How do I obtain a transit permit for bringing cremains to Jamaica

Another post in my seemingly endless saga of doing a sea burial of my late husband's cremated remains in Jamaica. We have our hotel booked (SATP) and the hotel will arrange for a boat to take us out to do the burial. My understanding is that I need the death certificate and certification of cremation (both of which I have) and a transit permit. I cannot find any information on obtaining this transit permit for a case where a family member is bring the cremains rather than them going from a funeral home in the US to a funeral home in Jamaica. I currently have the remains in an urn in my home and they will be transported and buried in a TSA-approved biodegradable urn.

The Jamaican Consulate in Washington DC has an endless voice mail system that keeps taking me back to the same recording. The one in New York has no operator pickup. The instructions available for a transit permit assume a funeral home-to-funeral home transport. I have contacted the consulate in Jamaica via e-mail and have received no answer.

I don't want to end up with my husbands remains sitting somewhere in Kingston or Montego Bay and have to spend five days trying to straighten it out. Does anyone have any information on how I can do this? Thank you in advance if you do.

A Transit Permit is issued by the Kingston and St. Andrew Health Department, or the St. James Health Department. Here is the Kingston contact info:

Kingston and St Andrew Health Department,

1A Caledonia Crescent, Kingston 5

Tel: +1876 926-1550-2

Do they issue these permits to individuals, or will I have to get a local funeral home here involved, to ship them to a funeral home in Negril? I hate to have to get all these middlemen involved. :-(

They should be able to issue you one as long as you have all the necessary documents. There are separate fees for individuals and funeral homes.

Give them a call on Monday!

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Originally Posted by hackwriter

Another post in my seemingly endless saga of doing a sea burial of my late husband's cremated remains in Jamaica. We have our hotel booked (SATP) and the hotel will arrange for a boat to take us out to do the burial. My understanding is that I need the death certificate and certification of cremation (both of which I have) and a transit permit. I cannot find any information on obtaining this transit permit for a case where a family member is bring the cremains rather than them going from a funeral home in the US to a funeral home in Jamaica. I currently have the remains in an urn in my home and they will be transported and buried in a TSA-approved biodegradable urn.

The Jamaican Consulate in Washington DC has an endless voice mail system that keeps taking me back to the same recording. The one in New York has no operator pickup. The instructions available for a transit permit assume a funeral home-to-funeral home transport. I have contacted the consulate in Jamaica via e-mail and have received no answer.

I don't want to end up with my husbands remains sitting somewhere in Kingston or Montego Bay and have to spend five days trying to straighten it out. Does anyone have any information on how I can do this? Thank you in advance if you do.

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I am very sorry for you loss. I had to get a travel permit for a relative's cremated remains in December. It was a process. You need a death certificate and a proof of cremation.

Fax the documents to these folks:

St. James Health Department
Ph: 1-876-979-7820-4
Fax: 1-876-979-7802

Email: saintjames@wrha.gov.jm
St. James Montego Bay PO St. James, Jamaica WI

There is a cost of around US$60. The hard part is you must have the original documents issued by the health department with you when you arrive in Jamaica. A cab driver friend paid the fees and picked up the documents.

When we arrived in Jamaica I ran outside and got the documents. Then the hard part - swimming upstream against airport security while a family member was discussing the matter with security. They will not let you take the remains out of the airport without the permit. Airport security took the documents back to my family member and all was good. Had a beautiful sunset boat ride and we placed his remains in the sea. PM me if you have any questions.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kold Ass Mofo

I am very sorry for you loss. I had to get a travel permit for a relative's cremated remains in December. It was a process. You need a death certificate and a proof of cremation.

Fax the documents to these folks:

St. James Health Department
Ph: 1-876-979-7820-4
Fax: 1-876-979-7802

Email: saintjames@wrha.gov.jm
St. James Montego Bay PO St. James, Jamaica WI

There is a cost of around US$60. The hard part is you must have the original documents issued by the health department with you when you arrive in Jamaica. A cab driver friend paid the fees and picked up the documents.

When we arrived in Jamaica I ran outside and got the documents. Then the hard part - swimming upstream against airport security while a family member was discussing the matter with security. They will not let you take the remains out of the airport without the permit. Airport security took the documents back to my family member and all was good. Had a beautiful sunset boat ride and we placed his remains in the sea. PM me if you have any questions.

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As am I, so sorry for your loss. If there is a bright thing about this, you will be able to watch every Negril sunset knowing that your loved one is out there some where. My best friend of 45 years passed away in February and he too wanted to be spread out at sea close to Negril. He had only been there 3 times but somehow Negril touched his heart in a big way.

So where did you get stopped with the remains?? At customs, and then once someone swam backwards from the outside door back to customs with the permit, only then can you continue out? Is that right? My friend Bob would want me to meet the driver outside with the permit, have a quick Red Stripe at the Groovy Grouper and only then get the permit back to customs, LOL.

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Originally Posted by brownsd54

As am I, so sorry for your loss. If there is a bright thing about this, you will be able to watch every Negril sunset knowing that your loved one is out there some where. My best friend of 45 years passed away in February and he too wanted to be spread out at sea close to Negril. He had only been there 3 times but somehow Negril touched his heart in a big way.

So where did you get stopped with the remains?? At customs, and then once someone swam backwards from the outside door back to customs with the permit, only then can you continue out? Is that right? My friend Bob would want me to meet the driver outside with the permit, have a quick Red Stripe at the Groovy Grouper and only then get the permit back to customs, LOL.

