What if the death occurs in another country?

Updated September 26, 2026 · Orlando Funeral Guide editorial team

First step: contact the U.S. Department of State. From the U.S. or Canada call 1-888-407-4747; from abroad call +1-202-501-4444. Consular staff at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate can help at any hour.

What the embassy or consulate can do

• Help locate and inform the next of kin.
• Explain local rules and options for your loved one’s remains, and give information on local funeral providers.
• Prepare a Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRDA), based on the local death certificate. It serves as proof of death in the U.S., for example when settling an estate.

The U.S. government does not pay for burial, cremation, or transport; those costs are the family’s responsibility.

Your options

1. Local burial in the country where the death occurred.
2. Local cremation, then bring the cremated remains home. This is often the simplest and least expensive option, but it has to fit your family’s faith and wishes.
3. Repatriation: return your loved one’s body to the U.S.

Bringing your loved one home to Orlando

• Choose an Orlando funeral home as the receiving funeral home. It works with the international shipper or foreign funeral home and the airline.

• Expect documents such as:

  • the foreign death certificate, with a translation if needed
  • the CRDA
  • a certificate that the remains were prepared for shipping
  • the export permits the foreign country requires

  Your funeral home confirms what is needed for your route.

• Florida paperwork: remains arriving with a transit permit or certified death certificate from the country of death can be buried or cremated in Florida. The Orlando funeral home handles this.

• Timing: it depends on the country, local investigations, holidays, and flights. Ask the funeral home and consular staff for a realistic estimate rather than relying on a general rule.

Paperwork for the estate

Order several copies of the CRDA and the foreign death certificate. Copies of CRDAs issued since 1975 can be requested from the Department of State by the next of kin or a legal representative.

Related

• How do I transport the deceased’s body?
• A death has occurred — step-by-step guide