Scott bought a biodegradable urn for an ash scattering ceremony he planned for his mother-in-law in the Bahamas. He explains the paperwork process of transporting the urn filled with ashes from Texas to the Bahama beach.
Prior to beginning you will need the death certificate and certificate of cremation. I have been told that sometimes they are one in the same however, most of the time they are two separate documents. You will need to contact the Bahamas Ministry of Health, or that country’s equivalent. All documents should be faxed to them (make sure to make a follow up call and get names). At that point they will send written permission that will be signed by, in my case, the Chief at the Ministry of Health. This document will have vital information on it regarding the deceased and in our case will mandate that you contact the Ministry of Health once there and make arrangements to have the burial at sea at least 10 miles off shore. Now this form should be attached in some way to the remains so that customs officials, should they become curious of the contents of the urn will see what it is and can make simple phone calls to verify. The last thing I wanted was for a customs agent to think it’s heroin or something and open it to test. I learned that customs has little or nothing to do with the process. Once we were there we went to my Mother-in-Law’s favorite beach and set her urn adrift. This was about 50 yards from the shore in a deep harbor. I would not suggest doing this in shallow water.
By the way the urns were perfect, thanks.
Related Articles:
Funeral for a Friend: Celebration at Sea