What to Pack When Scattering Ashes Abroad: Checklist & Tips
After cremation, you’ll have further decisions to make regarding what you plan to do with the remains. Common choices include keeping the ashes in an urn at your home, burying the ashes, keeping the ashes in a cremation yard, or choosing to scatter the ashes in a special place.
Scattering the ashes is very common in some cultures. For example, Buddhists believe the body is merely a vessel for the soul, and it must be destroyed for the soul to be released. The dead are often cremated and then their ashes are scattered in water.
Scattering the ashes of a loved one can help to bring closure following loss. It can help you to say goodbye and to honour the final wishes of your loved one. If they didn’t leave instructions for where they would like to be scattered, you might be left to choose the location.
If you decide to scatter the ashes overseas, there might be a little more admin involved to make sure your trip goes by without interruption. Following this guide and checklist to make sure you can scatter your loved one’s ashes overseas without incident.
Is it legal to scatter ashes overseas?
In general, you should be able to travel overseas to scatter the ashes of a loved one. There may be some regulations you have to follow with your airline and you might also need to declare the ashes at customs when you enter the destination country. You should also be aware of any regulations affecting any countries you plan to transit through, even if you don’t leave the airport.
The best way to find out the regulations would be to speak to your airline. They can tell you what regulations you will face when travelling, whether you need to put your remains in your hand luggage or your hold luggage, and if you require any documentation to be able to travel with the remains.
Next, you should check the online travel advice for the country you are visiting. If in doubt, contact the embassy for the country and ask to confirm the regulations. You might need to travel with the death certificate and the cremation certificate.
Travelling with ashes
Before embarking on your trip, make sure you gather the following items.
- Death certificate. This will confirm the identity of the individual.
- Cremation certificate. This will match the identity of the individual to the remains.
- Written permission from the destination country. Permission might be needed to be able to bring remains into the country.
- Travel safe urn. You should make sure the remains are transported in a sealable container that cannot leak or break. This should be clearly marked and you should be prepared to take this out of your hand luggage at airport security.
Bear in mind that you will still be subject to the hand luggage size requirements. It’s important that you follow these guidelines, as the remains cannot be placed in the hold if your luggage is too large. Don’t expect special treatment, as airline staff are often subject to strict rules and regulations.
Preparing to scatter the ashes
Once you have arrived in the destination country, it’s important to be vigilant with the ashes to avoid any loss. While you might have permission to bring the ashes into the country, this might not translate into blanket permission to scatter the ashes anywhere you like.
You will often need permission to scatter the ashes on private land or in national parks or similar. Lots of places will also have regulations on scattering ashes in water, such as making sure you are a minimum distance from the shore.
If you don’t speak the local language, it’s worth enlisting the help of an interpreter to ensure your plans to scatter the ashes are in line with local laws. This will be far better than having your ceremony interrupted, or getting into trouble with law enforcement in a country where you don’t speak the language.
The emotional baggage of scattering ashes overseas
So far, we’ve looked entirely at the practical side of scattering the ashes, which is a lot of paperwork and confirming you have permission to be in certain places. But what about the emotional toll this can take?
Scattering the ashes overseas can be uncomfortable because you are putting yourself in an unfamiliar situation and you might also be isolating yourself. If you decide to travel alone, this might feel fine when you are taking care of the practical things, but when it comes to actually scattering the ashes, it could become too much to handle.
It’s important to have a backup system of support in place. Having someone on the other end of the phone you can speak to if you get overwhelmed can be a huge source of relief.