For many of the families we serve, their loved one's last wish was to rest at home — in the town where they were born, beside their parents, in their community's cemetery. Honouring that wish from Texas means coordinating three systems at once — the State of Texas, the destination country's consulate and an airline — within a few days, while the family is grieving. That is exactly the work we do. From our office in North Dallas, on the Richardson line, we have handled repatriations to Mexico and Central America, and we know the requirements, the real timelines and the mistakes to avoid.
How much it costs to ship a body home from Dallas
The honest range is $2,000 to $6,000 in total for most destinations in Mexico and Central America. Be wary of quotes far below that range: they almost always leave out the air freight or the shipping casket, which are the two most expensive lines. What moves the number within the range:
- A body or cremated remains: shipping a body requires embalming, a casket suitable for air cargo and freight charged by weight; an urn travels for a fraction of that cost.
- Destination country and airport: routes with direct cargo flights from DFW — for example Mexico City, Guadalajara, San Salvador or Guatemala City — cost less than destinations that need connections.
- Airline rates: freight is charged by weight and varies by season and route.
- The final distance in the destination country: the drive from the airport to the family's town is charged by the receiving funeral home; the farther it is, the more it costs.
- Additional documents: translations or apostilles, when the destination requires them.
Before any paperwork starts, we give you a complete, itemised written quote, and that price is honoured.
How long repatriation takes
Once the document file is complete and approved, the shipment usually happens within 5 to 10 business days. What stretches it most is the medical examiner's release when a death is under investigation, public holidays in the United States or the destination country, and consular office hours. We cannot shorten a consulate's timeline, but we make sure no day is lost to a badly prepared document — the most common cause of delay when families try to do it themselves.
The international funeral shipping process, step by step
- Call us at any hour. At (214) 550-7369 or on WhatsApp. We take your loved one's details and the destination country and city, and give you a written quote before any paperwork starts.
- We obtain the death certificate. We file for the certified Texas death certificate, the base document every consulate and airline requires before authorising the shipment.
- We prepare your loved one for the destination country. Most countries require embalming and a sealed casket suitable for air transport; for cremated remains, the urn is prepared with its cremation certificate.
- We secure the transit permit. We obtain the Texas-issued transit permit that authorises moving your loved one out of the state and the country.
- We present the file to the consulate. We take the complete file to the destination country's consulate in Dallas for the consular approval that allows your loved one to enter the country.
- We book the cargo flight. We reserve air cargo with the airline, confirm dates, and give the family the flight number and air waybill so they can follow the shipment.
- We coordinate the arrival. We contact the receiving funeral home in the destination country, which collects your loved one at the airport and delivers them to the family for the wake and burial.
Country requirements at a glance
| Destination | Who authorises entry | Where arrivals usually land | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas | Direct cargo routes from DFW such as Mexico City and Guadalajara | Spanish guide |
| El Salvador | El Salvador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its consular network | El Salvador International Airport, San Luis Talpa | Spanish guide |
| Guatemala | Consulate General of Guatemala, Farmers Branch | La Aurora International Airport, Guatemala City | Spanish guide |
| Honduras | Consulate of Honduras in Dallas | San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa | Spanish guide |
Shipping a body to Mexico from Dallas
The Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas handles transfers of remains to anywhere in Mexico. The typical file includes the death certificate, the embalming certificate, the Texas transit permit and the consular authorisation for the remains to enter Mexico. For cremated remains the file is simpler: the death certificate and the cremation certificate. The consulate's official information is at consulmex.sre.gob.mx/dallas. We prepare and present the complete file; the family normally does not need to go in person. If the family would rather carry the ashes, our guide to taking ashes to Mexico from Dallas (in Spanish) explains every step.
Repatriation to El Salvador
El Salvador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its consular network, assists families with the repatriation of Salvadorans who die abroad and authorises the remains to enter the country. The file follows the same general structure — death certificate, proof of preparation, transit permit and consular approval — on the Salvadoran foreign service's own forms. The official information is at rree.gob.sv. We also coordinate with the receiving funeral home in San Salvador or the destination department.
Repatriation to Guatemala
The Consulate General of Guatemala that serves North Texas is in Farmers Branch, about twenty minutes from our office, and it authorises the transfer of remains to Guatemala. Besides the standard file, the consulate verifies the identity of the deceased and the paperwork of the funeral home preparing the shipment. The consulate's official site is consdallas.minex.gob.gt. We work with receiving funeral homes in the capital and in the departments, and confirm the cost of the overland leg to the family's community in writing.
