How to Ship Cremation Remains
When a loved one passes and his wishes are to be cremated, shipping those cremation remains, or cremains, to another location doesn't have to be a hassle. Follow these guidelines to make certain that your loved one's cremation remains will arrive at its destination intact and undamaged.
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Things You'll Need
- Resilient, spill-proof container
- Registered Mail Return Receipt Requested label
Instructions
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Make arrangements for someone to receive the cremation remains. You can either have them shipped directly to someone's home or to the local post office.
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Get the proper container. The cremation remains must be in a container that is sealed and resilient enough to withstand shipping. The container also must be spill-proof.
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Fill out a Registered Mail Return Receipt Requested form. This is a green and white card offered by the United States Postal Service to request proof of delivery. The card will be mailed to you with the signature of the person who received the cremation remains.
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Identify the package as containing cremation remains. This must be noted on the address side of the shipping label.
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Go to the nearest post office and ship the cremation remains either by Express Mail, Priority Mail or Package Services. All three of these options allow you to ship using the Registered Mail Return Receipt Requested feature.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep the cremation remains in the funeral home's packaging. This packaging is generally a durable cardboard box with a plastic liner. Close the plastic liner securely and tape the outside of the box. Then place the box in the shipping container. This will ensure that the cremation remains will arrive to its destination intact.
Avoid having the funeral home put the cremation remains in an urn, which do not have plastic liners, and may open and spill during shipping.
Federal Express, DHL and UPS do not ship cremation remains because they are "uninsurable."
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Comments
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jackbit
Jan 24, 2011
Express Mail cannot go by Registered Mail, however you can get a return receipt for Express Mail. Return receipt is just an additional service offered by the USPS for Registered, Certified, Insured, Express Mail, etc. -
debugji
Jan 05, 2010
I tried to send the cremated remains through USPS but they said that the weight was over the acceptable limit of 4 lb for a registered package. Any idea how to ship if the weight is more than 4 lb. Thanks.
