Shipping Human Remains Out of State: Permits, Airlines and a Checklist

The family lives here, but the burial is in the town where the person grew up, six hundred miles away. Or the death happened while visiting, and the family wants their mother home. Either way, the body has to cross a state line, and three sets of rules apply: the state where the death occurred, the destination state, and the carrier. This guide sets out what each one asks of the funeral home, with the rules and prices as published in October 2026.

What paperwork does a body need to leave the state?

Usually a burial-transit or disposition permit, and a death certificate that has been filed. The CDC’s Funeral Director’s Handbook on Death Registration says that in most states the funeral director must secure explicit authorization before removing or disposing of a body. In states that require it, the authorization must be obtained before the body is removed from the state, and the death certificate is filed before removal. The form varies. Some states issue it through the local registrar, others over the certifier’s signature, and a few require one only in certain cases, such as removal from the state.

Your state decides which permit leaves with the body, and the destination decides what it accepts. Minnesota’s statute, for example, says a body that travels into or through the state must carry a permit issued under the laws of the state where the death occurred. Ask the receiving funeral home what its registrar, cemetery or crematory will want to see, and send copies ahead. If the certificate is waiting on a physician, see when the doctor has not signed the death certificate.

Does the body have to be embalmed to ship?

Not everywhere. The rule depends on the states and the carrier, and you have to satisfy all of them. Three state examples, read on October 18, 2026:

Airlines add their own container rules. Delta’s domestic tariff accepts the casket, or an approved performance-tested shipping container with a certification seal printed on top. Alaska Air Cargo asks for a tightly closed, leak-proof container inside an outer shipping container, with at least six handles if it weighs more than 400 pounds. Embalming also needs the family’s approval. The FTC says families do not have to pay for embalming they did not approve, so ask early, as in the first call intake checklist. Laws change, so check both states before you promise a date. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

How do you ship human remains by air?

Through an airline’s cargo service, booked by a funeral home the airline knows. The NFDA says funeral homes must register as a known shipper with each airline they use, and that an airline will not accept the body otherwise. Alaska Air Cargo tells families they must work with a funeral home or medical institution authorized to ship human remains. Register with the airlines at your nearest airports before a family needs you.

Neither page gives a drop-off cutoff. Ask the cargo office for the latest tender time at your airport and the pickup hours at the destination, and pass both to the receiving firm. Choose a direct flight where one exists. Every connection adds a transfer between aircraft that has to go right.

What does it cost to ship a body by air?

Airlines rarely publish rates. Delta Cargo does: its human remains rate sheet, effective October 1, 2021 and still published on its site on October 18, 2026, prices each shipment per piece, by weight and region. Between two of its four mainland regions, a shipment of 81 to 500 pounds is listed at $491 to $789, and one under 81 pounds at $252 to $328. The sheet says the rates include fuel and security surcharges but not the screening fee, other fees or taxes, and that they may change without notice.

Under the FTC Funeral Rule, 16 CFR 453.2, your General Price List must include forwarding of remains to another funeral home and receiving remains from another funeral home, each with a list of the services included in any quoted price. If you bill the airline charge as a cash advance item and add a markup, the FTC says you must tell the family the price is not the same as your cost. See general price list management and FTC Funeral Rule basics.

How do you ship cremated remains?

By mail, as air cargo, or in a family member’s bag. Each has its own rules.

• By mail. USPS Publication 139, dated January 2025, says cremated remains go by Priority Mail Express within the country, and by Priority Mail Express International where the destination country allows it. You must use the Priority Mail Express Cremated Remains box, which is free and ordered online from the Postal Store. The inner container must be sealed and sift-proof, with cushioning all around. Abroad, the inner container must be a funeral urn.
• Packing tips from USPS. Put a sheet inside the box with both addresses, and label the sealed bag around the urn "Cremated Remains", in case the outer label comes off.
• In a carry-on bag. TSA allows cremated remains in carry-on bags, with special instructions. It suggests a container of wood or plastic. If the container shows as opaque on the X-ray, it will not be allowed through, and officers will not open it, even if asked.
• In a checked bag. TSA allows it, but notes that some airlines do not. The family should check with the airline first.
• As air cargo. Alaska Air Cargo applies its human remains requirements to cremated remains shipped as cargo.

