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International repatriation · Dallas–Fort Worth

Bringing a loved one home, across borders.

How do you begin an international repatriation?

When a loved one needs to return to another country, the paperwork and transport can feel overwhelming. Start with a conversation about the destination, the documents and the receiving funeral home. You can request a callback before every document is ready. The first step is to identify what the individual case needs.

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Reviewed by Carlos Vargas, Texas Licensed Funeral Director (TFSC #119648) ·

A clear place to start

Tell us where your loved one is now and the destination country and city. Let us know whether you are arranging transport of a body or cremated remains, and whether another funeral home or a medical examiner is involved. Those details determine which questions need answers first.

A request for help is the beginning of a case review. It is not a confirmed flight, a guaranteed arrival date or a promise that a particular destination can be served. The funeral director, receiving funeral home, relevant authorities and carrier must confirm the arrangement.

What needs to come together

  1. Release and authority. Confirm who may authorize the arrangements and whether the remains have been released.
  2. Receiving arrangements. Identify the funeral home and contact who will receive your loved one, including the final city beyond the arrival airport.
  3. Documents. Match the death certificate, transit permit, any translation or authentication and destination instructions to the actual shipment.
  4. Preparation and transport. Confirm preparation, the accepted container, carrier acceptance and any transfer between carriers.
  5. Handoff. Give the family a written itinerary when confirmed and clarify who handles arrival, onward travel and updates.

These are connected tasks, not a fixed timetable. Do not make nonrefundable travel or ceremony arrangements based on an estimated shipment date.

