How to Ship a Body to Mexico From USA

The Process at a Glance

Repatriating a body from the United States to Mexico requires coordination between a U.S. funeral home, the Mexican Consulate, airlines, and a receiving funeral home in Mexico. The timeline varies with document processing, consular review, airline availability, and receiving arrangements. Missing a single document can add days or weeks of delay and significant additional costs in storage fees.

Your contracted U.S. funeral home will handle most of the logistics, but the family must supply certain documents and make key decisions. Here is what happens at each step.

Step 1: Register the Death Locally

Before anything can move, the death must be formally registered with the county or state where it occurred. The local registrar or vital records office issues certified copies of the death certificate. Ask the consulate and funeral homes how many copies they need, and obtain enough certified copies for the required submissions.

The death certificate must explicitly state the final cause of death and the intended destination in Mexico. If the cause is pending (common when a medical examiner is involved), the funeral home must obtain a certified coroner's letter confirming the death was not caused by a contagious disease.

Step 2: Embalm and Prepare the Remains

Chemical embalming is legally mandatory for international transport of full-body remains under international air-transit standards and Mexican federal health regulations. The licensed embalmer at your U.S. funeral home performs this and issues a signed Embalming Certificate with their professional license number.

If the family has chosen cremation instead, the process is different and simpler --- see our separate guide on flying with ashes to Mexico.

The body is placed in a hermetically sealed metal transport container (a Ziegler case), which is then placed inside an air tray --- a plywood outer shell that protects the container during cargo handling.

Step 3: Consular Documentation

The Mexican Consulate with jurisdiction over the area where the death occurred must authorize the repatriation. The family's funeral home submits the following to the Consulate's Protection Department (Departamento de Protección):

1. Certified death certificate --- apostilled by the Secretary of State of the issuing U.S. state
2. Transit and disposition permit --- issued by the local health officer, specifying the exact cemetery or crematorium in Mexico
3. Embalming certificate --- signed by the licensed embalmer with their license number
4. Deceased's Mexican identity documents --- original birth certificate, valid Mexican passport, INE voter card, or CURP number to prove Mexican nationality
5. Certified Spanish translations --- all English-language documents must be translated on the funeral home's official letterhead
6. Next-of-kin authorization --- authorization from the next of kin or authorized family representative

One critical detail that causes delays: the deceased's name on all transit documents must exactly match their Mexican birth certificate, including paternal and maternal surnames. If the deceased used an anglicized name or a different spelling in the U.S., this must be recorded in an "AKA" (Also Known As) section of the relevant paperwork. A mismatch between the death certificate and the birth certificate will stall the consular approval.

Step 4: Airline Cargo Shipment

Remains travel via airline cargo under HUM (human remains) handling protocols. The funeral home coordinates directly with the airline's cargo division --- families cannot book this themselves. Required for the shipment:

• Air Waybill
• Airline-approved casket inside the sealed air tray
• All consular and transit permits
• Consular Mortuary Certificate

Major airlines with regular routes to Mexico (American, United, Delta, Aeromexico) have established HUM shipping procedures. The funeral home selects the carrier based on route availability and the receiving city.

Step 5: Reception in Mexico

A contracted funeral home in the destination city receives the remains at the airport cargo terminal. They handle local customs clearance, present the documentation to the Registro Civil for local registration, and obtain the Mexican burial or cremation permit. From there, the family proceeds with the velorio, funeral Mass, and burial according to their traditions.

How Much Does It Cost?

Repatriation costs vary widely depending on distance, airline pricing, and the funeral homes involved. A general range:

• U.S. funeral home preparation and casket: varies by provider and casket selection
• Consular fees and apostille: vary by jurisdiction and document
• Airline cargo (HUM): typically several thousand dollars depending on weight and route
• Receiving funeral home in Mexico: varies by city and services

International repatriation is generally reported at roughly $3,000 to $10,000 USD, with air freight, consular document fees, and specialized shipping containers as key cost drivers. Receiving-home services and local arrangements can add to the total. Some Mexican consulates offer partial financial assistance for documented cases of financial hardship through consular assistance for repatriation (Apoyo de Repatriación).

Common Mistakes That Cause Delays

• Name mismatches between U.S. and Mexican documents
• Failing to apostille the death certificate before submitting to the consulate
• Submitting untranslated documents
• Choosing a casket that does not meet airline cargo specifications
• Not having the deceased's Mexican identity documents readily available

Our Catholic Funeral Mexico and Latin America guide includes a repatriation document tracker that walks through each required document, which authority issues it, and the order in which they must be obtained.