Ashes transport guide
Bringing ashes home from New Zealand
You have ashes in New Zealand and need to bring them home. This page covers what New Zealand requires before they can leave.
Quick reference
3-10 days to arrange
What does New Zealand require before ashes can leave?
The rules that apply on any route, and what you may do with ashes once home, are covered in bringing ashes into the UK.
What New Zealand law says about ashes leaving
New Zealand’s Burial and Cremation Act 1964 controls what happens to a body. Sections 46E and 46F cover removing a body from New Zealand, which needs a certificate of cause of death or a coroner’s authorisation first. We found no equivalent provision for ashes. Once the cremation is done, the Cremation Regulations 1973 allow the crematorium to deliver the ashes to the person who applied for the cremation (regulation 8). The crematorium keeps a register of each cremation and a signed receipt for the ashes (regulation 9).
That register is why the crematorium, or the funeral director who arranged the cremation, is the right place to ask for a cremation certificate before you travel.
Air New Zealand’s rules for human ashes
Air New Zealand lets you pack an urn in checked or carry-on baggage. The container must be sealed airtight with the lid securely fitted. You need a death certificate and a cremation certificate that confirm the person’s name, where and when they were cremated, and that the container holds only ashes.
Screening at New Zealand airports
The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand places no restriction on human cremated remains on international flights and recommends telling your airline in advance. Screeners inspect the container without opening it, and may swab the outside for trace detection.
Changing planes on the way to the UK
If your journey connects through another country, Air New Zealand asks you to check the requirements of the whole trip, including connecting flights and transit points. British Airways, if it operates your final leg, expects the certificates to come from the country of departure, which here means New Zealand documents.
Sending ashes as freight instead
If nobody is flying, ashes can travel as cargo. New Zealand Customs says that when human remains are sent from New Zealand, the freight forwarder or airline will usually complete the Customs formalities. Emirates SkyCargo, for example, requires ashes to travel in a funeral urn cushioned against breakage, with a cremation certificate.
Sources checked 6 October 2026:
What are the airline rules for carrying ashes?
What does New Zealand require to export ashes?
Cremation is available in New Zealand. Crematoriums will issue a cremation certificate, which is the core document for export. In some countries, additional certificates from health or foreign affairs authorities are required. The funeral director who handled the cremation will guide you on this.
What affects the cost?
Carrying ashes home yourself is the least expensive way to bring someone back from New Zealand, and for many families it costs little more than the return flight they are already taking. We do not publish a figure, because what you pay depends on the case.
| What changes the cost | Why |
|---|---|
| Whether the cremation has already taken place | Arranging it locally adds funeral director and crematorium involvement |
| Where the death happened | Distance to the nearest crematorium changes local transfer |
| Carrying versus shipping | Hand luggage costs nothing extra; a specialist courier is a separate arrangement |
| Documentation New Zealand requires | Export permits and translation, where they apply |
Send us the details of your situation and we will give you a figure, with no obligation.
Full repatriation guide
Complete guide: repatriation from New Zealand
Deciding on cremation?
Cremation in New Zealand: full guide including costs and what to expect
Official support
British Embassy in New Zealand: contacts and what consular staff can do
Need guidance?
We can help with ashes transport
If you are unsure about the paperwork or airline requirements, we can take it from here.
Send an enquiryFurther guidance
Official lists for New Zealand
Published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for British nationals. We are not connected to the firms listed.
- Lawyers, where an estate or an investigation needs local legal advice
Sources: FCDO: death abroad · FCDO travel advice · Repatriation from New Zealand
More on ashes and cremation abroad
Bringing ashes home from New Zealand
Tell us where the ashes are now and where home is. We will explain what is needed and send you a quote. We send ashes home to the UK, Ireland or any other country.