Exhumation in Romania: Required Documents, Legal Deadlines, and Costs in 2026

Introduction

We know this is not an easy decision. Families arrive here out of necessity: a move to another city, the wish that a husband and wife or two parents should rest in the same place, the building of a family vault, or an order from the authorities. Opening a grave again means reopening a grief that had only just begun to settle.

An exhumation means removing a person's remains from a grave, and exhumation in Romania cannot be carried out at just any time: the law divides the situation into three regimes, according to how much time has passed since the burial. This guide explains, for each regime, which documents the procedure requires, in what part of the year the work may be done, and what costs arise.

Updated, and its limits. This information is current as of 4 September 2026. Cemetery fees are set by decisions of local councils, and the document lists of the county public health directorates are not identical. Check the regulations of your own city hall (primărie) and the list published by the DSP of the county where the grave is located.

What exhumation means and why Romanian law uses two terms

Romanian law treats the two words as synonyms: Government Decision HG no. 741/2016 writes, in art. 29 para. (1) and art. 30 para. (1), 'Exhumarea/Deshumarea'. At some cemetery administrations, however — Sibiu is one example — the two names mark distinct services, with very different procedures and fees.

The distinction also appears in the underlying statute: Legea nr. 102/2014 refers, in art. 9 para. (4), to 'exhumarea cadavrelor în vederea constatării cauzelor morții' — the exhumation of bodies in order to establish the cause of death, ordered by the judicial authorities — and, in art. 9 para. (5), to skeletal remains that 'pot fi deshumate în orice perioadă a anului […] după 7 ani de la deces', that is, may be removed at any time of year after 7 years from the death (full text, official PDF from DSP Suceava). In the fee list of Sibiu City Hall, 'Exhumare cadavru din mormânt pământ' (exhumation of a body from an earth grave) and 'Deshumare oseminte în mormânt pământ' (removal of skeletal remains from an earth grave) are separate entries, with prices that differ by more than fourfold (fee list, PDF).

A short glossary of the terms you will meet at the counter

• Exhumare — administratively, the removal of a body before 7 years have passed; in judicial use, the removal of a body to establish the cause of death.
• Reînhumare (reburial) — placing the remains in another burial place, which may be within the same cemetery.
• Oseminte — the skeletal remains left after full decomposition; the osuar (ossuary) is the shared space in which they are deposited.
• Concesiune (concession) — the right of use over a burial plot, set out in detail in our guide to burial plots and concessions.

The three legal regimes for exhumation

Less than 1 year after burial, exhumation at the family's request is not possible — only by order of the prosecutor or the court. Between 1 and 7 years it is allowed only with a sanitary permit from the county public health directorate (Direcția de Sănătate Publică, DSP) and only between 1 November and 31 March, for reburial elsewhere. After 7 years — at any time, with no DSP permit.

This is the point most often reported wrongly. The reference text is HG nr. 741/2016, art. 29 para. (2), which provides that an exhumation may take place before 7 years from the date of burial, with the approval of the public health directorates, once one year has passed since burial and only in the period 1 November to 31 March, on the basis of the sanitary permit issued by the county public health directorates and that of the Municipality of Bucharest, in the form set out in Annex no. 6, for the purpose of reburying the deceased person in another burial place (HG nr. 741/2016, official PDF, DSP Bihor).

Three points follow from that text:

1. The 1 November-31 March window is not a general rule. It applies solely to the interval from 1 to 7 years after burial. Saying that 'in Romania exhumations only happen in winter' is inaccurate, and it may lead a family to postpone, needlessly, a procedure that could be carried out in any month.
2. Within that interval the purpose is limited by law: 'în scopul reînhumării persoanei decedate în alt loc de înhumare' — for the purpose of reburying the deceased person in another burial place.
3. After 7 years the sanitary permit is no longer required (Legea nr. 102/2014, art. 9 para. 5).

Watch the starting point. HG nr. 741/2016 counts the 7 years 'from the date of burial', while Legea nr. 102/2014 counts them 'from the death'. Usually the difference is a matter of days, but it can matter after a repatriation or an investigation. If you are close to the limit, ask explicitly which date the calculation runs from.

Table: the three exhumation regimes in Romania

The same structure appears at local level: Annex 1 to Cluj-Napoca local council decision HCL no. 300/2014 restates it in art. 60 and art. 65, adding that after 7 years the exhumation is carried out on the basis of a certificate from the local council (Cluj-Napoca cemetery regulations). There is no regime in which an exhumation can be carried out with no paperwork at all.

