Documents for Transportation of the Deceased

What are Documents for Transportation of the Deceased?

When a US-citizen dies abroad andhis/her relatives or other authorized persons want to transport his remains to the US for further burial in the country, they need to collect a package of documents for transportation of the deceased. The challenge of collecting the documents lies in the fact that it is necessary to comply with formalities adopted in both the US and the country where the American citizen died. Obviously, the list of documents, as well as the requirements towardstheir processing can vary from country to country. In most cases the following papers are required to accompany the transportation to the US:

· consular mortuary certificate

· affidavit of local funeral director

· transit permit.

However, other papers can be also required depending on local laws and circumstances surrounding the fatality. Moreover, in order to receive the above-listed papers,the relatives of the deceased or authorized persons (a funeral home or other representative) have to provide the US Embassy in the foreign country with additional papers and information. This ranges from death certificates issued by the foreign country’s authorities to flight and destination information submitted by a person responsible for the transportation.

It is even more complicated to collect the documents when there is a need to transport remains from the US to another country, since the list of requirements varies greatly depending on destination country’s laws. For example, the relatives might need to provide some kind of certificate issued by the U.S. Public Health Service or to prove examination of the coffin or urn with the remains by authorized officials.

In general, papers collected to accompany the remainsmust:

· confirm the fact of death and its causes;

· cover epidemiological issues, includingremains condition (embalmed, unembalmed, cremated);

· certify the absence of foreign objects in a container used for remains transportation;

· prove the permission of one country to transit the remains and the permission of other country to enter its territory.

When do You Need Documents for Transportation of the Deceased?

Documents for transportation of the deceased are required in each situation where human remains are transported from one country to another. This applies to both US citizens who died abroad and foreigners who passed away while staying in the United States, unless the deceased is going to be buried in the country he/she died in. It doesn’t matter whether you are going to transport the remains in a coffin or the ash in an urn – you will need to collect the accompanying papers anyway.

Note that far from any person is eligible to collect the papers and arrange the transportation. Usually, a next-of-kin, who can prove his/her close kinship, has the right to take the actions.Otherwise, you can entitle a funeral home or other representative to act on your behalf, but usually this requires obtaining a Power of Attorney done at a foreign embassy or legalized in a proper way.

How to Get Documents for Transportation of the Deceased?

The process of obtaining the documents depends on the regulations of both the United States and the country you transport human remains from/to. Basically, if you are going to transport a coffin or urn to another country from the US, you need to start from visiting an official website of the country’s embassy. There, you can usually find a list of steps you should take and documents you should provide, including the requirement for legalization.

As for transporting human remains into the US, you basic scheme will be as follows:

· obtaining a death certificate and transit permit from foreign authorities;

· receiving a certificate of remains handling from the foreign funeral home that prepared the body for the transportation;

· getting a funeral home representative to visit a US embassy in the foreign country and to sign an affidavit, certifying proper packing of the remains andabsence of foreign objects in the container used for the transportation;

· providing the embassy with flight and destination information along with the above-listed papers;

· receiving aconsular mortuary certificate and affidavit of local funeral director from the embassy.

Legalization of Documents for Transportation of the Deceased

Legalization of documents for transportation of the deceased is required when the remains are transported to a country that is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. Since you will need to provide papers issued in the US to a foreign embassy, it is required to prove their authentication through a multistep procedure of consular certification. Usually, this include notarization and obtaining certificates through your local Secretary of State and then through the Authentications Office of the US Department of State.

Apostille of Documents for Transportation of the Deceased

Apostille of documents for transportation of the deceased is required when the remains are transported to a country that adopted the Hague Apostille Convention. The Convention facilitates the process of mutual recognition of official documents, and thus it takes less time and effort to prepare the papers for the transportation. You will only need to find out which of US authorities is eligible to put a standardized apostille stamp on your documents (this depends on a type of a document). Usually, apostille is issued either by your local Secretary of State or the US Department of State, but there can be other options.

Translation of Documents for Transportation of the Deceased

Both United States and foreign authorities can require translation of documents for transportation of the deceased, if they are issued in different languages. In the first case, you can be required to translate the papers from a local language into English, while in the later case you will need to provide the translation from English into the official language of the destination country. As a rule, you will also need to notarize the translation and legalize it either through obtaining apostille or through consular certification.

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Documents for Transportation of the Deceased. Prepairing, apostille, legalization, authentication, certified translation