• Category

  • Content Type

Advertisement

Guidelines for Transporting Human Remains

September 23, 2022
Guidelines for Transporting Human Remains

The Full Story

There are several safety protocols that must be observed to satisfy the Government of Jamaica before transporting human remains by sea or air whether in a casket or an urn.

Process

1. Get written permission from the relevant authority in the area where the death occurred.
2. Contact the local funeral home in the country where the deceased resided at the time of death to arrange for transportation of the remains and provide documentation for travel.
3. Casket – Contact a funeral home in Jamaica to receive the body on arrival. They will liaise with the airline or shipping company and obtain a Transit Permit for travel. Note that this service will incur an additional cost. Transit Permits for caskets are only obtained through funeral homes.

4. Urn – When transporting ashes, funeral homes or individuals, can make the necessary arrangements for travel. This includes applying for the Transit Permit which can be done by calling or visiting the Kingston and St. Andrew or Montego Bay Health Departments, depending on the port of entry used.

Individuals must check with the airline or shipping company about the type of container used to transport the remains as it must be able to be scanned. Whether the ashes or body is being accompanied or not, the relevant documents must be included.

Documents Required on Arrival:

• An official Death Certificate/Postmortem Report/Cremation Certificate
• A Transit Permit issued by the Kingston and St. Andrew or Montego Bay Health Department.
• An Embalming Certificate from the funeral home overseas which states how the body was prepared.
• A Statement of Assurance from the funeral home overseas to show that the remains have been placed in a hermetically sealed or airtight casket or in a lead coffin if the person died from a communicable disease and that the coffin does not have any additional items besides the body.

For additional information contact:

The Ministry of Health and Wellness 10-16 Grenada Way
Kington 5
Tel: 876-633-8103/876-633-7433
Email: pr@hoh.gov.jm
Website: www.moh.gov.jm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themohgovjm
Instagram/Twitter: @themohwgovjm

Kingston & St. Andrew Health Department
1A Caledonia Crescent
Kingston 5
Tel: 876-926-1550-2
Email: patientcare@serha.gov.jm
Website: https://www.serha.gov.jm/health-departments

Montego Bay Health Department
Lot 31B Fairview Shopping Centre
Montego Bay
Tel: 876-630-1860/876-684-9776
Email: info@wrha.gov.jm
Website: https://www.wrha.gov.jm

Last Updated: October 5, 2022

Skip to content