Tough Times Transport

Tranporting the Deceased to Another Town or Country 

Transportation of Human Remains

In many cases a loved one’s body is initially transferred from the place of death to a local funeral home (i.e., the "first call" funeral home) and then subsequently transported to another city for funeral ceremonies and/or burial. If this is your situation, you’ll need two funeral homes – one locally to handle the first call, and a second one in the final destination city.

Obviously, the first call funeral home is needed immediately. However, you may prefer to select a funeral home in the final destination city and ask them to make the arrangements with a local funeral home to remove the deceased from the place of death.

Generally, the two funeral homes will coordinate the transportation arrangements between themselves. You’ll be responsible for making sure that both funeral homes have all the pertinent information. See below.

Information you need to provide to both funeral homes:

1. Name of the deceased.
2. Deceased’s residence — Address / City / State / Zip / Phone #.
3. Deceased’s Social Security Number.
4. Date and time of death.
5. Current location of the deceased — Facility name / Address / City / State / Zip / Phone #.
6. Attending physician name and phone.
7. Your name.
8. Your residence — Address / City / State / Zip.
9. Your telephone #’s — Daytime / Evening.
10. Your relationship to the deceased.

Transporting Human Remains By Air

You cannot arrange air transportation of human remains directly with an airline. This is due to certain transportation requirements for human remains, such as embalming or packing the body in ice. Also, shipments of human remains are subject to the “known shipper” regulations of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Many funeral homes / mortuaries have been approved as “Known Shippers” and they can help you arrange transportation of human remains.

Local Transportation of the Deceased

In some cases a loved one’s body is initially transferred from the place of death to a local funeral home (i.e., the "first call" funeral home) and then the family subsequently decides to use another funeral home for the funeral ceremonies. If this is your situation, you’ll need to select a second funeral home that best meets your needs. Most likely, this will result in an additional transportation charge.