The absolute ban after a death from a highly pathogenic infection

If the person died as a result of infection with a highly pathogenic agent, HG nr. 741/2016, art. 20 para. (3) letter k) provides that 'deshumarea înainte de trecerea a 7 ani de la deces este strict interzisă' — exhumation before 7 years have passed since the death is strictly forbidden. This is an absolute ban: no sanitary permit and no application to the city hall can override it.

Neither the family nor the funeral company classifies the cause of death: under art. 20 para. (4), that is the responsibility of the public health directorate in the county where the death occurred. If you have any doubt, ask the county DSP before you file an application and pay a deposit.

The ban is part of a single set of measures in the same paragraph: the body is not washed and not embalmed (letter b), 'cadavrul se introduce în doi saci rezistenți de vinil' — the body is placed in two heavy-duty vinyl bags (letter e), the coffin is sealed and reopening it is forbidden (letter g), and the grave is at least 3 metres deep (letter j). The grave was closed, from the outset, as a space that is not reopened. It is a public health measure, not an administrative refusal.

Exhumation in Romania and the documents you must file

The papers go to two different places. At the DSP you apply for the sanitary permit (the standard form in Annex no. 6 to HG nr. 741/2016), on the basis of the application, the death certificate, and proof that you hold the burial plot. At the cemetery administration you file the exhumation application, the concession deed, and the agreement of any other holders.

The sanitary permit is an official form: Annex no. 6 is headed 'AVIZ SANITAR pentru deshumarea, transportul și reînhumarea cadavrelor umane' — sanitary permit for the exhumation, transport, and reburial of human remains — it is signed by the executive director of the DSP and carries a stated period of validity. One single document therefore covers all three operations. The death certificate will be asked for at almost every counter; if you need a duplicate, the procedure is described in our guide to the death certificate in Romania.

Table: who asks for which documents

The lists differ a great deal from one county to another. Some directorates also ask for the contractor's file: the DSP Timiș checklist of 27 January 2023 has 12 entries, 11 of them named documents — among them the Trade Register certificate (certificat constatator ORC), the service contract, and the embalming certificate.

Not just anyone can file the application. Under Cluj-Napoca HCL no. 300/2014, art. 61, an exhumation and reburial may be requested only by the holder or holders of the right of concession, the exception being an order issued under the law by the prosecutor's office (Parchet) or by the courts; art. 64 provides that people buried in common graves cannot be exhumed at the request of relatives. Without the standing of concession holder, the application is not registered.

The 30 km threshold — what the law says and what the local regulations say

The requirement for a DSP permit when remains are transported more than 30 km appears in the document list published by Sibiu City Hall, cited above. It is a local-level requirement; check the regulations of your own city hall, because not every city imposes it.

We mention it because HG nr. 741/2016 does contain two thresholds of 30 kilometres, but neither of them concerns exhumation: art. 5 para. (1) letter b) makes embalming compulsory 'when the deceased is transported for burial to another locality […] at a distance of at least 30 kilometres', and art. 26 para. (2) requires 'the sanitary transport permit provided for in Annex no. 5'. Both concern the initial transport of the body; for an exhumation, Annex no. 6 already covers everything.

The procedure step by step and who carries out the work

The family cannot do the work itself: under HG nr. 741/2016, art. 30 para. (1), exhumations and reburials are carried out by the cemetery administrations, in the presence of the deceased person's family or a representative of the family and of the cemetery administrator. Where the measure has been ordered by the prosecutor's office or by a court, para. (2) also requires a representative of that authority to be present.

The steps, in order:

1. Check how many years have passed since the burial (and since the death, if you are near the limit). That calculation decides whether you need a DSP permit and whether you can work outside the 1 November-31 March window.
2. Obtain the agreement of the other concession holders. This is the most common reason a file stalls.
3. Secure the place of reburial and the proof that it belongs to you. If a concession has to be granted, see our guide to burial plot prices and concessions.
4. In the 1-to-7-year interval, apply for the DSP permit in the form of Annex no. 6, and schedule the works within the validity period stated on it.
5. File the application with the cemetery administration or the city hall, according to the local regulations, and agree the date of the works.
6. Attend the works, in person or through a representative. Your presence is not optional — the law expressly requires it.

How the work is actually carried out

Annex no. 6 also sets out the rules for carrying out the work. Within the same cemetery, the works are to be done in the first hours of the morning and in the shortest possible time. Where the remains go to another cemetery: 'Transportul cadavrului […] se va face cu mijloace rapide, sicriul fiind introdus într-o ladă de lemn căptușită cu tablă sau carton gudronat. Sicriul va rămâne închis.' — transport is to be by rapid means, the coffin placed inside a wooden crate lined with sheet metal or tarred board, and the coffin is to remain closed.

