Our team speaks Spanish and can assist with communication, ensuring no detail is overlooked. The decision for burial or cremation is yours, and we’re here to support whichever path you choose, understanding the cultural and emotional significance of these choices.
Shipping Remains to El Salvador
Losing a loved one far from home is heartbreaking, and bringing them back to El Salvador for a dignified farewell involves many steps. At Fairhaven Memorial Chapel, we know how important it is for families to have their loved one laid to rest among family and traditions. Our team is dedicated to handling each detail of shipping human remains to El Salvador with care, respect, and professionalism. We draw on official Salvadoran guidelines and funeral industry best practices to guide you through the process.
Process & Requirements
The process typically starts with initial arrangements, where we gather necessary information and obtain legal documents like the death certificate. Embalming is usually required to preserve the body for transport, followed by preparing it in a suitable container. Documentation is crucial, including an apostilled death certificate, embalming certificate, and transit permit, with all foreign language documents translated into Spanish. Transportation is often by air, included in our pricing, and we coordinate with the receiving funeral home in El Salvador for final arrangements.
Shipping Remains to El Salvador:
Step-by-step Guidance
- When you notify us of the death, our staff begins by gathering essential information and coordinating with local authorities to secure the death certificate—a key document for international transport.
- We know this is an emotional time, and we’re here to guide you, answer questions, and offer the support you need.
- The body is embalmed to preserve it for transport, a standard requirement for international shipping, typically completed within 24 hours of death per health guidelines.
- We prepare the remains with dignity, dressing them and placing them in a selective sealer casket or container suitable for the process. Honoring your loved one’s memory is our priority.
We help obtain and prepare all required paperwork. You will need the decedent’s birth certificate and passport (or another photo ID). The foreign death certificate must be translated into Spanish and apostilled. We also secure an embalming certificate (a letter from the embalmer confirming preparation) in English and Spanish, notarized as needed.
Before the remains can enter El Salvador, the Salvadoran Ministry of Health must issue an export permit (permiso de exportación) for the body. This permit lists details like the receiving funeral home and burial site in El Salvador. We prepare and submit this permit application and translate any forms into Spanish.
After the paperwork is approved, we book cargo space for the shipment. We work with airlines experienced in handling human remains, as this requires special logistics. Once the flight is secured, we send all flight details (airline, flight number, schedule) to the receiving funeral home in El Salvador so they can prepare for arrival.
When the remains arrive in El Salvador, we confirm that the funeral home and airport/health authorities (Ministry of Health and Customs) are ready. They will clear the shipment based on the transit permit and health certificates. Then the body is handed over to your designated Salvadoran funeral home for local transportation and funeral services.
Family Responsibilities
What You Need To Provide
While we manage most arrangements, your help with a few items ensures a smooth process:
- Passport or Birth Certificate: Provide an active or canceled passport or birth certificate of the deceased to verify identity and nationality—crucial for consular steps.
- Receiving Funeral Home Details: Share the name, address, phone number, and email of the funeral home in El Salvador receiving the remains for final coordination.
Having these ready early helps avoid delays, and our bilingual staff can assist with communication if needed.
Financial Transparency
Understanding the Costs
Our pricing for shipping remains to Mexico is all-inclusive, designed to ease your burden. Here’s what’s covered:
- Transfer of Remains
- Embalming
- Basic Funeral Arrangements
- 3 Hour Chapel Services
- Custodial Care Supervision of Staff
- Dress/Casketing
- Hearse
- Selective Sealer Casket
- Airtray
- Airline
- Health Department
- Consulate Charges
- Apostile
Additional services, like extended ceremonies or specific caskets, are extra and can be detailed upon request. Cremation and ash transport are more affordable alternatives—we’re happy to provide separate quotes if that’s your preference with separate quotes available. (International Remains Transport)
Ready to get started?
Frequently Asked Questions
El Salvador’s Foreign Ministry offers guidance and may provide limited humanitarian support on a case-by-case basis if the family lacks resources. Please let us know if you need help exploring those options. (In any case, our transparent pricing covers the core services as described above.)
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2601 Pitkin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11208
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