Reviewed by Carlos Vargas, Texas Licensed Funeral Director (TFSC #119648) ·
Texas falls under the consulate in Miami
Trinidad and Tobago has no consulate in Texas. The foreign ministry’s page for the Consulate General in Miami says it exercises consular jurisdiction in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. It gives the address as 1000 Brickell Avenue, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131, the telephone 1-305-374-2199 and the email consulatemiami@foreign.gov.tt. Unlike some neighbors, Trinidad and Tobago gives its mission a real task in every return: it certifies the documents and starts the approval in Port of Spain.
Documents the funeral home sends to the mission
The Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs publishes a Handbook on the Repatriation of Human Remains, dated 2026. For a national who died abroad, it says the family contacts a funeral home where the death took place, and that funeral home submits these originals to the nearest accredited mission: a letter from the competent authority at the place of death stating the authenticity of the documents produced for the transportation; the certificate of death, apostilled or authenticated by the country of origin; a letter of non-contagious diseases issued by the coroner, doctor or hospital; the permit to dispose of or transport human remains; the embalming certificate; the Trinidad and Tobago passport of the person who died, and an expired passport is accepted; and the applicable fee, for which it refers to the processing mission.
A note adds that, in particular cases, notarized copies may be accepted when documents are sent by international courier, and tells families to check with the mission. The handbook invites the family or the funeral home to contact the mission for advice before sending anything. Ask Miami what it accepts as the letter from the competent authority for a death in Texas, and what it charges; the handbook leaves both to the mission.
Approvals happen in Port of Spain, and they come first
The handbook describes what happens next. The mission certifies the documents, stamps and signs a copy of each, and emails the copies to the Consular Affairs Division of the ministry, consular@gov.tt, telephone (1868) 623-6894, and to the funeral home in Trinidad and Tobago that the family selected. The approval of the Ministry of Homeland Security and the Ministry of Health is required, and the foreign ministry obtains both on behalf of the family; funeral homes are not required to visit those ministries.
Once approval is granted, the ministry issues a letter to the Customs and Excise Division authorizing the import. The local funeral home collects the original at the ministry, #2 Prada Street, St. Clair, Port of Spain, and takes it to Customs, which provides a document indicating no objection. The handbook warns funeral homes and families to refrain from making confirmed flight arrangements in the absence of approvals, and says most airlines will require them.
Ashes, accompanied or unaccompanied
For cremated remains the handbook lists the death certificate, the certificate of cremation, the funeral director’s statement of death, a letter from the funeral home confirming the urn contains only the ashes of the person, the bio data page of the cancelled Trinidad and Tobago passport, a proposed flight itinerary and the applicable fee. A relative carrying the urn adds the bio data page of their own passport; an unaccompanied urn needs the name and contact details of the receiving funeral home instead. The mission certifies the documents. A traveller must declare the urn to Customs on arrival and carries a copy of the ministry’s letter. For an unaccompanied urn, the handbook advises waiting for approval before booking.
When the person was not a national
The handbook applies the same steps to a person who was not a national, with two additions. The person must have ties to Trinidad and Tobago, and a relative writes to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Homeland Security giving the name, the nationality at death, the relationship and the reason for burial there. Approval must be granted before travel arrangements are made. Where nationality cannot be verified, the handbook says the application is treated as one for a non-national.
Apostille
The HCCH status table shows that Trinidad and Tobago acceded to the Apostille Convention on October 28, 1999 and that it entered into force on July 14, 2000. The handbook asks for the death certificate to be apostilled or authenticated and says it is in the family’s best interest to have all documents apostilled. For a death in Dallas, the apostille is issued by the state; see the Texas Secretary of State authentication FAQ. Texas documents are already in English, so the handbook’s translation rule does not apply.
What consular officers say they cannot pay
The ministry’s page on a death overseas lists what consular officers cannot do: pay for the repatriation of the remains, pay for family members in Trinidad and Tobago to travel, file for insurance on the family’s behalf, or pay for cremation or burial where the death occurred. The insurance and assistance guide lists other places to ask.
From DFW to Port of Spain
American Airlines publishes a route page from Dallas/Fort Worth to Port of Spain (POS), Piarco International Airport, that describes nonstop or connecting service, so ask which applies on the proposed date. American Airlines Cargo’s TLC page says its specialists work directly with funeral homes and mortuaries on the advance arrangements. For a burial in Tobago, settle the onward leg with the receiving funeral home first. Book only after Port of Spain has approved.
| Step | Who to ask |
|---|---|
| Originals, embalming certificate and Texas transit permit | The funeral director here |
| Apostille on the death certificate | Texas Secretary of State |
| Certifying the documents; the fee | Consulate General in Miami |
| Homeland Security and Health approvals | The foreign ministry in Port of Spain, through the mission |
| Customs no-objection document | The receiving funeral home in Trinidad and Tobago |
| Acceptance of the casket and the flight | The airline’s cargo desk, after approvals |
Questions families ask about a return to Trinidad and Tobago
- Which Trinidad and Tobago mission covers Dallas?
- The Consulate General in Miami. The foreign ministry’s page lists Texas in its consular jurisdiction.
- Can we book the flight first?
- The ministry’s handbook tells families and funeral homes not to make confirmed flight arrangements without approvals, and says most airlines will require them.
- Will the government pay for the transfer?
- No. The ministry states that consular officers cannot pay for the repatriation of remains.
Sources checked and case confirmation
Sources checked September 21, 2026. The handbook leaves the fee and some details to the processing mission, and we found no Ministry of Health page of its own. Confirm documents, fees, 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.