Repatriation to Honduras
The Consulate of Honduras in Dallas issues the approval for remains to enter Honduras. The file includes the death certificate, proof of embalming or cremation, the transit permit and the consular authorisation. The official information from Honduras's Secretariat of Foreign Affairs is at sreci.gob.hn. We coordinate the arrival in San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa and the drive to the family's municipality.
Body or ashes? The practical difference
Shipping the body lets the family hold a wake for their loved one at home, with an open casket where the preparation allows — for many families nothing replaces that. Shipping cremated remains costs far less and is logistically simpler: an urn can travel as carry-on or as cargo, with the death certificate and cremation certificate, in a container that can pass through X-ray screening. If the family chooses that route, our direct cremation ($1,750) plus shipping the urn is usually the most affordable way home. Check with us on the destination country's rules for bringing in ashes; we handle those too.
Can the family travel with their loved one?
Yes — it is common. When a body is shipped, one or more relatives can fly on the same flight or a nearby one; we give you the flight number and air waybill in advance so the family can buy tickets with confidence. When cremated remains travel, a relative can carry the urn as hand luggage with the death certificate and cremation certificate in hand. Either way we time things so your loved one and the family arrive together, and so the receiving funeral home is waiting at the airport.
Faith traditions and other destinations
Some families need a faith-specific timeline as well as a destination. For Muslim families sending a loved one to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt or Saudi Arabia, read Muslim repatriation from Texas. For Hindu families taking asthi home, read repatriation of asthi to India.
What we handle for you
Our role is to be the family's single point of contact. We take care of bringing your loved one into our care, embalming when the destination requires it, the shipping casket, the death certificate, the transit permit, the consular file, the air cargo booking and the coordination with the receiving funeral home. You get one written price and one number to call — and you can message us on WhatsApp at any hour to ask which step the paperwork is on. We speak English and Spanish at every stage.
- What to do when someone dies in Texas — the first call, the first 48 hours and the first month.
- Funeral costs in Texas — what families actually pay, line by line.
- Published prices — our packages, line by line.
- Repatriation insurance: what it covers and what it does not (in Spanish).
- Esta guía en español — repatriación de restos a México y Centroamérica.
Frequently asked questions about repatriation of remains
How much does it cost to ship a body to Mexico from Dallas?
The typical total is $2,000 to $6,000, including preparation of the body, a casket suitable for air transport, the consular paperwork and the air freight. The exact cost depends on the destination country and city, the airline, and whether a body or cremated remains are being shipped. We give you a complete written quote before any paperwork starts.
How long does international repatriation take?
Once the documents are complete and approved, it usually takes 5 to 10 business days. The most common delays come from medical examiner cases, public holidays in the destination country and consular office hours. We update you on the status every day.
Is it cheaper to repatriate cremated remains instead of the body?
Yes, considerably. Direct cremation costs $1,750, and an urn can travel as carry-on or as cargo with the death certificate and cremation certificate. Many families choose this when shipping the body is outside their budget.
What documents does the consulate require to repatriate a body?
Generally: the death certificate, the embalming certificate or proof of preparation, the Texas-issued transit permit and the approval of the destination country's consulate. Each country has its own requirements; we prepare the complete file and present it on your behalf.
Does the family have to go to the consulate in person?
Normally not. We handle the consular process directly. Only in uncommon cases does the consulate ask a relative to appear, and if it does we go with you and explain each step.
Who receives our loved one in the destination country?
A receiving funeral home in the destination city, which collects the casket or urn at the airport and delivers it to the family or takes it to the wake. We contact that funeral home, confirm its rates and coordinate the handover, so the family abroad only has to wait for the arrival.
Can life insurance pay for repatriation?
Yes. We accept assignment of life insurance benefits: the insurer pays us directly and the family does not have to advance the cost of the shipment. We verify the policy the same day you call.
Can we hold a service in Dallas before the flight?
Yes. Many families hold a visitation or a Mass in Dallas–Fort Worth before the shipment so that relatives here can say goodbye, and the family in the destination country then holds its own service. We are glad to coordinate both.
What happens if the death is under medical examiner investigation?
Repatriation cannot begin until the medical examiner's office releases your loved one and issues the corresponding paperwork. As soon as that happens we start immediately; the 5 to 10 business days run from that point.
Can family in the home country watch the service?
Yes. We stream live from our chapel with one camera at no charge, so relatives who cannot travel can follow the Dallas service as it happens; if the family wants a multi-camera production, we coordinate it with an audio-visual provider. We also offer professional photography of the service for $499. Ask on the first call rather than on the day: the link is shared in advance so relatives abroad have it in time, allowing for the time difference.