In life, we prepare for so many things. We save for vacation, purchase insurance to protect our homes and cars, and go to annual preventative medical exams. But despite all our best efforts, the unexpected can happen, including death away from home. The question is, is your family prepared? Do you and your family know what to do if death occurs away from home? Let’s explore practical steps to guide you through the process of what to do when death occurs out of town.
Step 1: Notify the Necessary People
When someone passes away, the first thing you will need to do is notify the necessary people. With a sudden death, you may need to call the local authorities to let them know a death has occurred. First responders will come to confirm the death, secure the area, and ensure that proper protocols are followed.
Next, depending on the location of the death, you may need to contact two funeral homes: one in the area where the death took place and one back home. If you know that your loved one preplanned their funeral wishes with a specific funeral home, notify them directly. Some funeral homes are willing to travel within a certain radius of their facility. These may be able to send a staff member to collect your loved one and transport them back to the funeral home.
The last calls you need to make are to any next of kin or friends. Don’t feel like you need to call everyone by yourself. Oftentimes, you can ask a few trusted people to help you spread the news, which will remove an emotional task from your shoulders and allow you to focus on other responsibilities.
Step 2: Get a Death Certificate
After you have notified all the necessary people, you will need to address legal matters, such as obtaining a death certificate. Any time someone passes away, a death certificate must be issued by the responsible government office within a certain number of days.
Why would you need a death certificate? To complete funeral plans and close out an estate, you need legal proof that a loved one has died. This is where a death certificate becomes necessary. The death certificate allows you to close accounts, claim benefits, request burial or cremation, and address other legal matters. Also, a death certificate is required to arrange for transportation of the body back home.
However, there are different protocols for applying for a death certificate, depending on the state or country in which the death occurred.
State
Most of the time, the funeral home will assist you in the process of requesting and receiving a death certificate. Some states require embalming for transportation, may charge fees, or could have other regulations in place. Your funeral home will be the best resource for state practices.
Abroad
If a death occurs while you are abroad, the process for obtaining a death certificate could be quite different from the procedures in the U.S., depending on the country. You should notify the U.S. Embassy or consulate in that country, and they can assist you in obtaining the death certificate.
For a full list of embassies around the world and their contact numbers, please visit www.usembassy.gov. Also, for helpful tips from the U.S. State Department on what to do when death occurs abroad, click here.
Step 3: Choose a Disposition
While it may sound odd, choosing a disposition will guide you in making funeral decisions when death occurs away from home. For example, if you choose burial, there will be different transportation requirements than if you select cremation.
Whether you choose burial or cremation, speak with your family members back home and take their thoughts into account. Some people need to physically see that special person one more time, which means burial would be preferred to cremation. On the other hand, cremation may be the disposition type all decision-making survivors agree on. Or you could do a hybrid where the body is transported back home before cremation takes place.
Regardless of which disposition is chosen, any decision will affect how you go about arranging a loved one’s transportation back home. And by consulting family members, you take their emotional needs into account throughout the planning process. Making funeral decisions while away from home is already difficult enough without adding hurt feelings to the mix.
Step 4: Apply for a Burial Transit Permit
After applying for a death certificate and choosing a disposition, the next step is to request a burial transit permit. A burial transit permit, also known as a removal permit or disposition permit, is a legal document required for handling human remains. This document ensures that the remains are handled properly and follow the guidelines set by the state or country.
Like with a death certificate, the protocols may differ depending on where the death occurs. For example, if the death occurred across state lines, the body may need to be embalmed before crossing state lines. No matter what transportation method you choose, you’ll need to obtain a burial transit permit from the health department.
The funeral home is an excellent resource for questions about how to request a burial transit permit and requirements for transporting the body back home.
Step 5: Arrange for Transportation Home
Arranging transportation for your loved one is an important decision because transportation costs will be your responsibility. You have two choices: ground or air transportation.
If you choose ground transportation, you may use a private carrier or even the U.S. Postal Service (if shipping cremated remains). When shipping the body back home (not cremated), embalming may be required by state law. To confirm what is legally necessary, speak with a funeral director at the place of death.
Another option is airline transport. Depending on the airline you choose, there may be additional paperwork needed. Additionally, if the death occurred in a different country, you might need other types of documentation, such as the deceased’s passport. Speak with your specific airline to determine their requirements and regulations. It’s important to gather all necessary paperwork to ensure a smooth transition home for your loved one.
And that’s it! Hopefully, knowing these 5 steps will put you at ease when you travel away from home. However, to make things even easier on your loved ones, there are things you can do ahead of time to prepare for unexpected events.
Preparing in Advance
To make things easier on your family if death occurs away from home, there are some safeguards you can have in place before going out of town.
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Preplan for your funeral wishes: By planning your funeral wishes ahead of time, you ensure that your loved ones know exactly what to do in the event of an unexpected death.
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Purchase travel protection: Depending on the travel plan you choose, you may have certain expenses covered, such as transporting the body home. If you decide to preplan with a funeral home, talk to their funeral professional to ask about their travel plan options.
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Get affairs in order: By getting your affairs in order, you make your wishes regarding your estate and assets known. Information like your Social Security number, mother’s maiden name, and other details are crucial for obtaining a death certificate, closing out accounts, and receiving life insurance policies.
Putting safeguards in place can help take a burden off your family and make things easier when you are gone. However, even with these safeguards in place, the death of a loved one is never easy. Hopefully, you will never be called upon to make funeral arrangements when death occurs away from home. But if the unexpected happens, we hope this information will be a beneficial guide for you through the process of bringing a loved one home.
If you’d like to learn more about preplanning for funeral wishes, please look into these additional resources:
What is Advance Funeral Planning?
How to Get Started With Funeral Preplanning
A Quick Guide to Planning a Funeral