Transporting Human Remains Across State Lines
A common question we receive at Northern Pyre is: “I live in [other state], can I legally be cremated in Minnesota?”
The short answer is yes - but transportation requires some planning.
Even though Northern Pyre will be located in Minnesota, we anticipate that many folks who are interested in our services will not live close to the pyre site. Arrangements to transport a body often require enlisting the help of a mortuary or funeral director, though some states allow folks to transport a body by ground themselves. It all depends on:
The laws of the state you’re traveling from,
The laws of the state you’re traveling to,
Whether you plan to go by ground or air.
It’s recommended that you work directly with a preferred funeral home - they would have more information on obtaining the burial transit permit, as well as timing for transportation. This is especially helpful if you’re traveling by air, as most airlines would prefer to work directly with “known shippers” - funeral homes that are registered with the airlines to ship the deceased.
Another complication when traveling by air: Some states require that the deceased be embalmed before shipping. For environmental and safety reasons, embalmed bodies cannot be cremated on our funeral pyre.
On the other side of cremation - transporting ashes/cremains - it gets easier. It’s not uncommon for ashes to be mailed cross-country, so USPS has streamlined the process with a couple of options for shipment. As part of our operations plan, Northern Pyre can offer to ship your loved one’s cremains after the pyre ceremony has concluded. This would be discussed with you ahead of time.
Only USPS is able to ship cremains - UPS and FedEx do not offer this service.
Given its complexity, please factor the possibility of transportation into your death plan. It often comes with its own expenses and complications, and it’s best to have these planned for (or at least predicted) ahead of time.
