Reviewed by Carlos Vargas, Texas Licensed Funeral Director (TFSC #119648) ·
Say what matters before the first decision is made
Families differ, even inside one tradition. Some need burial as soon as possible. Some want relatives or members of their community to wash and dress the person. Some cannot accept embalming, and some want a viewing before the journey. Nobody can guess these things from a name, a passport or a place of worship, and a careful funeral director will not try.
So say them, plainly and early, to the funeral director and to whoever will receive your relative abroad. Several choices made in the first day are hard to undo later. This guide sets out which parts are fixed by Texas rules, which depend on the destination country and the carrier, and which are simply yours to decide.
When time matters for religious reasons
Texas has a specific provision for this. The Texas DSHS Death Registration Handbook, January 2026 edition, explains that under Health and Safety Code 193.0025 a death certificate may be expedited within 48 hours for religious purposes. It applies only in counties that have a medical examiner’s office and whose commissioners court has passed a resolution adopting the process.
The handbook lists what the written request must state: that fast completion is necessary for religious purposes, that the person will be laid to rest in a foreign country, and that the person asking is authorized to obtain a death certificate. The request goes to the funeral home or other person required to file the certificate, who must provide an official certificate within 48 hours of receiving it, unless an inquest will be held.
Ask the funeral director whether the county where the death occurred has adopted this process. A fast certificate is one step. The consulate, the permit and the flight each keep their own schedule, which the timeline guide explains.
Embalming, washing and care of the body
Many families believe embalming is always required. The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule guidance says otherwise: no state law requires routine embalming for every death, and you have the right to make funeral arrangements without it. The same guidance notes that some states require embalming or refrigeration when burial or cremation does not take place within a certain time.
An international journey adds other decision makers. A destination country or an airline may set its own conditions for preparation and for the container. If your tradition discourages embalming, say so at the start and ask the funeral director to put the question to the consulate and the carrier in writing, including what alternatives they accept. Do not rely on what another family was told for another country.
If relatives or members of your community wish to wash, dress or shroud the person, ask the funeral home whether and where that can take place, who may be present, and how much time it needs. Ask the same of the receiving funeral home if the rites will happen after arrival.
If a medical examiner is involved
Some deaths must be investigated, and the family’s consent is not required. The Dallas County Medical Examiner FAQ says that when a family is known to object to an autopsy, such as for religious reasons, the office will try to comply with those wishes when feasible, and it provides an Objection to Autopsy form. That statement is Dallas County’s. In another county, ask that county’s medical examiner or justice of the peace.
Tell the investigator about the objection as soon as you are contacted, and tell the funeral director as well. An investigation can also change the timing above, because the expedited certificate is not available when an inquest will be conducted.
When relatives do not agree
Disagreements about rites are common, especially when relatives live in two countries. Texas law sets an order of people who have the right to control disposition, and a person can name an agent in advance using the state’s Appointment for Disposition of Remains form. The funeral director follows the person with that legal right, not the loudest voice in the room.
If your relative left written wishes, bring them. The repatriation wishes builder helps a living person record theirs. Written wishes guide the family; the appointment form is what gives an agent authority.
What to tell the funeral director
Use this list in the first conversation. None of it needs a label for your faith. It only needs what your family requires. The service time planner can help relatives in two countries agree on an hour.
| Preference | Who can answer |
|---|---|
| Burial or service needed quickly | Funeral director for the county process; consulate and carrier for their own timing |
| Washing, dressing or shrouding by family or community | The funeral home here and the receiving funeral home |
| No embalming, or the least possible | Funeral director, who asks the consulate and the carrier in writing |
| Viewing before departure or on arrival | Each funeral home, for its own premises |
| Someone accompanying the person on the journey | The carrier, and the funeral director who books the transport |
| Rites, prayers or a service at the destination | The receiving funeral home and your community there |
Questions families ask
- Is embalming required by law for a repatriation from Texas?
- No state law requires routine embalming for every death. A destination country or a carrier may set conditions for the journey, so ask the funeral director to confirm them in writing for your destination.
- Can a death certificate be issued faster for religious reasons?
- In some Texas counties, yes. Health and Safety Code 193.0025 allows a 48-hour expedited certificate when the person will be laid to rest abroad, in counties that adopted the process, unless an inquest is held.
- Do we have to name our religion?
- No. Tell the funeral director what your family needs, such as timing, washing, no embalming or a viewing. Those are the facts the arrangements depend on.
