Prices from our General Price List, effective 27 September 2026 · Page updated
What the $3,500 forwarding price includes
Forwarding remains to another funeral home is its own line on our General Price List, and the list says what it covers. Our basic professional services of funeral director and staff, $2,500 on the same page, are included in the forwarding price rather than added to it, so do not count them twice when you compare quotes.
- Removal of remainsWe bring your loved one into our care from the hospital, home, care facility or medical examiner.
- Basic services of staffOur licensed funeral director and staff guide every step, from the first call until the shipment is tendered.
- Any legal requirementsThe Texas death certificate filing and the Burial-Transit Permit that lets your loved one leave the state.
- EmbalmingThe preparation carriers and receiving funeral homes generally ask for when a body travels by air, by a licensed embalmer.
- Preparation room, bathing and handling of remainsCare of your loved one before the journey.
- Transportation to the airport or place of shipmentWithin a 50-mile radius of our office.
What is priced separately
These costs depend on the route, the carrier and the arrangements in the other state. Federal law gives you a written, itemized statement of everything you select, so you see each one before you commit.
- The carrier's shipping charge, by air cargo or by ground. It is set by the carrier and is not included in the forwarding price.
- The shipping container: an air tray or combination unit is $300 on our price list. The overseas shipping container ($600) is for international routes.
- A casket, if you buy one: our caskets page lists every model and price, the General Price List shows caskets from $1,200 to $8,000, and you may supply a casket bought elsewhere without a handling fee.
- Certified death certificates, a state fee passed through at cost: $21 for the first, $5 for each additional copy. Ask how many the offices at the destination will want.
- Handling of remains weighing 300 lbs or more, $450.
- The receiving funeral home, the cemetery, and any service or visitation at the destination, each billed by that provider.
- Any other item on our General Price List that you choose.
Who bills what on a move to another state
A transfer inside the United States has two ends and usually two sets of charges. The Funeral Rule requires every funeral home to publish a price for forwarding remains and a price for receiving remains, so you can ask for both lists before you agree to anything.
| Charge | Who sets it | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Forwarding remains to another funeral home | Vargas–London, General Price List | $3,500 |
| Air tray or combination unit | Vargas–London, General Price List | $300 |
| First certified death certificate, each additional copy | State fee, passed through at cost | $21, then $5 |
| Casket | Vargas–London or a seller of your choice | $1,200 – $8,000 on our list |
| Shipping charge | The carrier | Quoted in writing |
| Receiving remains, burial, service, cemetery | The receiving funeral home and the cemetery | Their price lists |
How forwarding works, step by step
Most of the work happens in Dallas before your loved one travels. We keep the family informed at each step.
- Call us at any hour. Tell us where your loved one is now and the city where the family is waiting. Our line is answered 24 hours a day: (214) 550-7369.
- Choose the receiving funeral home early. Give us its name, address and telephone number, and give it ours. When the two ends talk to each other, the transfer does not stall.
- We bring your loved one into our care. We handle the removal and release with the hospital, facility or medical examiner.
- We prepare the documents. We file the Texas death certificate, order the certified copies you ask for, and obtain the Burial-Transit Permit from the registrar.
- Embalming and casketing. Your loved one is prepared and placed in the casket or container, inside the air tray or combination unit the carrier requires.
- We book and tender the shipment. We arrange the space with the airline's cargo department, or a ground route for a nearby state, and tender the shipment.
- The receiving funeral home collects your loved one. It meets the flight or vehicle and carries out the burial or service the family has chosen.
No webpage can promise an arrival date. A medical examiner's release, a document correction or the carrier's acceptance can change the sequence. When you call, we tell you which step is still open.
What the receiving funeral home handles
The funeral home in the other state is the family's partner at the destination. It collects your loved one at the airline's cargo facility or from the vehicle, files what its own state requires, and carries out the burial, the service and the cemetery arrangements. It bills that work under its own receiving price, which the Funeral Rule requires it to list, plus whatever the family chooses there.
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Carrier, flight and air waybill number | So it can meet the shipment and clear it with the cargo desk. |
| Its name as consignee | The shipment is addressed to the receiving funeral home, not to a family member. |
| The Burial-Transit Permit and death certificate | The documents travel with your loved one; the receiving funeral home files whatever its own state requires. |
| Certified copies for its offices | Each office at the destination may want its own copy; ordering them in Texas now saves a second request later. |
If the direction is reversed and a loved one is coming to Dallas–Fort Worth, read our guide to receiving a loved one in DFW.
