Moments when a refrigerated chamber makes sense
- A small flat: in two rooms shared by three generations, a refrigerated coffin fills an entire room, leaving no space for mourners.
- Waiting for relatives: the children are flying in from Europe or America and the funeral has been put back by a week.
- A farewell in a hall: the family receives visitors in a hall only on the eve of the funeral, and until then the deceased stays in the chamber.
- Waiting for a flight: when the deceased is being sent abroad, documents and a cargo flight take several days to arrange.
- A funeral in the village: relatives must first prepare the village house, while the deceased is kept in Tbilisi.
- Health and age: for an elderly spouse or a sick relative, a farewell at home lasting several days is physically too much.
- Family circumstances: tension with neighbours, building work in the flat, or simply the wish for home to remain a place of calm.
Inside our refrigerated chambers
Our refrigerated chambers are located at our funeral halls. Each chamber is individual, and the temperature is held constantly between plus two and plus four degrees Celsius, which halts natural processes for several days. If storage lasts longer than a week, the deceased is embalmed so that their condition does not change before the farewell.
- Temperature control: the system runs on an independent power supply, so a power cut does not affect the temperature.
- Supervision: a duty staff member checks the chambers several times a day, and each deceased person is recorded under a number and the family's surname.
- Hygiene: every chamber is disinfected after each use.
- Access: only our staff enter the chamber area; it is closed to anyone else.
Can the family visit their loved one?
Yes, you can. Many people need to see their loved one quietly once more before the farewell - for example, when a son has just flown in from abroad and has not yet got home. For this there is a quiet room where the deceased lies in a coffin, dressed as the family wished, with candles and an icon. Visits are arranged in advance so that your loved one is prepared, and they are possible round the clock. If you wish, a priest can say a short prayer there too.
From home to the chamber, and from the chamber to the funeral
- The call: the coordinator asks where your loved one is, roughly how many days of storage are needed and whether embalming is planned. We give you the price during that same conversation.
- Transport: the team collects the deceased from home, a clinic or the forensic bureau and brings them to the chamber by hearse.
- Admission: the deceased is registered, valuables are handed to the family against a signed list, and the family receives a slip showing the storage number and the phone number of the person responsible.
- Preparation: the day before the funeral, or at a time agreed with you, a specialist prepares and dresses your loved one and places them in the coffin.
- The farewell: from the chamber, the deceased travels in our hearse back home, to a hall, or straight to the church and the cemetery.
Storage prices and related services
| Service | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Storage in a refrigerated chamber | 50 GEL per 24 hours | any length of stay, checked every day |
| Transport to the chamber within Tbilisi | from 150 GEL | from home, a clinic or the forensic bureau |
| Embalming for longer storage | from 350 GEL | recommended for stays beyond a week |
| Preparation and dressing before the farewell | 150 to 200 GEL | in the family's clothes or in our own set |
| Visit in the quiet room | no charge | by arrangement, at any hour |
| Package: transport, three days' storage, preparation | from 450 GEL | funeral-day hearse billed separately |
Storage days are charged as actually used: if the funeral takes place earlier than planned, you pay only for the days your loved one was with us. Payment is made after the funeral, as part of one overall bill.
Paperwork for admitting the deceased
- the medical death certificate issued by the doctor or clinic; after a forensic examination, the bureau's release record and the investigator's permission;
- the deceased's identity document or a copy of it;
- the ID of whichever relative signs the storage agreement and to whom the deceased is released on the day of the funeral.
Our coordinator collects the death certificate the same day from a Public Service Hall (the registry office still widely known as the House of Justice), so while your loved one rests in the chamber, all the documents for the funeral are already being prepared.
Summer heat and a longer farewell
In July and August the temperature inside Tbilisi flats often goes above thirty degrees, and in that weather a farewell at home lasting more than two or three days is difficult even with a refrigerated coffin. In summer many families choose a combined arrangement: at night and during the hottest hours the deceased stays in our chamber, and while visitors are being received they are at home or in a hall. This way the custom is kept and the condition of your loved one is protected.
Storage while waiting for transport abroad or cremation
When a loved one has to be sent abroad, the documents, consular permission and a cargo flight booking take between three and seven days. Throughout that time the deceased stays with us, embalmed, and on the day of departure goes directly to the airport. With cremation, if the crematorium has a waiting list or the family is waiting for papers, the deceased also stays with us until the appointed day. In both cases the storage days are shown in the overall estimate from the start.
Confidentiality and security
A family needs to know their loved one is in safe hands. That is why every stage of storage is recorded: the time of admission, the inventory of belongings, the daily checks and the release on the day of the funeral against a signature. We give information about the deceased only to the family member named in the agreement, or to someone that person nominates. Outsiders, including journalists and curious acquaintances, can neither see the deceased nor obtain any information about them.
Deciding how long storage should last
Families often do not know exactly how many days they will need. So we do not fix the length of stay in advance: your loved one stays with us as long as necessary, and the family can set the funeral date at any point. We ask only one thing - let us know a day ahead, so the specialist has time to prepare your loved one and the hearse is free. If the stay goes beyond five days, the doctor will recommend embalming, but here too the decision remains with the family.
Chamber or refrigerated coffin at home
Both options solve the same problem, but for different families. A refrigerated coffin at home follows Georgian tradition: the deceased is with the family, people come to pay their respects, and relatives sit by the coffin through the night. The chamber is for a family that does not have the space or the strength for this at home, or is waiting for relatives and holds the farewell only in the final days. Many combine the two: the chamber for the first days, then two days at home or in a hall together with the mourners.
Frequently asked questions
How long can the deceased be kept in the chamber?
Without embalming, several days; with embalming, two weeks or longer, if the family is waiting for relatives from far away or for documents.
How is your chamber different from a hospital mortuary?
A hospital keeps the deceased for a limited time and often hurries the family. With us, the family decides how long, visits are possible at any hour, and preparation and transport are handled in one place.
What does a week of storage cost?
Storage is 50 GEL per 24 hours, so a week comes to 350 GEL. For a stay of that length we also recommend embalming, from 350 GEL. Transport to the chamber within Tbilisi starts at 150 GEL.
Can you bring the deceased to you from the forensic bureau?
Yes. Once the examination is over, our representative collects the deceased from the bureau and brings them straight to the chamber, without the family needing to be there.
Can our loved one be dressed in the family's own clothes during storage?
Yes. The family can bring clothes, shoes and personal items such as an icon or a ring on any day, and the specialist will dress your loved one before the farewell.
What if the funeral takes place sooner than planned?
You pay only for the days of storage actually used. No prepayment is required; the bill is settled after the funeral.
Can a priest say a prayer at your premises?
Yes. In the quiet room where the family visits, a priest can say a prayer or hold a short panikhida (memorial service). We agree the time with the family and the priest, and there is no charge for the room.
Even when a farewell at home is impossible, your loved one deserves a dignified place to rest. Day or night, +995 568 33 03 18 puts you through to the storage desk: within an hour a team transfers your loved one to the chamber, you receive a slip with the storage number and a direct line to the person responsible, and the funeral date can be settled calmly, in your own time.