# Passport for the Deceased? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-for-the-deceased/706723 "2014-12-09T03:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![buddy431](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@buddy431](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddy431)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-for-the-deceased/706723/21 "2014-12-10T21:30:54Z")
> [@Idilia\_Dubb](#): > > **Donnerwetter** is right. I live in Germany and, funny thing, I had a conversation on this topic at a dinner party recently. We were discussing space travel and I mentioned how “Scotty” Doohan and a few other well-known people had had their ashes shot off into space. The Germans at the table (I was the sole American) were amused by the idea but told me there’ll never be _Deutsche Restasche_ (cremains of a German citizen) circling the earth because crematoria here are not allowed to release ashes to the next of kin. The remains have to sent to a funeral home and then placed in a grave or a columbarium. I think the typical way around it in Germany (if you so desire) is to launder the ashes through a foreign country. German law does allow remains to be sent to a foreign funeral parlor upon request (i.e. in the Netherlands), where the laws are less strict. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-for-the-deceased/706723/22 "2014-12-10T22:32:00Z")
I don’t know the specifics, but apparently it’s a huge PITA to get the appropriate documentation to ship a dead body to Mexico. One of my co-workers, when her grandmother was dying, described a bit of the process of trying to get the appropriate documentation from the Mexican Consulate in Chicago – apparently there’s one funeral home in Chicago that really has the process down pat, but it still involved getting the ball rolling before the poor woman was actually dead. The funeral home must make a fortune, because tons of people want to be buried in their home villages, even if they’ve spent their entire adult lives in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![xythenz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a88e57/32.png) [@xythenz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xythenz)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-for-the-deceased/706723/23 "2014-12-11T03:32:10Z")
Hate to hijack the thread but im curious. If I can an urn do they sift through my mothers ashes? Or if its a coffin do they crack it open and make sure Im not transporting illegal materials? If not I may have finally be able to take hot sauce internationally. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-for-the-deceased/706723/24 "2014-12-11T03:46:35Z")
I’m going to assume that yes, most customs authorities do have special procedures for examining human remains. During the Cold War the East Germans had a dedicated border crossing with morticians on staff to exam coffins being transported to West Germany (of course they were more concerned about a live occupant being smuggled than drugs). ---
**Author:** ![Idilia\_Dubb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c2a13f/32.png) [@Idilia\_Dubb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idilia_Dubb)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-for-the-deceased/706723/25 "2014-12-11T10:51:17Z")
> [@buddy431](#): > > I think the typical way around it in Germany (if you so desire) is to launder the ashes through a foreign country. German law does allow remains to be sent to a foreign funeral parlor upon request (i.e. in the Netherlands), where the laws are less strict. “Launder the ashes” … 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-for-the-deceased/706723/26 "2014-12-11T14:53:37Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Actually the “sitting for a picture” part should be dead easy. Although they would probably have a fairly stiff expression in the photo. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-for-the-deceased/706723/27 "2014-12-11T16:57:49Z")
We took our son’s ashes with us to Taiwan when we moved here. They didn’t ask and we didn’t tell. The urn is wood so that wasn’t an issue. The hospital released his body to the funeral home and they left him with us. We were given the official documentation and warned it would be a hassle if we lost it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passport-for-the-deceased/706723.md?page=1)