Shipping human remains abroad. Documents and transport, with discretion.
We arrange the international transport of human remains and cremation urns for families and funeral directors: booking the flight or vehicle, checking the documents and handling departure formalities, at a time when everything must run smoothly.
Answers to the most common questions.
What is a mortuary passport?
The mortuary passport is the document authorising human remains to leave Italy and cross borders. It is required by the Italian mortuary police regulation and is issued by the competent Italian authority of the place of death.
Who takes care of the documents for transport abroad?
The funeral director handles the documents issued by the municipality and the health authority. We check that they are complete with respect to what the airline and the country of arrival require, and follow the departure formalities.
Do the remains travel on the same flight as the family?
Not always. The coffin travels as a cargo shipment and not all flights accept it. Where possible we choose the same connection as the family; otherwise we indicate the closest flight.
Can I carry a cremation urn with me on the plane?
It depends on the airline and the country of arrival. In any case a transport authorisation, the cremation certificate and a sealed urn are needed. We tell you the carrier's rules and the documents required at destination.
Do you also work directly with funeral directors?
Yes, we arrange the international transport of human remains and ashes both for families and for funeral directors, who entrust us with booking the flight and the formalities at the airport.
How is the transport of human remains abroad organised?
A task that calls for precision
When someone dies far from the country where they wished to rest, the family has to face unfamiliar rules in days that are already hard. The international transport of human remains is a shipment in every respect, with its own documents, authorisations and checks. Dalè, a freight forwarding house in Brescia since 1956 and an IATA cargo agent, handles it with the respect the situation calls for: few questions, only the necessary ones, and a single contact from start to finish.
Who does what: funeral director and freight forwarder
The funeral director takes care of preparing the remains, the coffin and dealings with the municipality and the health authority. The freight forwarder organises the journey: it chooses the connection, books the space, checks that the documents match what the airline and the country of arrival require and follows the formalities at the airport. We work alongside the funeral director chosen by the family, or directly with funeral firms that entrust their transports to us.
The mortuary passport
To leave Italy, human remains must be accompanied by a mortuary passport, as required by the Italian mortuary police regulation, Presidential Decree 285 of 1990. For countries party to the 1937 Berlin Convention the document is issued by the competent Italian authority of the place of death. For other countries the clearance of the consulate of the destination state is also needed. Before booking we check which of the two routes applies and which additional papers the country requires.
The coffin for international transport
The rules require a coffin suited to the journey: as a rule a hermetically sealed metal coffin enclosed in a wooden coffin of adequate thickness, with the characteristics laid down by the regulation and the international conventions. For air transport the coffin is also protected by outer packing that does not reveal its contents. Preparation is the funeral director's task; we give dimensions and weight to the airline and check the carrier's requirements.
Air transport
Over long distances the remains travel by air, in the hold, as a cargo shipment: as IATA agents we book the space on the flight and issue the air waybill. Not all flights or aircraft accept coffins, and some airlines set conditions of their own. We therefore choose the connection with as few stops as possible to the airport nearest the place of burial, and notify whoever will receive the coffin on arrival.
Road transport in Europe
To European countries that can be reached overland, transport can take place in an authorised hearse, which accompanies the coffin to the place of the ceremony or burial. Here too the mortuary passport is required, along with compliance with the rules of the countries crossed. We consider with the family and the funeral director which solution is most suitable, taking into account the distance and where the funeral will be held.
Cremation urns
Transporting ashes is simpler than transporting a coffin, but it is not unrestricted. A transport authorisation, the cremation certificate and a sealed urn are needed, and each country has its own rules on the entry and final placement of ashes. The urn can travel as an air shipment or, when the airline allows it, with a family member. We tell you which documents the country of arrival requires and the most suitable solution.
What we need to begin
We need the place where the remains are, the country and city of destination, the details of whoever will receive them on arrival, a family member or a funeral director, and the name of the firm handling matters in Italy, if one has already been chosen. With this information we check the documents and the connections available and give you a clear picture of what will happen. You can call or write to us Monday to Friday, from 8:00 to 19:30.
