How do I transport the deceased's body?

Updated September 26, 2026 · Orlando Funeral Guide editorial team

Short answer: a licensed funeral home handles almost all transportation of remains, including the paperwork. Your role is to pick the funeral home or homes, say where your loved one is going, and approve the itemized costs.

Within the Orlando area

Moving your loved one from a home, hospital, nursing facility, or the medical examiner’s office to a funeral home is called the transfer of remains. Funeral homes must list it as a separate price on their General Price List. Transfer to a local cemetery or crematory is arranged by the same funeral home.

To or from another U.S. state

Two funeral homes often work together:

• The forwarding funeral home, where the death occurred, prepares your loved one and handles that state’s paperwork.
• The receiving funeral home, where the funeral or burial takes place, completes the arrangements.

The FTC Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to list prices for forwarding remains and receiving remains on their General Price Lists, so you can compare them.

Leaving Florida: the funeral director obtains a burial-transit permit, which travels with your loved one to the destination.

Arriving in Florida: a transit permit or certified death certificate from the other state authorizes burial or cremation here. A body brought into Florida without proper medical certification falls under medical examiner jurisdiction.

By air

Most airlines ship human remains as cargo and deal only with funeral homes or approved shippers, not with families directly. The forwarding funeral home books the flight and meets the airline’s container and documentation rules, and the receiving funeral home collects your loved one at the destination airport. Ask for all airline, container, and airport-transfer charges in writing.

From another country

If a U.S. citizen dies abroad, the U.S. embassy or consulate can explain local options and help coordinate. Call the Department of State at 1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. or +1-202-501-4444 from abroad. An Orlando funeral home can act as the receiving funeral home. See What if the death occurs in another country?

Questions to ask about cost

• What is included in the transfer or forwarding price, and how are mileage and after-hours calls charged?
• Is embalming or refrigeration required for this route, and what does each cost?
• Which charges are cash advance items (airline fees, permits) and which are the funeral home’s own services?
• Would transporting cremated remains instead change the cost or the timeline?

Line up the answers in our funeral comparison worksheet.