Reviewed by Carlos Vargas, Texas Licensed Funeral Director (TFSC #119648) ·
Why this is a short list and not a directory
A directory would be easy to write and wrong. We could list every mosque, synagogue, temple and church in North Texas, and most of that list would be of no use to a family at four in the morning, because most institutions publish nothing about death, burial or transport and have not asked to be listed anywhere. So this page does something narrower and more honest. It names the bodies that have published guidance a family can actually read, quotes what each one says, and then tells you plainly what we looked for and could not find. None of the organisations named here has any connection with Vargas–London.
What the national bodies publish
Three national organisations publish guidance that bears directly on a journey abroad. The National Association of Chevra Kadisha, the American association of Jewish burial societies, states that Jewish law therefore requires burial take place as soon as possible. That single sentence is what turns a repatriation into a race, because a flight to a distant country rarely leaves the same day.
The Orthodox Church in America answers the cremation question directly on its own questions page: according to Byzantine Canon Law, cremation is not permitted. It gives the reason as well, that cremation in every instance denies the value of the human body and of material creation in general, and so is to be avoided as an option. For a family weighing cremation because ashes travel more easily and cost far less, that is a decision to take with a priest and not with a price list.
A question a Muslim family may want to ask first
The Fiqh Council of North America, a national Islamic scholarly body, publishes an answer to whether a body may be moved before burial. It states that the majority of Muslim jurists prohibit the transportation of a corpse from the place of its death to another for burial purposes, and that the preferred course is burial as close to their place of death as possible.
We raise it because a family that has already paid for a flight is in a worse position to consider it than a family asked on the first day. This is one national body’s published position. It is not a rule any government applies, and it is not for a funeral home to interpret. If it matters to your family, put the question to your own imam before anything is arranged, and tell us the answer; we will plan around whichever way it goes, here or abroad.
Two congregations in Dallas–Fort Worth that publish their own guidance
Congregation Beth Torah in Richardson publishes a page on death and burial that tells families exactly what to say to a funeral home: that traditional Jewish funeral and burial practices are to be observed and the deceased is not to be embalmed. It adds that the funeral should take place as soon as possible after the death, preferably within 24 hours, and that routine autopsies are not permitted because they violate the principal of Kevod Hamet, the honour due to the dead.
The Islamic Center of Frisco, through its Rahma Funeral Services page, publishes its own timing: a person who died before 8 AM can typically be buried on the same day, and if the death occurred after that time, the arrangements will be typically made for the following day. It also states that the body should be covered and must always remain covered, preferably with a white sheet of cloth. Both pages are worth reading before the first telephone call, whether or not your family belongs to either congregation.
Where a religious timetable meets the paperwork
Two official rules decide whether a religious timetable is achievable. The first is the destination. The Texas Department of State Health Services death registration handbook tells the funeral director, for any country other than Mexico, to check with the consulate of that country. That consular answer, not the family’s wishes and not the funeral home’s schedule, is what sets the real earliest date; several countries will not let a body enter without a permit obtained in advance.
The second is embalming, and here the law is on the family’s side. The Federal Trade Commission’s compliance guidance for funeral providers states that you cannot tell consumers that state or local law requires embalming if that is not true. If anyone tells you embalming is required, ask whether that is Texas law, the airline’s condition, or the destination country’s rule, and ask which. Our guide to faith and family preferences covers the Texas side in full, including the 48-hour certificate for religious purposes.
What we looked for and could not find
We found no Hindu or Sikh organisation, national or in Dallas–Fort Worth, publishing written guidance on death, preparation or transport that we could cite. That is a gap in what is published, not a statement that these communities have no practice, and we would rather say so than fill the space with something invented. Most other institutions we checked in North Texas either publish nothing on the subject or refer families straight to a funeral home.
If your community publishes guidance and you would like it listed here, send us the link and we will read it and add it. Until then, treat the table below as a list of what is readable today.
| Body | What it publishes |
|---|---|
| Fiqh Council of North America | Position on moving a body |
| NASCK | Burial as soon as possible |
| Orthodox Church in America | Cremation not permitted |
| Beth Torah, Richardson | No embalming; 24 hours |
| Islamic Center of Frisco | Timing of the burial |
| Hindu and Sikh bodies | Nothing published found |
Questions families ask about faith and a journey abroad
- My faith requires burial within a day. Is a flight abroad possible?
- Sometimes, and the destination decides. The Texas health department tells funeral directors to check with the destination consulate, and several countries require a permit obtained before the body travels. Ask on the first day, because the consular answer sets the earliest honest date.
- Can a funeral home insist on embalming?
- It cannot tell you that the law requires it when that is untrue; the FTC's compliance guidance says so in those terms. It can tell you that a particular airline or a particular destination country requires it, which is a different statement. Ask which of the three it is.
- Why are only a few organisations listed?
- Because only a few publish anything we could read and quote. We do not list an institution that has published nothing, and we found no Hindu or Sikh source that met that bar.
Sources checked and case confirmation
Sources checked September 21, 2026. Every quotation above was re-read on the organisation’s own live page before publication. Religious guidance is a matter for your own community and its authorities, not for a funeral home, and nothing here is a ruling. Rules at the destination change, so confirm the individual case. Contact Vargas–London with what your family needs and where your relative is going, without sending medical or identity documents through the inquiry form.
