Cremation and ashes transport

Cremation in Haiti and bringing ashes home

Cremation facilities are not available in Haiti. Remains must be repatriated to the UK for cremation. This page sets out what Haiti requires, and what to check before you decide.

Send an enquiry Full repatriation guide for Haiti

Cremation in Haiti

Can you cremate someone in Haiti?

Cremation facilities are not available in Haiti. Remains must be repatriated to the UK for cremation.

Religious context: Mix of Catholicism, Protestantism, and Vodou traditions. Vodou funerary practices vary widely and may affect timing and handling of remains.

Weighing cremation abroad against bringing your loved one home intact? How families decide between the two.

Who must release the body

Office National d'Identification (ONI), Parquet Civil

Documentation language

French; Haitian Creole

Airline guidance

Can you carry ashes on the flight home?

Routing out of Haiti: Repatriations route via Miami (American Airlines), New York (JFK), or via other Caribbean hubs. Air France previously operated direct Paris service; connectivity is limited and subject to security-driven schedule changes.

Departure airports: Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP), Port-au-Prince

Airline rules that apply on any route.

What affects the cost from Haiti

We do not publish a figure, because it turns on the specifics of the case. For Haiti the things that move it are:

Distance from where the death happened to the nearest crematorium
Whether Office National d'Identification (ONI), Parquet Civil has to release the case first
Translation, since documentation is in French; Haitian Creole
Routing home. Repatriations route via Miami (American Airlines), New York (JFK), or via other Caribbean hubs. Air France previously operated direct Paris service; connectivity is limited and subject to security-driven schedule changes.
Whether you carry the ashes yourself or need them shipped

Considering full repatriation instead?

Some families decide they want their loved one brought home intact. The full Haiti guide sets out that process.

Full repatriation guide for Haiti

First steps guide

What to do if someone dies in Haiti

The step-by-step first response guide covers the first 24 hours in Haiti.

Official lists for Haiti

Published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for British nationals. We are not connected to the firms listed.

Funeral directors, for arranging local care and preparation
Lawyers, where an estate or an investigation needs local legal advice

Sources: FCDO: death abroad · FCDO travel advice · Repatriation from Haiti

Talk to us about cremation in Haiti

We deal with Office National d'Identification (ONI), Parquet Civil and the local funeral directors directly. Tell us what has happened and we will take it from there.