After a loved one has been cremated, you may find yourself needing to travel with the ashes, either to bring them home, or to take them to a meaningful place to be scattered. Thankfully, there are no legislative restrictions or requirements for travelling with human ashes in Australia, or for taking them overseas.
If you intend to bring human remains or ashes into or out of Australia, it may be helpful to contact a funeral director or a customs broker to assist you with the process. Funeral directors and customs brokers can be located through local telephone directories or via an internet search.
Cremated remains are permitted to be mailed to an international address when the designating country does not prohibit the contents and when Priority Mail Express International service is available to that country.
The cost to ship cremated remains internationally will be about $300, while the cost to ship a person's body can be $10,000-$20,000, says International Insurance. It's important to note that all costs are the responsibility of the family.
Postage of human ashes into and out of Australia
While there are no restrictions on the postage of human ashes from a Department of Health perspective, many shipping companies' internal policies will not allow the postage of human ashes.
Ashes can be taken on the plane in your carry-on luggage. They will be x-rayed, and should be kept in a suitable non-metal container (see below) You may need to declare the ashes at Customs with the paperwork above. It's best to arrive at the airport early to allow time for security checks.
“When you travel with cremated remains, they'll be treated as carry-on baggage. No special documentation is needed if you're traveling domestically, but please contact a local consulate or burial advisor if you're traveling internationally since the rules vary.”
For a shipment some airlines do require the certain documentation. The death certificate and cremation permit will be required and further export and embassy paperwork may be required for an international shipment of cremated remains.
Shipping remains domestically
The U.S. Postal Service ships cremated remains within the United States, and they must be sent via Priority Mail Express. UPS, FedEx and DHL currently do not handle the transport of cremated remains.
The United States Postal Service offers the only legal method of shipping cremated remains domestically or internationally. Their most recent guidelines were issued September, 2019. The United States Postal Service® (USPS) is the only shipping company that ships Cremated Remains.
The USPS prices tend to vary between $100-$300 depending on where they cremated remains need to be shipped to.
All of the major airlines allow you to bring cremated remains onto a flight. Delta, American Airlines, United, Spirit, Frontier, and Southwest allow travelers to carry on or check remains, though some are more stringent. For example: Southwest permits remain carry-on only and do not allow you to check your remains.
Well, the answer is yes. There are no legislative requirements in relation to taking cremated remains across Australia or overseas. Cremated remains can be stored either in your carry-on or check-in luggage.
UK & International – Allowed in the mail, see restrictions and packaging guidelines below: Volume per item must not exceed 50g. Ashes must be placed in a sift-proof container and securely closed. Items must be tightly packed in strong outer packaging and must be secured or cushioned to prevent any damage.
If you want to transport the ashes abroad, you should obtain a special Overseas Certificate from the crematorium required for taking ashes abroad – formally called 'Certified Copy of an Entry of Cremation'. This shows all the details regarding the cremation and the entry number in the cremation register.
Yes, most airlines recommend travelling with the ashes in your hand luggage and using a non-metallic container so they can be X-Rayed. This will help to speed up the process of getting through customs and will also ensure that the ashes are not lost.
Travelers are allowed to travel with cremains in a checked bag, however it is recommended to do so in a carry-on bag to help protect the contents from the risks associated with checked baggage.
For domestic travel, the TSA allows you to bring cremated remains onto the plane either in your carry on or in your checked luggage. You should carry a copy of the death certificate and a copy of the Disposition Permit, which will be given to you when you receive the cremated remains from our office.
If you are concerned that the ashes will smell after the cremation, the answer is no. There is no odor emitted from ashes that have been properly cremated. Even over time, you shouldn't expect any particular smells to develop. If anything, certain cremation containers will simply emit a slight incense-like smell.
The first thing to know is that you can only use the USPS to ship cremated remains. Courier services like FedEx and UPS do not allow this. Therefore, you can use your powerful Stamps.com platform to ship cremated remains. The USPS allows for shipping cremated remains by Priority Mail Express service only.
Human ashes are like sand and they do not float. They will not dissolve in the water; instead, they will descend into the ocean until they hit the floor. Can we have a service or a mariner's farewell ceremony before we scatter ashes?
You can ship cremated remains via the USPS provided they are packaged in a strong and durable container and are sent domestically using the USPS Priority Mail Express service. When shipping internationally, cremated remains must be sent using the USPS Priority Mail Express International Service.
Keep the urn in your carry-on bag.
The TSA allows cremation urns to be checked or carried on if you're using a TSA-approved urn. There is no strict rule that says that you must carry the urn with you when traveling with cremated remains.
The actual ashes are thus useless as they will not contain DNA. It is the bones and teeth that could potentially hold some DNA viable for analysis. However, after the cremation, the bones and teeth left behind are turned into a find powder (a process known as pulverization).