Reviewed by Carlos Vargas, Texas Licensed Funeral Director (TFSC #119648) ·
Start with the Peruvian consulate in Dallas
Families in North Texas do not need to deal with Houston or Washington. The Consulate General of Peru in Dallas states that its jurisdiction covers northern Texas and the states of Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. It gives its address as 13601 Preston Rd., Suite E-650, Dallas, in the Carillon Towers, with public hours Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and a main telephone of (972) 234-0005.
The consulate lists a separate emergency number and says plainly that it gives no general or procedural information on that line. Use the main number or the published email for questions about a transfer, and confirm before visiting whether the document you need requires an appointment.
The four documents Peru asks for
The consulate publishes requirements for bringing a person or ashes into Peru. For a person who will travel in a casket it lists a death certificate, either the consular record or the certificate from the place of death, apostilled; an autopsy certificate when the death was violent; an embalming certificate; and a certificate that no contagious disease was present. The last three may be apostilled or legalized by the consular office.
Notice that the list includes an embalming certificate. If your family has reasons to avoid embalming, raise that with the consulate before any preparation begins, and ask for its answer in writing. The guide to faith and family preferences explains how to have that conversation.
Apostille, not a chain of stamps
The HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention shows that Peru acceded on January 13, 2010 and that the Convention entered into force for Peru on September 30, 2010. A Texas death certificate is apostilled by the state that issued it; the Texas Secretary of State authentication FAQ explains how to request one. Ask the funeral director how many certified copies to order so that one can be sent for the apostille while others are used here.
What the airport health office adds
The same consular page passes on two requests from the International Air Health office (Sanidad Aérea Internacional) at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima. Documents in another language must come with an unofficial Spanish translation. The office also considers it essential to have a medical document, apostilled or legalized, that states the causes of death, whenever the four documents above do not already say so.
Texas death certificates normally show a cause of death, but a certificate filed as pending investigation does not. If a medical examiner is involved, tell the consulate and ask what it will accept.
Name the person who will receive your relative in Lima
The consulate asks for a copy of the air waybill, because that document carries the full name and mobile number of the person responsible for collecting the remains in Peru. According to the consular page, that person makes the payments due on arrival: to the airline for handling, to Sanidad Aérea Internacional, and to Talma Servicios Aeroportuarios or Servicios Aeroportuarios Andinos (SAASA), whichever applies. The page gives no amounts, so ask the receiving funeral home in Peru what to expect.
| Step | Who to ask |
|---|---|
| Apostille on the Texas death certificate | Texas Secretary of State, through the funeral director |
| Legalization of the embalming and no-contagious-disease certificates | Consulate General of Peru in Dallas |
| Spanish translation and cause-of-death document | Consulate, relaying the Lima airport health office |
| Acceptance of the casket and the route | The airline’s cargo office |
| Collection and payments at Jorge Chávez | The named receiver and the funeral home in Peru |
If the family chooses cremation
The document list is shorter for ashes. The consulate’s page asks for the death certificate, apostilled, and a cremation certificate, apostilled or legalized by the consular office. It adds that the urn may travel as carry-on baggage with those documents in hand, and recommends a simple translation when they are not in Spanish. The airline and airport security have their own rules for urns; see shipping cremated remains.
Help for families in extreme need
The consular page says that for the repatriation of remains of people in a state of indigence and extreme need, the family should contact the consular office or the Foreign Ministry’s Dirección de Protección y Asistencia al Nacional and present documents proving that situation. It states that the subsidy depends on budget availability and on it being impossible to use any other source of humanitarian assistance. That is a request the ministry decides, not an entitlement. The insurance and assistance guide lists other places to ask.
Registering the death with RENIEC
Peru’s government portal explains how a death is recorded with RENIEC: when a person dies abroad, relatives register the death at the Peruvian consulate using the death certificate issued in the country where it happened. The consulate’s sealed record can then be used to update the person’s national identity document. This registration is separate from permission to transport, but relatives will need it later for bank, pension and property matters in Peru.
Routes between Dallas and Lima
We found no current official page that confirms which airline will carry a casket from DFW to Lima on a given day, so treat routing as a question for the funeral director. LATAM Cargo publishes a Human Remains service that promises priority handling and directs customers to its local sales office. American Airlines announced daily DFW–Lima service in April 2013; that release is evidence the route has existed, not that it operates today. Ask which carrier and which airports will be used before relatives buy tickets.
Questions families ask about a return to Peru
- Which Peruvian consulate serves Dallas?
- The Consulate General of Peru in Dallas. It states that its jurisdiction covers northern Texas, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
- Does Peru accept an apostille on a Texas death certificate?
- Yes. The Apostille Convention has been in force for Peru since September 30, 2010, and the consulate’s list asks for the death certificate apostilled.
- Can a relative carry ashes to Peru on the plane?
- The consulate says the urn may travel as carry-on baggage with the apostilled death certificate and the cremation certificate. Check the airline’s own rules as well.
Sources checked and case confirmation
Sources checked September 21, 2026. The consulate may change its list without notice, and the 2013 airline release is dated. Confirm documents, route and receiving arrangements for the individual case. Contact Vargas–London with the origin and destination to discuss the next step without sending medical or identity documents through the inquiry form.
