Transporting a Body Across States: Permits, Steps and Costs

Moving a body from one state to another is normally handled by two funeral homes. The home where the person died (or nearest to it) is the sending home, which does the removal, paperwork and shipping. The home near the burial place is the receiving home, which collects the body and carries out the service. Each charges its own fees, and the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) puts the typical range at $1,000 to $3,000 or more to send and about $500 to $3,000 or more to receive.

How does interstate body transport work?

The steps are usually the same, whether the person died on vacation or in a hospital two states away.

1. The body is released. A hospital, hospice or care home releases the body to the funeral home you choose. If the death is under coroner or medical examiner investigation, release can wait until that office finishes. See coroner vs medical examiner.
2. The death is registered. The funeral home files the death certificate with the state where the death happened. In Florida, for example, the certificate must be filed and satisfactory before a burial-transit permit is issued.
3. A permit is issued. This is often called a burial-transit, removal or disposition permit. In Florida it comes from the local registrar or health department and must be obtained before final disposition, within 5 days after death. When a body leaves Florida, the permit travels with it. Other states use different names and rules, and the funeral home handles this for you.
4. The body is prepared and packed. The sending home may embalm it (see below) and place it in a shipping container or casket.
5. It travels. By air cargo, by a funeral home van or by a dedicated ground transport service.
6. The receiving home takes over. It meets the body at the airport or the van, then holds it until the viewing, funeral or burial.

Expect it to take several days from release to arrival. The exact time depends on permits, flight schedules and any investigation, so ask the sending home for an estimate before you fix a service date. Our timeline of what happens next shows how the other arrangements line up.

Which funeral home should I call first?

If the death happened far from home, it often makes sense to start with the funeral home near the burial place. It will be doing the receiving, and it can often recommend a sending home or a transport service it already works with.

You can also ask for prices from both ends before you commit. The FTC Funeral Rule gives you the right to get price information by phone, and every funeral home must give you a written General Price List when you visit. The list must show its charges for "forwarding of remains to another funeral home" and "receiving remains from another funeral home," plus a basic services fee that cannot be declined.

Air, ground or driving yourself?

Air cargo is the usual choice for long distances. The body travels in the cargo hold of a passenger or freight flight. Families cannot book it. Alaska Air Cargo, for example, says only a funeral home or medical institution authorized to ship human remains may arrange a shipment. It requires a leak-proof container inside an outer shipping container, and a death certificate signed by a physician or health care officer, or a burial removal or transit permit. Other airlines have their own rules, so the funeral home checks with the carrier.

Professional ground transport suits shorter trips and avoids airport handling. Funeral homes and specialist companies use vans or hearses.

Family transport is legal in most states, according to the FCA, which notes that renting a van can cost much less than airfare. But nine states require the use of a funeral director: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey and New York. In several of them that includes transporting the body and obtaining permits. Our guide on transporting a body yourself covers the practical side.

Does the body have to be embalmed?

Usually not by law. The FTC says no state law requires routine embalming for every death. But the FCA reports that only Alabama, Arkansas and New Jersey require embalming when a body crosses state lines, and that several other states require it when public transportation is used. Airlines and funeral homes may also want embalming or a sealed container, and a forwarding package often includes embalming.

If you object to embalming, for religious or personal reasons, say so when you first call. Ask whether refrigeration, a sealed container or ground transport can meet the rules of the states involved. Under the Funeral Rule, a funeral home may not charge for embalming unless state law requires it, you approved it, or (when it could not reach you) it made a good-faith attempt to get approval and explains why afterward.

How much does it cost to transport a body?

These figures come from the FCA's guide to a death away from home. The guide is undated and some of its examples are from 2020, so treat them as a rough guide and get current quotes.

These do not include the casket, the funeral service, cemetery charges or any flight costs billed separately. Ways to lower the total:

• Compare prices at both ends. Ask for each General Price List, and ask the receiving home about its casket options.
• Buy the casket near the burial place. A casket bought at the receiving end avoids shipping a heavy one. The FTC says a funeral home cannot refuse to handle a casket you bought elsewhere or charge you a fee to do it.
• Choose a simple casket. For affordability, the FCA suggests a 20-gauge "non-protective" steel casket or a cloth-covered wood or fiberboard one.
• Consider cremation before transport. See the next section.
• Check insurance. Some travel insurance policies and life or final expense policies may help with costs. Check the policy wording.

Is it cheaper to cremate and ship the ashes?

Usually, yes. The FCA lists cremating near the place of death and sending the cremated remains home as a way to save money. Many families do this when the cost of moving a body is too high, or when cremation was the person's wish anyway.

In the US, USPS only accepts cremated remains through Priority Mail Express. You must use a strong, sealed inner container and a USPS cremated remains kit, which is free at the Postal Store. TSA allows cremated remains in carry-on and checked bags, but some airlines do not allow them in checked bags. A container that shows up opaque on the X-ray will not be allowed through, and TSA will not open it. For the details, see shipping cremated remains and flying with cremated remains. For a cost comparison, see cremation vs burial costs.

What if the person died abroad?

A death outside the US involves consular paperwork and different import rules. Our guides to repatriation costs and what to do if someone dies while you are abroad cover those steps.

What to do next

1. Ask the hospital or care home which funeral home will collect the body, and confirm that the medical examiner has released it.
2. Call the funeral home near the burial place and ask for its price for receiving remains. Then ask it to recommend or coordinate a sending home, or call one yourself.
3. Ask both homes for their General Price Lists and what their packages include.
4. Do not set a service date until the receiving home confirms when the body will arrive.