. A power of attorney signed before a Georgian notary needs an apostille and a Russian translation to be used in Russia. Before choosing an option, decide with us who will be the main signatory on the spot, so the same paper is not prepared twice.

Employer, insurance and fellow Georgians

Many Georgians working in Russia have insurance or support from their employer, particularly in construction and transport. Ask the employer whether such a policy exists and whether it covers transport home. Georgian community associations and parishes in large Russian cities often collect money for a compatriot's family. Socially vulnerable families can check whether Georgia's state reimbursement programme applies to them and how to apply.

Back in Georgia: the reception and registration

While the Russian side prepares the documents, the family can choose the cemetery, arrange things with the church and plan the funeral procession. On the overland route the funeral date depends on the day the coffin crosses Verkhny Lars, so we confirm it only when the vehicle approaches the border. For a flight, the coffin is met at Tbilisi airport by our hearse. At the final stage we submit the translated Russian certificate to the Public Service Hall (the House of Justice), which issues a Georgian certificate on the basis of the foreign record.

Price and service options

Bringing someone home from Russia or another CIS country costs from 4,000 GEL. The biggest factor in the total is how far away the city is: road transport from southern Russia and air cargo from Siberia are entirely different expenses. Days of storage at the forensic bureau or the mortuary are added too. If the family has handled the Russian part itself and the coffin comes by plane, receiving it at Tbilisi airport together with customs alone costs from 600 GEL; terms for a handover at Verkhny Lars are agreed separately. The full service is described on our Repatriation page.

Frequently asked questions