Choose the guide that answers your next question

DocumentsWhat to collect and which authority checks it.Costs and written quotesPublished fees, exclusions and questions to ask.MexicoA destination research guide for families.IndiaDocuments, arrival and questions for families.El SalvadorDocuments, arrival and questions for families.GuatemalaDocuments, arrival and questions for families.HondurasDocuments, arrival and questions for families.VietnamDocuments, arrival and questions for families.NigeriaDocuments, arrival and questions for families.PhilippinesDocuments, arrival and questions for families.EthiopiaDocuments, arrival and questions for families.ChinaDocuments, arrival and questions for families.South KoreaDocuments, arrival and questions for families.ColombiaHealth documents, apostilles and receiving arrangements.Dominican RepublicHouston consulate, arrival review and family reception.GhanaConsular authentication, receiving documents and Accra burial planning.KenyaEmbassy letter, advance health notification and Nairobi reception.PakistanHouston NOC documents, receiving plans and OPF assistance questions.Shipping cremated remainsMailing, flight screening and urn preparation.Contact sheetCreate a working contact list and next actions.Copies organizerTrack recipient requests, quantities and open questions.Order of operationsSort your steps by what each one waits for. No dates.Business-day counterCount open office days between two dates. No predictions.Container and weight plannerConvert and total container measurements and weights.Cremated remains travel checklistQuestions for security, the airline and the destination.Repatriation wishes builderWrite an informal note about where you wish to rest.Disinterment plannerTrack consents and Texas permits for a disinterment.Translation needs organizerQuestions to settle before ordering a translation.Personal effects checklistTrack belongings and what may travel with the remains.Contact window helperFind shared calling hours across time zones.Service time plannerConvert a service time for relatives abroad.Infant and child pathwayWhom to ask when a baby or child will rest abroad.Questions for a lawyer at homeA neutral question list for a lawyer in your country.Document checklistTrack each repatriation paper and who issues it.Consulate questionsTwelve questions to take to the consulate.Family update templateOne clear written update for all your relatives.Receiving handoffA one-page note for the funeral home that receives.Quote organizerGroup the amounts you are quoted by who charges them.Travel organizerPlan relatives’ travel around what is confirmed.Planning toolsTwenty free checklists, organizers and calculators.Timeline and delaysWhich steps have legal limits, and which do not.Receiving remains in DFWBringing someone to North Texas from abroad.Disinterment and reburial abroadMoving someone already buried in Texas abroad.Hospice and hospital handoffFor hospice and hospital staff helping a family.Choosing a shipping providerEight questions before choosing a shipping provider.Insurance and assistanceWho decides coverage and assistance after a death.Sources and updatesWhat changed, and the sources we re-read.Faith and family preferencesTiming, washing, embalming and rites: what to say first.Domestic funeral shippingTo another U.S. state: permit, carrier and two funeral homes.PeruDallas consulate, four apostilled documents and Lima airport health office.Costa RicaHouston consulate, Ministry of Health entry permit and Civil Registry.PanamaHouston consulate, the embassy’s checklist and what it leaves open.EcuadorFree health authorization, customs exemption and the state aid programme.JamaicaMiami consulate, travelling documents and the parish health permit.ArgentinaHouston consulate, apostilled documents, entry permit and customs form.ChileHouston consulate guidance, SEREMI health authorization and apostille.BrazilHouston consulate, listed documents, ANVISA rules and death registration.Funeral home coordinationWho does what at each end, and how we coordinate with the receiving relative.Consular directoryThe consular office each destination guide identifies for Dallas, with its source.CanadaDallas consulate, border agency rules, who pays and provincial permits.Trinidad and TobagoMiami consulate, certified documents and ministry approvals before booking.HaitiMiami consulate, document list and fee, authentication chain and flight limits.BoliviaHouston consulate, what Bolivia publishes, death registration and apostille.IraqHouston consulate, approval from Baghdad, the wax seal and the fee for non-Iraqis.NicaraguaThe consulate question, the health ministry’s document list and inspection on arrival.CubaWashington consular office, what Cuba publishes, authentication and registration.AmericasTwenty destinations compared: consulates, apostille, approvals and who pays.GuyanaWashington embassy, the list published through London, apostille and records.UruguayMiami consulate, apostilled documents and the 12-hour health authorization.TanzaniaWashington embassy, seven listed documents and the embassy permit to ship.South AfricaWashington embassy, the health department import permit and the embalming wording.CameroonThe embassy’s mortuary travel document and the two orders from Cameroon.RwandaThe Washington embassy’s short list, its fee and RwandAir’s packaging rules.UgandaWashington embassy, a Dallas honorary consulate and the health import authorization.BelizeAn honorary consulate in Dallas, and the document list Belize does not publish.SenegalThe Washington embassy, its transfer authorization and the gaps to ask about.Central AmericaSeven countries compared: consular offices, entry authority, state help and flights.AfricaTen destinations compared: the office that serves Texas, apostille, permits and routes.Airlines and agentsWhat eleven airlines publish: services, packing, documents and what a product page is not.Diaspora coverWhat five governments publish, the conditions they set, and what to ask first.Faith communitiesThe bodies that publish readable guidance, quoted, and the gaps we found.MoroccoThe embassy’s nine-item checklist, the entry point it asks you to name, and RAM.LebanonTexas is covered by Washington, nine documents, and no consular fee since March 2026.EgyptHouston serves Texas; three separate steps, published fees and USPS-only mail.JordanA ministry service at government expense, no fee, and no apostille route.Middle East and North AfricaFive destinations compared: offices, consular cost, approvals and the apostille.NepalThe consulate is in Dallas: a free No Objection Letter in three to four days.Sri LankaWho may be repatriated, the zinc-lined coffin, and the one airport that receives it.BangladeshWashington serves Texas, the procedure is unpublished, and the apostille is new.South AsiaFive destinations compared: from a consulate in Dallas to an embassy in Washington.IndonesiaHouston covers Texas, legalizes documents, and will not ship: that is the shipper.MyanmarWashington covers Texas, the form is Burmese only, and there is no apostille route.ThailandThe Thai death certificate takes 15 business days, and the apostille waits until 2027.east southeast asiaSeven destinations compared on one question: does a Texas apostille work, and when.United KingdomTexas paperwork is the easy half; a coroner and a registrar decide the date in Britain.IrelandAustin covers Texas, not Houston, and Ireland publishes no general import permit.FranceHouston seals the coffin in person; Los Angeles registers a French death in Texas.GermanyThe Leichenpass costs 68 euro, needs a zinc coffin, and comes from Houston.SpainA 1974 decree makes the consul the only authority, and the coffin is wax-sealed.Europe and Central AsiaFive destinations compared on one question: what each one asks of an urn.JapanThree months to notify, one to two for the koseki, and the form must be A3.MalaysiaThe Texas listing reads Vacant, and the apostille chain has four links.ItalyThe flight is booked only after the mortuary passport is issued.PortugalWashington covers Texas; the permit is 58.25 dollars and registration is free.PolandA starosta permission in Poland first, then a consular certificate in three days.CambodiaNo consular districts at all, and a document that may no longer exist.LaosA village in Laos has to agree before Washington will act.ArmeniaTexas is outside the Los Angeles district, so Washington takes it; registration is free.GeorgiaTwo Georgian posts, no published district, and an apostille rather than legalisation.RomaniaAn urn needs no Romanian consular document at all; a casket needs a free mortuary passport.UkraineHouston publishes Texas in its district by name, and the Embassy publishes the longer document list.TurkeyHouston covers Texas and Turkey names three death procedures, but publishes no list or fee anonymously.East AfricaFive countries compared: the second party, the apostille split, the one published fee and the shared gaps.West and Central AfricaFour countries compared: Atlanta not Washington, the heaviest and lightest files, and three published contradictions.RussiaHouston states in writing that an apostilled document needs no further legalization, and names the exception.LiberiaNo office in Texas; the Washington embassy asks your funeral home for a letter and its licence, and prints its fee.Sierra LeoneAn honorary consul is listed in Garland; the published list is Washington’s and asks for originals, not apostilles.SudanNo Texas office; one flat $54 fee, a narrow payment list, and a three-office authentication chain.South SudanTwo addresses cited as the embassy now serve gambling sites; no casket law, no burial deadline, no cremation.EritreaA burial deadline written into national law, one mortuary that embalms, and no cremation in the country.SomaliaFour official sources checked and four silences, plus the one step in Texas that applies regardless.Democratic Republic of the CongoNo office in Texas; the Washington embassy publishes a named permit, six requirements and two prices.VenezuelaNo office in Texas, but Venezuela is an Apostille country and Texas authenticates burial transit forms.AfghanistanNo Afghan office in the United States, no apostille road, and a carrier list asking for consular papers nobody can issue.AlgeriaThe consulate covering Texas is in San Francisco, and it publishes a ten-document body transfer list.TunisiaAn apostille country since 2018, with an honorary consul listed in Houston and nothing published about a death.Saudi ArabiaA career consulate general in Houston, an open apostille road, and four burial rules that decide the case.LibyaNo office in Texas, no Libyan mission domain that resolves, and no apostille route.SyriaNo office in Texas, no mission domain that resolves, and an American embassy answering from two other countries.IranAn interests section here, a virtual embassy there, and nothing published about a death on either side.

