Packaging and Shipping Cremation Remains

After cremations as part of the cremation services offered in Dayton, OH, you may need to package and ship your loved one’s cremation remains somewhere else. That may be to a place that was special to the deceased or it may be back to where the deceased grew up and where other family members are buried.

Funeral home directors handle the process of shipping human remains for burial somewhere else, but generally, family members assume possession of cremation remains and are responsible for getting them where they need to be. However, your funeral director can give you guidance and help in the process.

Most domestic U.S. airlines will carry cremation remains. This be in the form of a person taking the cremation remains with them to a designated place or it could be carrying the cremation remains as air cargo. The most sensitive part of air shipment is the container with the cremation remains in it.

It must be “security friendly,” because it has to be scanned and approved by the TSA. Security friendly containers are thin-walled, lightweight urns that are constructed with wood or plastic. Let your funeral home director know that you’ll be shipping the cremation remains by air and they will ensure that you get a TSA-approved container for the cremation remains.

If the cremation remains are in any other type of container, the TSA will not allow it through security, because their scanners can’t see the contents, and they are responsible for doing due diligence to make sure they can account for everything that gets on a plane.

This a post-9/11 requirement that no one who is flying gets around. So, it’s imperative that you make sure you have the right kind of container when the cremation remains are returned to you.

Next, you’ll need to make sure that the airline you choose will carry cremation remains. If the airline’s website doesn’t specify that the airline will carry them (and provide a list of rules and requirements), you shouldn’t assume that it will. Contact the airline by phone and find out what its policy is before you go to the airport with the cremation remains.

Be sure you have original signed versions of all relevant documents, including the death certificate, the cremation authorization form, the cremation remains receipt, and the authority of the authorizing agent form. If you’re unsure what paperwork to bring, take all paperwork related to the death and cremation with you. It’s always better to have more than what you need than to not have everything you need.

Using the US Postal Service (USPS) is the only legal way to ship cremation remains domestically or internationally. None of the other shipping companies will knowingly accept or transport cremation remains.

For USPS shipment, the cremation remains to need to be packaged in a strong, durable container. All domestic cremation remains shipments are sent by USPS Priority Mail Express. International cremation remains shipments are sent using USPS Priority Mail Express International Service. The only restriction on international cremation remains shipments is that the country they are being shipped to must not forbid the receipt of cremation remains.

Additionally, all cremation remains that are shipped using USPS must have a Label 139. This is not a tracking label, but it is instead a sticker that increases the visibility of the package and designates it, for handling purposes, as cremation remains The sticker needs to be placed on the package next to the shipping address.

Packaging and shipping cremation remains is one of the cremation services offered in Dayton, OH that our caring and knowledgeable staff at Glickler Funeral Home & Cremation Service can help you with.