Cremation and ashes transport

Cremation in Iran and bringing ashes home

Cremation is not practised in Iran. Full body repatriation is required. This page sets out what Iran requires, and what to check before you decide.

Send an enquiry Full repatriation guide for Iran

Cremation in Iran

Can you cremate someone in Iran?

Cremation is not practised in Iran. Full body repatriation is required.

Religious context: Approximately 98% Muslim (predominantly Shia). Islamic burial within 24 hours strongly observed. Zoroastrian, Christian, and Jewish minorities exist.

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

Who must release the body

State Organisation for Civil Registration (SABTE AHVAL); Medical Legal Organisation (Pezeshki Qanuni)

Documentation language

Persian (Farsi)

Airline guidance

Can you carry ashes on the flight home?

Routing out of Iran: Via Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), Dubai (Emirates/flydubai), Doha (Qatar Airways). Direct UK routes suspended since 2012.

Departure airports: IKA (Imam Khomeini International, Tehran), THR (Mehrabad, Tehran)

Airline rules that apply on any route.

What affects the cost from Iran

We do not publish a figure, because it turns on the specifics of the case.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

Distance from where the death happened to the nearest crematorium
Whether State Organisation for Civil Registration (SABTE AHVAL); Medical Legal Organisation (Pezeshki Qanuni) has to release the case first
Translation, since documentation is in Persian (Farsi)
Routing home. Via Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), Dubai (Emirates/flydubai), Doha (Qatar Airways). Direct UK routes suspended since 2012.
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 Iran guide sets out that process.

Full repatriation guide for Iran

First steps guide

What to do if someone dies in Iran

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

Official lists for Iran

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 Iran

Talk to us about cremation in Iran

We deal with State Organisation for Civil Registration (SABTE AHVAL); Medical Legal Organisation (Pezeshki Qanuni) and the local funeral directors directly. Tell us what has happened and we will take it from there.