For postage, USPS Notice 123, effective October 4, 2026, lists retail Priority Mail Express at $40.25 for a 5-pound package in zone 1 and $107.80 in zone 8, and $59.30 to $155.55 for 10 pounds across the same zones. Weigh the packed box before you quote the family. Give the family the tracking number, ask the recipient to confirm delivery, and record the handoff in your custody file, as in the chain of custody guide.

How do you work with the receiving funeral home?

As a partner on one case. Most delays come from a gap between the two offices, not from the airline.

1. Confirm the receiving firm before you book: name, license, after-hours phone, and who will meet the flight.
2. Ask what its state, cemetery or crematory needs: permits, certified copies, cremation authorization, identification.
3. Agree who files what. The certificate is filed in the state where the death occurred, under that state’s rules.
4. Send the air waybill number, flights and arrival time as soon as the booking is confirmed.
5. Agree who tells the family what, so they hear one account.
6. Ask for confirmation in writing when the body arrives, with the time and the name of the person who collected it.
7. Settle billing: who pays the airline, and whether the receiving firm bills you or the family.

Write the plan on the case so the next person on shift can follow it. The staff handoff checklist covers what to pass on, and the family messaging workflow has wording for flight updates.

What changes when the body goes to or comes from another country?

Consular and customs steps are added, and they are beyond this guide. Three points to know. CDC says remains entering the United States for final disposition, other than cremated or embalmed remains, must come with a death certificate stating the cause of death, with an English translation if needed. Alaska Air Cargo does not accept human remains for shipment outside the United States. The NFDA lists documents to have ready when a destination country publishes no requirements, including a letter on funeral home letterhead stating that only human remains are in the casket.

What belongs on a shipping checklist?

Give each step a name and a due time, as in tracking tasks across open cases, and keep the paperwork with the case, as in audit-ready funeral documents.

In FuneralHQ, the custody portal records an outtake when the decedent leaves your care, with the time, the people, the destination and a signature, and the receiving funeral home can be kept in the partner list used for routing. Each follow-up can be set as a task on the case. See chain of custody.

Book a custody demo

Common questions about shipping human remains

Do you need a permit to move a body to another state?

In states that require one, yes. The CDC’s handbook says that where authorization is required, it must be obtained before the body is removed from the state, and that it accompanies the body to the place of final disposition. A few states require a form only in certain cases, such as removal from the state.

Can a body be shipped without embalming?

In some states and on some routes. Florida allows refrigeration at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below instead of embalming, and Mississippi allows refrigeration when the destination is more than 24 hours away. Minnesota requires embalming for public transportation. The airline’s rules apply as well, so confirm both before you book.

Can a family ship a body by air themselves?

Not on the airlines we checked. Alaska Air Cargo says customers must work with a funeral home or medical institution authorized to ship human remains, and the NFDA says airlines require a known shipper. Ask your state registrar what applies if a family wants to move a body by road.

How much does it cost to fly a body to another state?

The airline charge is only part of it. Delta Cargo’s published sheet, effective October 1, 2021, lists $491 to $789 for 81 to 500 pounds between its mainland regions, before the screening fee, other fees and taxes. Add the container, transfers at both ends, permits, and each firm’s forwarding and receiving charges.

Can cremated remains be mailed?

Yes. Within the country, USPS accepts them only by Priority Mail Express, in its Priority Mail Express Cremated Remains box. Abroad, use Priority Mail Express International where the destination country allows it, with a sealed funeral urn inside. Publication 139, dated January 2025, has the packing steps.

Can a family carry cremated remains on a plane?

Yes, in a carry-on bag, if the container can be screened. TSA suggests wood or plastic. A container that shows as opaque on the X-ray will not be allowed, and officers will not open it. Checked bags are allowed by TSA, but some airlines do not allow them.

What is a known shipper?

A shipper an airline has approved to send cargo. The NFDA says funeral homes must register as a known shipper with each airline they use, and that an airline will not accept the body otherwise. Register with the airlines at your nearest airports before a family needs you.

Where is the death certificate filed if burial is in another state?

In the state where the death occurred, under its rules. The CDC’s handbook says the certificate is filed within that state’s time limit and before the body is removed from the state. On the certificate, name the out-of-state cemetery or crematory as the place of disposition.

Do we have to list prices for forwarding and receiving remains?

Yes. Under 16 CFR 453.2, the General Price List must include forwarding of remains to another funeral home and receiving remains from another funeral home, each with a list of the services included in any quoted price.