The country guides explain what to verify. Confirm current requirements and transport feasibility for the individual case before committing to arrangements.

Keep one document file, with clear responsibilities

The death certificate records the death; a transit permit addresses movement of the remains. An apostille authenticates a public document for an applicable international use. None of these automatically substitutes for the others. A consulate or receiving authority may have additional instructions.

Record who obtains each document, the name that must appear on it, whether an original or certified copy is needed and whether translation or authentication is required. Share those requirements with the receiving funeral home before booking. Our document guide separates these steps and the offices involved.

Understand the quote before making decisions

These individual lines appear in our General Price List, effective July 21, 2026. They are not an all-inclusive international quote. Not every line applies to every arrangement, and some choices are alternatives.

Published GPL lines related to shipping
GPL itemPublished priceHow to read it
Forwarding remains to another funeral home$3,150The GPL service line; ask which services are included in your written arrangement.
Receiving remains from another funeral home$2,750A receiving service, not an additional automatic charge for every outbound case.
Overseas shipping container$600Confirm the container the selected carrier and destination accept.
Air tray or combination unit$300Do not assume this is interchangeable with every overseas container.
Legal paperwork: translations, consular fees, apostilles$500Confirm the documents and fees covered for your case.

The GPL states that basic professional services are included in forwarding and receiving remains. Do not add that basic-services fee again when comparing a quote. Ask for a written breakdown of airline freight, the receiving funeral home and any other excluded charges.

Read the cost guide for a practical comparison of funeral-home charges, third-party charges and services at the destination. Request the total in writing, including what remains unconfirmed.

Cremated remains follow a different travel process

Airline rules for a passenger carrying ashes differ from cargo arrangements for a body. Check security screening, container requirements, airline policies and destination documentation before buying a ticket. A cremation certificate does not by itself establish permission to enter every country.

For related reading, see our guide to returning asthi to India and Spanish guide to ashes traveling to Mexico. Confirm current instructions for the specific journey.

Make room for family and faith

Tell the funeral director about the family’s wishes for viewing, prayer, preparation, burial or cremation before transport choices are finalized. Explain any religious timing concerns. A preference should be communicated early, while the actual timing still depends on release, documentation and carrier acceptance.

Choose one family contact for updates and share the receiving funeral home’s name, address and telephone number. Keep a written record of decisions so relatives on both sides of the journey receive the same information.

Questions families ask

How long does repatriation take?

There is no reliable universal timetable. Release of the remains, official documents, destination requirements and carrier acceptance can each affect the date. Ask which steps are confirmed and which are still pending.

Can you confirm service to my country?

Request a case review with the destination city and current location. Availability must be confirmed for the particular route and circumstances before service is promised.

Does the forwarding price include everything abroad?

Do not assume it does. Ask for a written quote separating the funeral home’s services, carrier charges, destination services and any exclusions.

Should I buy my own travel ticket now?

Coordinate with the funeral director and receiving funeral home before committing to travel tied to the shipment. A passenger booking does not confirm cargo acceptance.

When a loved one needs to return to the United States

For the death of a U.S. citizen abroad, the Department of State distinguishes a Consular Report of Death Abroad, used as evidence of death, from the consular mortuary certificate used for transport. The embassy can help coordinate with local authorities; it does not pay the return costs. Local export rules still apply.

Tell us the country where the remains are held and the intended receiving city. Ask the sending funeral home and U.S. receiving provider to agree who obtains the transport documents, confirms arrival arrangements and advises relatives of changes. Use the document guide for the separate U.S. entry checks. Do not treat an outbound country checklist as an inbound clearance.

Sources and document dates

Government and carrier rules can change. Confirm the applicable instructions for the specific shipment. Public sources checked September 20, 2026. The dates displayed by the sources are identified where relevant.

The Vargas–London team.
The Vargas–London team.

You can start with a conversation.

Tell us the destination and where your loved one is now.

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