Documents for a move inside the United States
A move to another state needs no consulate and no apostille; those belong to international transfers. The Texas DSHS Death Registration Handbook, revised January 2026, explains that when a body is to be removed from the state, the funeral director obtains a Burial-Transit Permit from the registrar. We obtain it as part of the forwarding price. Airlines also publish their own conditions and typically ask that a death certificate signed by a physician or health officer, or a burial-transit permit, accompany the shipment; our guide to airlines, cargo desks and agents sets out what the carriers say.
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The receiving funeral home's name, address and phone | It becomes the consignee and books nothing until it has ours. |
| The cemetery or church at the destination | The receiving funeral home confirms its dates and requirements. |
| The exact spelling of every name | Names on the Texas death certificate should match the records in the other state. Tell us about any difference early. |
| How many certified copies you will need | $21 for the first, $5 for each additional copy, passed through at cost. |
Our step-by-step guide, taking a loved one home to another state, goes deeper into the permit, the airline's rules and the two funeral homes' roles.
Going to another country instead?
An international transfer adds the consulate, the apostille and the destination country's own rules, and the overseas shipping container ($600) replaces the air tray. Start with our repatriation of remains overview, which links a guide for each country. For Mexico, see the Mexico repatriation package, $3,850, which bundles the Dallas-side care and consular paperwork into one price.
Questions families ask
How much does it cost to ship a body to another state from Dallas?
Our price for forwarding remains to another funeral home is $3,500 on our General Price List, effective 27 September 2026. It excludes the carrier's shipping charge and the shipping container, and does not include visitation or ceremonies. The receiving funeral home and the cemetery charge separately.
How much does it cost to ship a body for burial, all told?
The journey has several bills: our $3,500 forwarding price, the carrier's shipping charge, the air tray or combination unit ($300), a casket if you buy one, certified death certificates ($21 for the first, $5 each after), and the receiving funeral home's and cemetery's own charges at the destination. We put our side in writing before anything is arranged; ask the receiving funeral home for its General Price List for the other side.
Does the $3,500 include the airline's charge?
No. The forwarding price excludes shipping charges and the shipping container. The carrier sets its charge by route and weight, and we quote it in writing once the destination and the receiving funeral home are known.
Can we book the flight ourselves?
In practice, no. A body travels as air cargo tendered by a funeral home or another authorized shipper. We book the space with the airline's cargo department, tender the shipment, and the receiving funeral home collects it at the destination.
Is embalming required to ship a body to another state?
Except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. Carriers and receiving funeral homes generally ask for it when a body travels by air, so embalming is included in our forwarding price. Do not add it again when you compare quotes.
Do we need a consulate or an apostille?
No. Those belong to international transfers. For a move inside the United States the key Texas document is the Burial-Transit Permit, which our funeral director obtains before your loved one leaves the state.
What does the receiving funeral home charge?
Every funeral home lists its own price for receiving remains from another funeral home on its General Price List, and that price covers its basic services. Ask the receiving funeral home for its list and for what it excludes, such as the cemetery, a service or certified copies. For the reverse direction, our own receiving price is $2,750.
Can your loved one travel by road instead of by air?
For a nearby state a funeral home may drive. That is a different arrangement from forwarding to the airport: our General Price List bills travel beyond a 50-mile radius at $2.00 per mile, per vehicle, and we put the figure in writing before anything is arranged.
What if we choose cremation here and burial in another state?
Cremated remains travel under different and simpler rules. Our direct cremation is $1,750, and our guide to shipping and traveling with cremated remains explains the options.
What if the burial is in another country?
Then the consulate, the apostille and the destination country's rules apply. Start with our repatriation overview, or see the Mexico repatriation package, $3,850.
Sources
- Vargas–London: General Price List, effective 27 September 2026
- Vargas–London: General Price List (PDF)
- Texas DSHS: Death Registration Handbook, January 2026
- FTC: the Funeral Rule
- Vargas–London: airlines, cargo desks and agents
You may choose only the items you desire. However, any funeral arrangements you select will include a charge for our basic services and overhead. Except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. Embalming may be necessary, however, if you select certain funeral arrangements, such as a funeral with viewing. Prices are subject to change; our complete General Price List is available at the funeral home and online.