Funeral
transportation

We arrange repatriation to every city and province in Turkey: Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Antalya, Adana, Gaziantep, Konya, Kayseri, Mersin, Eskişehir, Trabzon, Diyarbakır, Denizli, Samsun, Sakarya, Muğla, Aydın, Malatya. International delivery is to airports Istanbul IST (new), SAW (Sabiha Gökçen), Ankara ESB, Antalya AYT, Izmir ADB, Bursa YEI, Dalaman DLM. A hearse carries the cargo to the mezarlık in any city or village (köy), coordinated with the local funeral service.

In Belarus: death certificate (ZAGS), medical cause-of-death opinion, non-infection statement, Health Ministry export permit, the deceased's passport, and the zinc-coffin sealing act with inventory. For Turkey an apostille on the death certificate and medical opinion is mandatory (both countries are parties to the 1961 Hague Convention). Documents are translated into Turkish with notarization. For Muslim burial, a religion statement is needed. We prepare the complete turnkey package to pass Turkish customs without delays.

By direct Belavia or Turkish Airlines flight Minsk–Istanbul: 24–36 hours from call to handover in Turkey. The flight itself is 2.5–3 hours; the rest is for expedited apostille, coffin sealing, and customs. Antalya (AYT) flights work similarly. Islam requires burial within 24 hours, so we work at maximum speed. If 24 hours cannot be met, the Turkish funeral service accepts 36–48 hours of delay for objective transport reasons, in coordination with the receiving family.

The turnkey cost from Minsk to Istanbul is approximately 2,800–4,200 USD depending on airline tariff (Belavia cheaper, Turkish Airlines more expensive), cargo weight, and urgency. The price includes morgue services, embalming, zinc coffin with sealing, wooden crate, apostille at the Belarusian MFA, notarized Turkish translation, air tariff, meeting in Istanbul, and hearse to the cemetery. For Antalya the cost starts at 3,000 USD. Other cities are priced individually after address confirmation.

Yes, for international air transport and Turkish customs clearance a hermetically sealed zinc coffin is mandatory — under IATA rules and Turkish sanitary legislation. Sealing takes place in Minsk at the morgue or our agency, with a signed act and inventory. The zinc unit sits inside a wooden transport crate. In Turkey, after arrival, the body may be transferred for Muslim washing (gasil) and burial in kefen shroud without a coffin — agreed with the cenaze levazımatçısı in advance.

Yes, an apostille is mandatory for Turkey on the death certificate and medical opinion. Belarus and Turkey are both parties to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. The Belarusian MFA (Lenin Street 19, Minsk) issues an apostille within 1–2 business days, at a state fee of one base unit. Documents are then translated into Turkish by a sworn translator (yeminli tercüman) with notarization. Consular legalization is not required. We handle the full package by power of attorney.

Yes, relatives can fly on the same Belavia or Turkish Airlines Minsk–Istanbul flight in the passenger cabin. Belarusian citizens do not need a visa for Turkey — visa-free regime up to 30 days on an international passport. We help with ticket bookings, travel paperwork, and hotels in Istanbul or another Turkish city. For Muslim burial, male relatives' presence is important for the janazah prayer and lowering the body into the grave per the rite.

Belarusian citizens enter Turkey visa-free for up to 30 days on a valid international passport. Russian citizens are also visa-free (up to 60 days). For longer stays, a residence permit (ikamet izni) is obtained from Turkish migration services. Citizens of other countries — e-Visa Turkey online in 10 minutes or a visa at a Turkish consulate. We advise on visa matters and help book hotels and domestic flights between Turkish cities.

Yes, our dispatch works 24/7 year-round — including Ramazan Bayramı, Kurban Bayramı, the month of Ramadan, Turkish Republic Day (29 October), New Year, Christmas, Easter, and all Belarusian holidays. Islam requires swift burial, and we take that fully into account. Minsk morgues operate round the clock; ZAGS issues certificates on weekends via an on-call desk. Belavia and Turkish Airlines flights to Istanbul run on schedule without holiday breaks. Call immediately for quick action.

We help reconstruct the package: duplicate death certificate from ZAGS (1–2 days), medical statement from the institution where death was confirmed, passport copy via the migration service. If the deceased is a Turkish citizen without valid Belarusian documents, we coordinate with the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Minsk (Volodarsky Street 6), which issues national documents (nüfus kayıt örneği) and an export permit. Full reconstruction takes 2–5 business days, sometimes faster for urgent cases.