What international funeral transport is
International funeral transport is the cross-border movement of a deceased person, in line with sanitary rules and customs formalities. It can be toward Romania (repatriation) or from Romania to another country.
Unlike domestic collection and transport, the international one requires a sealed zinc casket, a mortuary passport and a consular clearance. See also the repatriation service.
The zinc casket and required documents
International transport requires special documents and a special casket, mandatory for sanitary reasons:
- Sealed, soldered zinc casket, placed inside the wooden casket
- Mortuary passport, the document allowing border crossing
- Death certificate, translated and, where needed, apostilled
- Consular clearance from the destination country
- Embalming certificate, for long distances
Road or air transport
The choice between road and air depends on distance, cost and urgency:
| Transport type | Suited for | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Transport typeRoad | Suited forNeighbouring and nearby countries (Europe) | Duration1–4 days |
| Transport typeAir | Suited forLong distances (Spain, USA, Gulf) | Duration3–7 days |
| Transport typeMixed | Suited forCombination, by route | DurationVariable |
For air transport, the casket travels as special cargo, in the aircraft hold.
Consular formalities
Crossing borders requires consular clearance. We obtain the clearance from the destination country's consulate and the accompanying documents.
For transport from Romania, we coordinate with the destination country's consulate. For transport to Romania, with the Romanian consulate in the country of departure. See the repatriation guide.
How the transport unfolds, step by step
The process follows a clear order, which we coordinate from start to finish:
- Preparation of the deceased and embalming
- Sealing in the zinc casket, sanitary-verified
- Obtaining the mortuary passport and clearances
- Choosing the route — road or air
- The transport itself, with accompanying documents
- Handover at destination to the family
To Romania or from Romania
Most transports are repatriations — bringing home Romanians who died abroad. See the country pages, for example Italy or Germany.
We also handle transport from Romania, when a foreign citizen who died here must be taken to their country. We coordinate the whole process, in both directions.
Cost of international transport
The cost depends on distance, transport type and formality complexity. Intra-EU repatriations generally cost between €2,000 and €5,500; intercontinental ones from $4,900.
We give you a clear quote up front. The family does not deal with the casket, sealing, papers or carriers — we coordinate everything.
Who handles everything
The family calls us, and we handle the casket, sealing, documents, route and transport. You do not travel and do not negotiate with foreign institutions.
We answer day and night. For a no-obligation discussion, call us or see the repatriation service.