The rule therefore calls for a lined wooden crate; the zinc-lined coffin mentioned by many companies is an industry practice, not a requirement of this text. And reburial within the same cemetery is expressly provided for — if you are moving the remains to a vault in the same cemetery, the transport and the crate are no longer needed.

The situation in Bucharest

The capital's public cemeteries are administered by ADPMB — Administrația Domeniului Public a Municipiului București, the public estate administration of the Municipality of Bucharest, which took over the responsibilities of the former ACCU. According to its official page, the authorisation for the exhumation and transport of remains is filed with the concession deeds and burial plot records department (Serviciul Acte de concesiune, evidență locuri de veci) at Str. Iuliu Hațieganu nr. 1, sector 4; the charge is 45.38 lei, and the authorisations are issued within 3 working days of filing. The family then reports to the cemetery administration 24 hours before the works (ADPMB). These conditions apply only in Bucharest, for the cemeteries administered by ADPMB.

How much an exhumation costs in 2026

The cost has three independent components: the cemetery administration's fee (set by local council decision), the labour and materials of the funeral company, and a new burial plot where one is needed. According to the official list published by Sibiu City Hall, removing skeletal remains from an earth grave costs 805 lei, while exhuming a body from the same type of grave costs 3,470 lei.

Below we have separated the official fees from the price list of one private company, so that you can see what is fixed by decision and what is a commercial offer.

A. Official administration fees

Figures from one city do not transfer to another. Fees are approved by local council decisions and differ by an order of magnitude: for removing a body from an earth grave, the Sibiu list gives 3,470 lei and the Ploiești list 207 lei. Nor is the ratio between entries universal: in Sibiu, lifting skeletal remains after 7 years falls under the lower fee, whereas in Ploiești exhuming a body and burying skeletal remains cost the same. Ask for the list held by the administration of the cemetery where the grave is — the SGU Ploiești list, for instance, carries no year of validity.

B. An example price list from a private funeral company

The figures below come from a single company, which marks its own table as indicative. They are not average prices for Romania.

Not included: the new burial plot, a new memorial stone or the refitting of the existing one, transport beyond the standard distance, and the zinc-lined coffin when the remains move to another locality (list published by a private funeral company).

The charge for the DSP sanitary permit is not set uniformly at national level. Order of the Ministry of Health no. 2459/2022, which approves the list of charges of the public health directorates, contains no entry relating to exhumation, reburial, or funeral services — neither in its original form nor in its consolidated form. Art. 2 of the same order provides that services not included are charged on the basis of a quotation, in accordance with Annex no. 2 — which is why only the county DSP can give you the answer.

Always ask for a written quotation, both from the cemetery administration and from the company you choose. If money is tight, say so openly to the administration: some works, such as dismantling and refitting the memorial stone, can be staged.

Reburial and what happens to the old grave

Moving remains is not merely a technical operation. Under Cluj-Napoca HCL no. 300/2014, art. 62: 'În cazul în care decedatul/decedații ce se află în mormânt au fost deshumați și reînhumați în alt loc de înhumare, titularul concesiunii pierde dreptul de folosință.' — where the deceased person or persons in the grave have been exhumed and reburied in another burial place, the concession holder loses the right of use. Under this city's regulations, moving the remains also means giving up the old plot, which may then be reallocated.

This is the least well known part of the procedure and, for many families, the most painful. Check the local regulations, particularly if you intend to keep the old plot for another member of the family.

Work on the memorial stone adds to the cost: the Sibiu City Hall list includes, as separate entries, 'Demolare monumente funerare vechi' (demolition of old funeral monuments) at 215 lei, 'Ridicare capac de pe mormânt' (lifting the grave slab) at 90 lei, and 'Așezare capac' (setting the slab) at 150 lei. For a new memorial, prices are set out in detail in our guide to funeral monuments, types and prices.

One question remains that few ask out loud: where do the people who used to visit the grave go, if it moves to another city? For a family spread across counties, or living abroad, the physical point of remembrance changes its address.

Worth remembering. After a reburial, the photographs, the documents, and the story of your loved one's life are no longer tied to a particular row in a particular cemetery. An online page of memories stays the same wherever they now rest, and relatives who cannot reach the new grave can visit it from anywhere. Find out more about a digital memorial on Kinmory →

Frequently asked questions

After how many years can an exhumation be carried out in Romania?

