Burial Transit Permit: What It Is and How to Get One

What a Burial Transit Permit Is

A burial transit permit (also called a disposition permit, removal permit, or burial permit depending on the state) is the legal authorization to transport and bury or cremate human remains. No body can be legally moved from the place of death, buried, cremated, or otherwise disposed of without this document.

The permit is separate from the death certificate, though you need the death certificate to get it. Think of it as a two-step sequence: the death certificate establishes the legal fact of death and its cause, while the burial transit permit authorizes what happens to the body next.

Who Issues It

The local registrar of vital records in the county or municipality where the death occurred. In most states, this is the town clerk or county health department. In some jurisdictions, it's the city clerk or a specific vital statistics office.

In nine states — Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, and New York — only a licensed funeral director can obtain the burial transit permit. In these states, even families managing a home funeral must retain a funeral director for this administrative step.

In the remaining 41 states and DC, families can obtain the permit themselves when acting as the funeral director of record.

Step-by-Step Process

1. Obtain and complete the death certificate. Contact the county health department or vital statistics office where the death occurred. Request a blank death certificate form. Complete the demographic section in black ink or typewriter — no corrections, white-out, or cross-outs (these void the document). Sign it in the space designated for the funeral director, listing your full name and home address as the acting facility.

2. Get the medical certification signed. Deliver the partially completed death certificate to the attending physician, hospice doctor, or coroner. They must complete the cause-of-death section and sign within 48 hours. If the death was anything other than natural causes, the coroner or medical examiner handles this through the state's electronic registration system — you cannot use the paper process.

3. File the death certificate with the local registrar. Bring the completed, signed death certificate to the registrar's office in the county where the death occurred. Filing must happen within 5 calendar days of death. Bring valid government-issued photo ID and documentation of your relationship to the deceased.

4. Receive the burial transit permit. Once the registrar accepts and registers the death certificate, they issue the burial transit permit. This may happen on the spot or within 24 hours depending on the office.

5. Order certified copies. While at the registrar's office, purchase multiple certified copies of the death certificate. You'll need them to settle the estate, close bank accounts, file insurance claims, and handle property transfers. The number and fee depend on the state and your estate or insurance needs.

When You Need One

You need a burial transit permit before:

• Moving the body from the place of death to any other location (a funeral home, your home for a vigil, the cemetery)
• Burying the body on private land or in a cemetery
• Cremating or otherwise disposing of the remains
• Transporting the body across state lines

The permit must physically accompany the body during transport. If you're driving the body yourself, keep it in the vehicle. If a funeral home is transporting, they carry it.

Interstate Transport Complications

Moving remains across state lines adds complexity. You need a burial transit permit from the state of death, and the receiving state may require its own documentation. Three states — Alabama, Alaska, and New Jersey — require professional embalming when remains cross state lines by common carrier (airline, train, bus). Other states accept refrigeration, dry ice, or a sealed container as alternatives.

For air transport, commercial airlines require remains to be shipped by a funeral home with TSA "Known Shipper" status in a rigid Ziegler shipping case. Family-directed air transport of unembalmed remains isn't practical under current federal security guidelines.

Ground transport in a private vehicle is the most straightforward option for interstate movement. Keep the certified death certificate and burial transit permit with the body at all times.

Common Sticking Points

Registrar unfamiliar with family-directed disposition. In states where this is legal, some county clerks haven't processed a family-filed death certificate before. If you encounter resistance, reference your state's department of health guidelines for families acting as funeral directors. Washington state's DOH Form 422-024 process is one of the most clearly documented examples.

Timing pressure. The 5-calendar-day filing deadline creates urgency, especially if the death occurs on a weekend when the registrar's office is closed. Some states allow electronic filing that isn't restricted to business hours.

Medical certification delays. If the physician doesn't sign the death certificate promptly, the entire process stalls. Hospice organizations generally handle this quickly because they've anticipated the death. Unexpected deaths processed through the coroner's office may take longer.

The Green / Natural Burial Guide includes a complete DIY death certificate filing checklist and state-by-state reference for permit requirements, designed for families managing disposition independently.