Italian and Greek Australians make the bulk of Australian culture with immigrants from many other countries becoming permanent residents of Australia. Most of these people will want to fly the bodies of their deceased family members to their homelands. Repatriating of a dead body out of Australia isn’t rocket science. There are a few procedures to understand when you are considering sending a deceased family member home. There are a few important things that you need to know about the repatriation process. This article provides information on what you need to know when planning to repatriate a deceased relative out of Australia.
Sending the remains of your loved one overseas isn’t an easy task. There is a lot of paperwork and labour involved in the process. It’s essential that you contact a funeral director in Australia to assist you with the process of repatriating a dead body out of Australia. There isn’t a requirement to make an export declaration when sending ashes or human remains from Australia. But you may have to inquire from the embassy or health authorities of the destination country whether there are any requirements on their side. The procedure may be different if the human remains fall under the category of Cultural Heritage.
You should check with the destination country and make all arrangements to comply with their requirements or conditions in place. If not, you may find it difficult to clear the human remains once it reaches the destination. If you plan to embalm the body after taking it to the destination country, check with the authorities of the destination country since most countries require the body to be embalmed before exporting it. If the destination country doesn’t require the body to be embalmed in Australia, check how the body should be sent. There might be special packing requirements such as packing the body in ice and place it in a refrigerated container. If you plan to export cremated remains, it should be packed in an airline-approved urn.
When the body isn’t cremated in Australia and is to be exported to the deceased homeland, you should have an idea about a suitable casket for repatriation of the body. Usually, the body will be placed in a sealed casket and shipped in a shipping container out of Australia. This casket may not be ideal for burial in the homeland of the deceased. You can choose a suitable casket with the assistance of the receiving funeral director or buy a casket from Australia and export it with the body.
Timing is crucial to the success of repatriating a dead body out of Australia. The best thing is to call a funeral director in Australia and let them handle the entire process of repatriation. It may cost you some money but will take a lot of stress out of your system. The funeral director will oversee the entire repatriation process and liaise with the receiving country to ensure a seamless transportation process.
The aforementioned article provides information on what you need to know when planning to repatriate a deceased relative out of Australia.