Disposition of Remains Report
The following information provides current data on disposition of remains in the Istanbul Consular District. Istanbul’s Consular District includes Turkey’s northwestern provinces: Bolu, Yalova, Balıkesir, Bilecik, Sakarya, Kocaeli, Düzce, Bursa, Tekirdağ, Çanakkale, Edirne, Kırklareli, and Istanbul. The legal references in the report are to the Turkish General Health Law of April 24, 1930, Law number 1539, Articles 211 through 234, applicable countrywide.
1. Maximum Period Before Burial:
If the body is embalmed or refrigerated, immediate burial is not required. Unpreserved bodies must be buried within 72 hours in winter, 24 to 48 hours in summer, depending on weather conditions.
2. Embalming:
Embalming is not customary for burial inside Turkey; however, when remains are exported, they must be embalmed. Because embalming is not commonly practiced in Turkey, local standards of embalming do not rise to the high standards practiced in the U.S. While no law states how soon after death a body must be embalmed, in practice embalming is done within 72 hours of death.
Below is a partial list of private facilities in the Istanbul area that can embalm remains for shipment abroad.
Tur-Kel Ticaret ve Islam Cenaze
Yedi Kuyular Caddesi No: 12-A (across from Divan Hotel)
Taksim, 80230 Istanbul
Ali Karabulut (532) 668 4264
(212) 240 6886, (212) 247 2006, (212) 240 1342, fax (212) 247 4947
Hicret Cenaze Isleri
Cumhuriyet Mahallesi
Kazim Orbay Caddesi No: 30/5
Sisli, Istanbul
Suleyman Sahin (542) 723 3538
(212) 234 3535, fax (212) 246 3750
Kollaro Uluslararasi Cenaze
Balikpazari Duduodalar Sokak No: 20
Beyoglu, Istanbul
Manuel Manukyan (532) 313 0743
(212) 245 4145, (212) 247 0116, fax (212) 245 2786, after hours (212) 247 1573
Berc Kac
Balikpazari, Sahne Sokak No: 22
Beyoglu, Istanbul
Berc Kac (532) 431 8333
(212) 252 8555, (212) 245 7050, (212) 246 5560, fax (212) 243 0612
Muskovic
Mesrutiyet Caddesi No: 168
Beyoglu, Istanbul
Sabi Bereha (532) 214 0349
(212) 244 1315, fax (212) 251 1774
Along with these private undertaking facilities, most hospitals can provide basic embalming services for a fee.
3. Cremation:
Articles 224 and 225 of Law No. 1539 regard cremation. It is not allowed, and there are no facilities for it within the consular district.
4. Caskets & Containers:
Locally purchased caskets and containers that meet the requirements for export are available. When the remains of a deceased person are to be transported out of the country, the remains are placed in a zinc casket, which is hermetically sealed and soldered. The casket is enclosed in a hardwood coffin of 10 mm thickness. Before the remains are shipped, the coffin is placed in a nylon sack for shipping. Approved zinc-lined caskets for export are available for purchase from private funeral homes in Istanbul. Please see Section 2 above.
5. Export of Remains:
Before remains may be exported, they must be embalmed and enclosed as described in Section 4 above. The following documents are required to ship remains from Turkey:
- Official Death Certificate: The first physician who examines the body and the hospital’s medical director, or the municipality physician if death did not occur at a hospital, will prepare and sign the official Turkish death certificate.
- Consular Mortuary Certificate. The Consulate will prepare this document.
- Affidavit of the mortician signed by the embalming authority and executed before the Consular Officer.
- Export Permit: After completing all the requirements, an export permit will be issued by a municipality physician.
- Customs Transportation Certificate: A customs officer examines the casket in the presence of a municipality physician and issues the customs certificate. Upon receipt of the airway bill number, the Municipality Health Office issues a laissez passer, which is the final certificate necessary for the export of the remains.
6. Internment Costs:
Costs for Local Internment: In Istanbul, casket, grave digging, local transportation, and other services without embalming range from US$1,800 for burial in an unmanaged common grave to US$7,500 for burial, upon receiving permission from local authorities, in a managed closed cemetery. Purchase and installation of a tombstone, depending on quality, ranges from US$1,500 to US$2,500.
Costs for International Shipment of Remains: Only physicians are authorized to embalm corpses and issue the necessary report for export of remains. If the physician’s report is in Turkish, the mortician will obtain a certified translation from a Turkish notary public. The body will be dressed in new underclothes, and the feet and hands will be wrapped in cotton. The body will then be placed in a special double layered nylon bag, and enclosed in a zinc covered casket. Total price including embalming and chemicals and expert’s fee for these services is approximately:
Approximate embalming costs:
Chemicals and expert’s fee US$2,000
Surcharge for weekends and holidays US$ 600
Caskets vary in size, quality, and price, usually from US$2,500 to US$6,000. A simple basic casket that is suitable only for local burial is approximately US$750.
When death occurs outside the city of Istanbul, it is advisable for the remains to be removed to Istanbul for preparation and shipment. The approximate costs of such transportation by ambulance from major points in the consular district are:
City Distance (Km) Estimated Cost
Edirne 235 US$500
Balikesir 390 US$700
Bolu 250 US$550
Sakarya 140 US$400
Bilecik 240 US$600
Kocaeli 100 US$350
Yalova 150 US$400
Bursa 240 US$600
Canakkale 340 US$750
Tekirdag 140 US$400
Kirklareli 198 US$400
A sample of airfreight fees from Istanbul Ataturk International Airport to points in the U.S. includes:
City Estimated Cost per Kg
New York US$10.00
Boston US$10.00
Washington US$10.42
Philadelphia US$10.26
Chicago US$10.94
Dallas US$12.43
Los Angeles US$11.59
San Francisco US$11.59
In summary, the total cost for the documentation, embalming, container, local and international transportation, and associated fees is approximately:
US$5,000 – US$7,500
Please note that all prices are estimates based on our experience and thus subject to change.
7. Exhumation and Shipment
Article 227 and Law No. 1539, as amended, permit the exhumation and export of human remains after one year of burial on the approval of the Turkish Health officials, provided that death occurred due to causes other than a contagious disease, and after five years from burial on the approval of Turkish Health officials if the death occurred due to a contagious disease. Under exceptional circumstances, however, such as upon the request of the next of kin or a legal representative of the deceased and after approval of the appropriate Turkish officials, exhumation may be permitted at any time.
8. Autopsies
Autopsies are performed on all foreigners who die in the absence of any witnesses. For foreigners who die in the presence of family or other witnesses, autopsies are performed only at the request of the next-of-kin.
9. Remarks
The Consulate General is able to prepare the “Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad” upon receipt of the following documents:
- Turkish “Burial Permission” document;
- the U.S. passport of the deceased;
- marked information on the attached “Report of the Death of an American Citizen Abroad”;
- an original “Affidavit of Surviving Spouse or Next of Kin.” Note that this Affidavit needs to be notarized by a U.S.-recognized Notary Public. If the next-of-kin or legal representative does not reside in the U.S., this Affidavit must be prepared by a consular officer at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad.
- Proof of the legal representative’s relationship to the deceased (commonly a birth or marriage certificate or a court decision).
After completing and preparing the above documents, fax or email scanned copies to the consulate, and send the original to us (preferably via courier) at:
U.S. Consulate General, Istanbul
ATTN: Consular Section
Istinye Mahallesi
3 Şehitler Sok. No. 2
Istinye 34460 Istanbul
After receiving these documents we will issue a “Report of the Death of an American Citizen Abroad.”
Updated: March 30, 2010.