How to Transport a Body Yourself: Laws, Permits and Steps

In most US states a family can move a loved one's body themselves, without hiring a funeral home. Nine states (Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey and New York) require a licensed funeral director for some or all of it. Wherever you live, you will usually need the death certificate and, in many states, a burial-transit permit before the body is moved.

Is it legal to transport a body yourself?

Usually, yes. The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) says that in most states a family, community or religious group can handle a death without a funeral director. That includes preparing the body, getting the paperwork, holding a vigil and taking the body to the burial site.

The FCA lists nine states that require a funeral director. What they cover differs:

Laws and local practice change, so confirm with your state's funeral board or vital records office before you plan to drive. Our home funeral laws by state and home funeral FAQ go further.

If you live in one of the nine states, you can still do much of the rest yourself. Many families hire a funeral director for the paperwork and the removal only, then keep the vigil and care at home. The FCA notes a funeral director can do just specific tasks without running the whole service.

What paperwork do you need to move a body?

The paperwork is the part that most often goes wrong, so start with it. The core documents are:

1. Pronouncement and medical certification. A doctor, hospice nurse, medical examiner or coroner confirms the death. A doctor or medical examiner certifies the cause of death.
2. Death certificate. It is filed with the state or local registrar. The FCA says it is filed within days after a medical professional signs it. In states that allow family filing, a family member can often handle this step.
3. Burial-transit or disposition permit. Many states require this before a body is moved, buried or cremated. The FCA says it is typically obtained when the death certificate is filed.
4. Cremation authorization. If cremation is planned, the next of kin signs an authorization form, and the crematory will have its own steps.

Florida shows how a permit works. Its statute says the permit comes from the local registrar, is needed before final disposition, and must be obtained within 5 days of death. When a body leaves Florida, the permit has to accompany it, and the statute also has a funeral director accompany the body to its destination. Other states use different names and rules, and in a few the permit can only go to a funeral director.

Who releases the body?

A hospital, hospice or care home releases the body to the person with legal authority, usually the next of kin or a funeral home they choose. If the death is under investigation, the coroner or medical examiner must release the body first. See coroner vs medical examiner.

Some facilities are used to releasing only to funeral homes. Call ahead, tell them you plan to transport the body yourself and ask what they need from you, such as a signed release and a copy of the certificate. If you hit resistance, ask for the patient advocate or the supervisor.

If the person died at home, see what to do when someone dies at home for the calls to make in the first hours.

What vehicle and container do you need?

You do not need a hearse. The FCA says the body usually has to be moved in a closed vehicle large enough for a coffin-sized box or for the body lying flat. A minivan, station wagon or van with the seats folded down is the common choice. See funeral without a hearse for more.

The right container depends on where the body is going:

• Cremation. A crematory needs a rigid, combustible container, and the Cremation Association of North America says metal caskets cannot be cremated. The FCA says funeral homes must offer simple alternative containers, and you can make or buy your own.
• Cemetery burial. Many cemeteries require a casket or other container, so ask yours. Green burial sites typically accept a shroud or a simple biodegradable box, according to the FCA. A cardboard or fiberboard container is much cheaper than a casket. See cardboard caskets and casket building DIY.
• Green burial or home burial. Follow the cemetery's or your county's rules, and see natural burial grounds.

A funeral home must accept a suitable casket you bought elsewhere and cannot charge you a fee for using it, according to the FCA and the FTC Funeral Rule.

Lifting is the hard part. The FCA recommends using several helpers and a rigid container or board for a shrouded body. Plan for several able people and a stretcher, slider board or backboard, and rehearse the path from the bed to the vehicle.

Does the body need cooling or embalming?

For a short trip straight to the cemetery or crematory, you may need no more than a cool vehicle. The Home Funeral Alliance says air conditioning or cold air may be enough for under 24 hours, and the FCA lists open windows, air conditioning, dry ice and Techni-ice (polymer refrigerant packs) for keeping a body cool at home for up to three days.

Embalming is rarely required by law. The FCA says no state requires it when burial or cremation takes place within two days, and refrigeration works in most states. Our embalming required by law guide lists the exceptions. For care before the trip, see keeping the body at home and cooling the body at home.

Is it safe to handle a body?

For most deaths, yes. The Home Funeral Alliance says a dead person is no more dangerous than they were alive, and that the standard precautions you would use when caring for someone, including gloves and hand washing, are enough. A few conditions need more care, including tuberculosis, COVID-19, hepatitis B and C, HIV and Ebola. If the person had one of these, ask the doctor or hospice team before you proceed.

Can you move a body across state lines or by air?

By road, usually yes. You need the death certificate and the permit, and you should check the rules of both states. The FCA says only Alabama, Arkansas and New Jersey require embalming when a body crosses state lines, and notes an exception when the family is transporting the body.

By air, no. Airlines accept human remains from an authorized funeral home or medical institution, not from a family. Alaska Air Cargo says so, and it requires a leak-proof inner container and an outer shipping container. If the body has to go by air, a funeral home does the shipping. Our transporting a body across states guide explains the two-funeral-home system and its costs.

How much does it cost, and when is a funeral home worth it?

Doing it yourself costs vehicle fuel or rental, a container, cooling supplies, certified death certificates and permit fees. The FCA says renting a van can cost far less than airfare for a long trip. By comparison, it puts a funeral home's forwarding package for sending a body to another funeral home at roughly $1,000 to $3,000 or more, though the page does not date that range, so treat it as a rough guide.

You do not have to choose all or nothing. Under the FTC Funeral Rule you can buy only the services you want and must be given a General Price List. A funeral home can handle the removal and permits while you do the rest. See the FTC Funeral Rule for what to ask, and use the funeral cost calculator to compare.

What to do next

1. Check your state's rules with its funeral board or vital records office, and find out whether a funeral director is required.
2. Decide on burial or cremation first. It sets the container, the permits and who you will hand the body to.
3. Line up helpers, a suitable vehicle and a rigid container, and plan the route and where you will park.
4. Ask the facility what it needs to release the body, and keep the death certificate and permit with you in the vehicle.