How to Bring an Urn or Ashes on a Plane

Researching Your Options

Contact the airline directly to see what their policies are. Different airlines may have different policies regarding transporting a person’s ashes during a flight. You may be able to carry your loved ones’ ashes with you as a carry on, or you may need to check the container with the rest of the checked baggage. Some airlines require cremated ashes to be transported via the cargo hold. If you have the option of several flights, call each airline individually and choose the one which suits your needs the best.

Contact the embassy if you are travelling to another country. Some countries have no restrictions or requirements for travelling with cremated ashes, while other countries will not allow them to enter the country at all. When you call the consulate or embassy, ask for a full briefing on travel requirements for cremated remains. Since legislation can change with short notice, and websites are not always updated right away, it’s best to call rather than to rely on information you find online.

Ask the funeral home for advice if you need additional help. If for some reason you can’t arrange a flight that will allow you to bring the ashes with you, contact the funeral home that prepared the ashes and ask them to advise you on your next step. Some countries will only allow ashes to be sent to and from licensed funeral directors. If you’re travelling internationally, you may need the funeral director to handle the travel arrangements.

Secure written permission if you plan to scatter the ashes. Before you undertake a trip to scatter your loved one’s ashes, be sure you will be allowed to scatter their ashes in the intended spot. Ask for written permission if the destination is on private property, and be sure you know the restrictions if you plan on scattering the ashes in a national park or other protected area. In Yosemite National Park, for instance, visitors are allowed to scatter ashes as long as it’s away from the public and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from water.

Preparing to Fly

Choose a container made of plastic or cardboard to carry the ashes. The container holding the ashes will need to be X-rayed before it can be allowed on a plane. Your container should be made from a material which can be scanned, such as cardboard, cloth, plastic, wood, or transparent glass. If the permanent container for storing your loved one’s ashes is made of a material that can not be X-rayed, such as lead-based ceramic, stone, or metal, place the ashes in a temporary travel box and bring the permanent container separately. Most security agents will not open a container that contains ashes, both out of respect for the deceased as well as their own safety, so it’s important that they can verify the contents with the X-ray scan. The maximum carry-on baggage size for major airlines is 22 × 14 × 9 in (56 × 36 × 23 cm), so be sure your container fits within those measurements.

Ask the funeral director to place the ashes in a sealed plastic bag. In order to prevent the ashes from spilling, you should request that they be placed in a plastic bag inside of the travel container. If you plan to keep the ashes in an urn, you can carefully pour them out of the plastic bag and into the urn once you reach your destination.

Obtain a certified copy of cremation and a certified death certificate from the funeral home. You can request these documents directly from the funeral home that prepared the ashes. Although some airlines do not require these in order for you to fly with ashes, others do. Either way, this documentation will make it easier for the airline to verify that you are carrying cremated ashes. If you’re flying into the United States and your documents are in a different language, you will need to obtain a certified English language translation to accompany the cremation and death certificates.

Arrive early for your flight in case you experience any difficulty. You may need to present your certificate of cremation and death certificate at customs before being allowed to fly. If your airline or country allows you to take the urn or ashes in a carry on, it may take you some extra time to get through through the security check.