It depends on the purpose. After 7 years, skeletal remains may be exhumed at any time of year, without a permit from the county public health directorate (Legea 102/2014, art. 9 para. 5). Between 1 and 7 years after burial it is possible only with a sanitary permit from the DSP, and only between 1 November and 31 March, for reburial in another place. Under 1 year, only by order of the prosecutor or the court.

Is it true that in Romania an exhumation can only take place between 1 November and 31 March?

No, that rule does not apply to every situation. The 1 November-31 March window is compulsory only when the exhumation takes place before 7 years have passed since burial, with a DSP permit, for the purpose of reburial in another place (HG 741/2016, art. 29 para. 2). After 7 years, the removal of skeletal remains is allowed throughout the year, with no sanitary permit.

What documents are required for an exhumation?

The papers go to two different counters. At the DSP, for the sanitary permit: the application, the death certificate, and proof that you hold the burial plot; some county directorates also ask for the funeral company's documents. At the cemetery administration: the standard application form, the concession deed in original and copy, the concession holder's identity document, and the written agreement of any other holders. The lists differ from one county to another.

Who may request the exhumation of a deceased person?

Under local cemetery rules, the application may be filed only by the holder or holders of the concession over the burial plot — the cemetery regulations of Cluj-Napoca, for example, say so expressly. The exception is an order issued under the law by the prosecutor's office (Parchet) or by a court. People buried in common graves cannot be exhumed at the request of relatives. Check the regulations of your own city hall.

How much does an exhumation cost in 2026?

The cost has three parts: the cemetery administration's fee, the funeral company's services and, where applicable, a new burial plot. Administration fees are set by local council decision and vary widely: in Sibiu, removing skeletal remains from an earth grave costs 805 lei, while exhuming a body from the same type of grave costs 3,470 lei. Always ask for a written quotation.

What happens to the old grave once the remains have been moved?

Under the cemetery regulations of Cluj-Napoca, if the exhumed person is reburied in another burial place, the concession holder loses the right of use over the old grave, and the plot may be reallocated. The memorial stone is dismantled, and dismantling and refitting are paid for separately. The rules differ between cities — check the cemetery administration's regulations before you begin.

Can an exhumation take place if the person died of a serious infectious disease?

No, not if the death was caused by infection with a highly pathogenic agent. HG 741/2016, art. 20 para. (3) letter k) provides that 'deshumarea înainte de trecerea a 7 ani de la deces este strict interzisă' — exhumation before 7 years have passed since the death is strictly forbidden. This is an absolute ban, and no sanitary permit can override it. It is the county DSP that classifies the cause of death.

Summary

• Three regimes, not one: under 1 year — only by order of the prosecutor or the court; between 1 and 7 years — with a DSP permit; after 7 years — freely, in any month.
• The 1 November-31 March window applies only to the 1-to-7-year interval, and only for reburial in another place (HG 741/2016, art. 29 para. 2). It is not a general rule.
• The 7 years are counted differently: 'from the date of burial' in HG 741/2016, 'from the death' in Legea 102/2014. If you are at the limit, ask explicitly.
• An absolute ban where death was caused by a highly pathogenic agent: exhumation before 7 years is strictly forbidden (HG 741/2016, art. 20 para. 3 letter k).
• Only the concession holder files the application, with the agreement of the other holders.
• The work is carried out by the cemetery administration, in the presence of the family or a representative (HG 741/2016, art. 30).
• The documents differ from one county to another — check the list published by your own DSP.
• Fees are set by local council decisions and vary between cities by an order of magnitude.
• Moving the remains may mean losing the right over the old plot — that is what the Cluj-Napoca regulations provide.
• Ask for a written quotation before you pay anything.

This information is current as of 4 September 2026 and changes through local decisions and orders of the health authorities — confirm it before you file your application.

Related articles

• Burial Plots in Romania — Prices and Concessions in 2026 — the length of a concession, charges by city, and what happens when it expires
• Funeral Monuments — Types and Prices — materials, costs, dismantling and refitting
• Death Certificate in Romania — how to obtain one and how to request a duplicate
• Repatriation of the Deceased — the formalities for transport across the border
• Cremation in Romania — Prices and Procedures — the alternative to burial, with the steps and the costs

Add a QR code to the memorial

After a reburial the memorial stone is fitted again — a good moment to add a small plaque with a QR code. Visitors who come to the grave can see, straight from their phone, the photographs and the story of your loved one's life, and relatives who live far away can leave a message without making the journey.

Create a digital memorial on Kinmory →