Interview: Ash repatriation

Sion: If someone dies while abroad, their loved ones might decide to transport their bodily remainskörperliche/ sterbliche Überrestebodily remains back to their country of residence or their country of origin. This is a costly and complex process, involving many steps. Business Spotlight Audio editorRedakteur(in)editor Melita Cameron-Wood spoke to Stan Reese, an ash administrator and president at eternalewig; hier auch: unvergänglich, unsterblichEternal legacyHinterlassenschaft, ErbeLegacy Service and Eternal Alaska, about the logistics of repatriate sth.etw. rückführenrepatriating crematedeingeäschertcremated remains across borders.

Melita: I imagine there must be lots of logistical challenges associated with repatriating -ashes. Can you explain some of these to me?

Stan: The biggest challenge is that there is no single international set of rulesRegeln, Regelwerkset of rules. You have to consider the requirements of the country where the journey begins, the destination country and sometimes even whatever countries a traveler may pass through along the way.  Then, you have the airline’s policies, the airport security requirements, customsZollcustoms procedures and the laws governing what’s allowed to happen to the ashes after they arrive in the destination country. 

Depending on the country, the family may need such documents as certifiedhier: beglaubigtcertified copies of the death certificateTotenschein, Sterbeurkundedeath certificate and certificate of cremationEinäscherungsnachweiscertification of cremation, a consular permit, confirmation that the urn is seal sth.etw. versiegelnsealed, documentation from a receiving funeral homeBestattungsinstitutfuneral home or cemeteryFriedhofcemetery, and even certified translations. One missing document could delay the journey or prevent the ashes from entering the country they’re supposed to be going to. 

Melita: When you are dealing with clients who are in the process of organizing a repatriation, what are the main things you need to consider?

Stan: The first thing I need to know is exactly what the family is trying to accomplish sth.etw. erreichen; hier: vollziehenaccomplish. Are the ashes being returned for burialBeisetzung, Bestattungburial, are they being taken somewhere for scatter sth.etw. verstreuenscattering or simply passing through one country on the way to another destination? That is extremely important. Those details can completely change all the requirements.

The next step is determining what documentation the family already has. I recently had a family contact me about repatriation of ashes from the US to Germany. The family already had a copy of the deceasedverstorbendeceased person’s passport and confirmation from a German funeral home that they would be receiving the ashes, plus they had a certificate from the German consulate allowing for the transport of ashes. All the family needed was the death certificate, certificate of cremation, and the confirmation from the funeral home that the urn is sealed and contained the ashes of the person named in the documents.

Melita: The high costs associated with repatriation could be a barrierHindernisbarrier for some clients. How can costs be kept to a minimum?

Stan: The least expensive option is for the family to carry the ashes personally, provided the destination country and airline allow it, and the family member has all the required documents and their health is good enough to travel. I had one proposed case involving ashes traveling from Alaska to Portugal, where the family ultimatelyletztendlichultimately decided to handle the transportation themselves.

mailingPostversandMailing can also be possible in some countries. From the United States, cremated ashes can be sent internationally through the US Postal Service when the destination country actually accepts ashes in this way. The urn must be sealed, protected, clearly identified for customs and placed in the required shippingVersand, Transportshipping container.

Mailing can greatly reduce the cost, but some families are very uncomfortable allowing something so personal and irreplaceableunersetzlichirreplaceable to leave their possession. And I can understand that. The thought that a loved one’s ashes might be lost or, worse yet, spill sth.etw. verschüttenspilled onto the floor of a mail delivery vehicle is enough for some families to totally decide against mailing the ashes.

Melita: Requirements may differ according to the country. Do any countries you have research sth.etw. recherchierenresearched have particularly strict rules?

Stan: France and Germany stand outhervorstechenstand out among the countries I’ve researched. France requires authorization from a French embassyBotschaftembassy or consulate before ashes can even come to France. The dispositionhier: Bestattungdisposition of the ashes after arrival is also regulated. They cannot be store sth.etw. aufbewahrenstored indefinitely in someone’s home, like here in the US, and scattering is limited to approved circumstances and locations.

Germany is also very strict. Its laws are based largely on protecting the dignityWürdedignity of the deceased. The urn usually must be delivered to an authorized funeral home or burial authorityFriedhofsverwaltungburial authority rather than handed to a private individual, and the ashes cannot be divided among several family members.

Melita: If you had to pick the most rewardinglohnenswertrewarding part of your work, what would it be?

Stan: I spent about 25 years working in corporateUnternehmenscorporate finance and accountingBuchhaltungaccounting, so having the opportunity to actually work directly with families has been a very welcome change. But, the most rewarding part is helping families find some form of healing after the death of a loved one. People grievetrauerngrieve in so many different ways, but when a family feels like a final wish was taken care of with dignity and respect, they sometimes find healing and closurehier: inneres Abschließenclosure come much more easily.

Melita: And finally, what are the most common ways of transporting ashes?

Stan: The most common methods are carrying the ashes on a flight or shipping them through an approved postal service if it’s allowed.

I fly often with cremated ashes within the United States. The most important consideration at airport security is whether or not the urn can be clearly screened by X-ray. An urn made from wood, plastic, cardboardPappe, Pappkartoncardboard or another easily screened material is usually the safest choice. If security officers cannot see through the container, they will not open the urn to inspect the contents, and it may not be allowed through the checkpointKontrollpunktcheckpoint. So, you may not even be able to board the plane with the ashes if the urn cannot be X-rayed.

When I approach sb./sth.sich jmdm./etw. nähernapproach security, I tell the officers I am traveling with cremated ashes and I place the urn in a separate binBehälterbin by itself. It then goes through the X-ray.  An officer often swab sth.etw. abtupfenswabs the exterior as part of the security screening. In my personal experience, TSA (Transportation Security Administration) (US)TransportsicherheitsbehördeTSA officers here in the US have always treated the urn, and the situation, with great care and respect.

When I’m flying, I prefer to keep the ashes with me in the aircraft cabin discreetly, rather than place the ashes in checked baggage. But, the airline policies may differ, so the traveler should always contact the airline and the destination country before leaving home. That will eliminate a lot of surprises.