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The family member carrying the remains claimed it on the customs form to prevent it from being confiscated. "Cremated remains of a loved one.....$0.00". We had an emailed copy of the travel permit but the customs folks wanted the original paperwork that was issued from the health department in St James. If you don't have the paperwork with you at the airport they keep the remains in their custody until you return with the paperwork.

The airport security people in mo bay were very nice. Try going upstream of airport security in Atlanta, you'll get tazed.

You are absolutely correct about the bright side. Now we get to enjoy the Negril sunsets and even swim with our deceased loved one. He's out there somewhere between the beach and Rick's.

Attachment 51408

The waters off Negril are where I’d like to be when I’m done. It’s the closest thing to heaven I know of. I hope my family will visit often, dropping some jerk and Appleton into the water when they do. Either way it sounds like I’ll be in excellent company!

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Originally Posted by JohnNYC

The waters off Negril are where I’d like to be when I’m done. It’s the closest thing to heaven I know of. I hope my family will visit often, dropping some jerk and Appleton into the water when they do. Either way it sounds like I’ll be in excellent company!

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Ya Mon! Please write down your wishes or make sure someone that you trust knows what you want. My family member's will did not specify what he wanted done with his body. Thank goodness he told me more than once to, "burn my a$$ and scatter the ashes at sunset off Negril".

We tossed a few shots of Appleton off the boat. But, being true to family form we drank the rest of the bottle.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kold Ass Mofo

I am very sorry for you loss. I had to get a travel permit for a relative's cremated remains in December. It was a process. You need a death certificate and a proof of cremation.

Fax the documents to these folks:

St. James Health Department
Ph: 1-876-979-7820-4
Fax: 1-876-979-7802

Email: saintjames@wrha.gov.jm
St. James Montego Bay PO St. James, Jamaica WI

There is a cost of around US$60. The hard part is you must have the original documents issued by the health department with you when you arrive in Jamaica. A cab driver friend paid the fees and picked up the documents.

When we arrived in Jamaica I ran outside and got the documents. Then the hard part - swimming upstream against airport security while a family member was discussing the matter with security. They will not let you take the remains out of the airport without the permit. Airport security took the documents back to my family member and all was good. Had a beautiful sunset boat ride and we placed his remains in the sea. PM me if you have any questions.

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Thank you. I sent you a PM, because I am utterly confused and starting to feel like I cannot do this. How do I get the original paperwork? Can't they mail it to me before I go Will I have to go all the way to Kingston to get the paperwork and then go to Montego Bay to get the cremains out of Customs Jail? We will only be there five days, and I can't imagine spending two of them, and lots of money, taxiing around the entire island to get a piece of paper.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kold Ass Mofo

Ya Mon! Please write down your wishes or make sure someone that you trust knows what you want. My family member's will did not specify what he wanted done with his body. Thank goodness he told me more than once to, "burn my a$$ and scatter the ashes at sunset off Negril".

We tossed a few shots of Appleton off the boat. But, being true to family form we drank the rest of the bottle.

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This is exactly what I want, and mention it often. Play a little Bob or Gregory, drop a spliff if the water before you leave, and I’m good until you return.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnNYC

This is exactly what I want, and mention it often. Play a little Bob or Gregory, drop a spliff if the water before you leave, and I’m good until you return.

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amendment to my will:

Upon death fax the documents to these folks:

St. James Health Department
Ph: 1-876-979-7820-4
Fax: 1-876-979-7802

Email: saintjames@wrha.gov.jm
St. James Montego Bay PO St. James, Jamaica WI

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Call Andre for wheels and help with the docs:

http://luxuriouscaribtoursjamaica.com/

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Sunset cruise, snorkeling, pick up more beer at Ricks, yadda-yadda:

At sea Ceremony aboard SS Dr. Bill and crew. (Parked north of Coco La Palm)

Dump my molecules in the sea. Rinse, repeat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kold Ass Mofo

amendment to my will:

Upon death fax the documents to these folks:

St. James Health Department
Ph: 1-876-979-7820-4
Fax: 1-876-979-7802

Email: saintjames@wrha.gov.jm
St. James Montego Bay PO St. James, Jamaica WI

-------------------------------------------

Call Andre for wheels and help with the docs:

http://luxuriouscaribtoursjamaica.com/

-------------------------------------------

Sunset cruise, snorkeling, pick up more beer at Ricks, yadda-yadda:

At sea Ceremony aboard SS Dr. Bill and crew. (Parked north of Coco La Palm)

Dump my molecules in the sea. Rinse, repeat.

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Thanks to you for the conversation and guidance.

I finally got through to the St. James Health Department today after 5 phone calls where the person I need to talk to wasn't there. These calls will probably cost me about 30 bucks at $1.99/minute.

It looks like the only way to do this is to have someone on the Jamaica end pick up the permit. They will accept e-mailed death certificate and cremation certificate and generate the permit. BUT....they don't handle the payment. I asked about a USPS International Money Order, and they can't do that. The payment has to be made to the St. James Municipal Council. Googling this, I found St. James Municipal Corporation, which seems to be the same thing (http://www.stjamesmc.gov.jm/) at 19A Union St. in Montego Bay. They did not know if the council can accept an international money order, so I need to follow up on that. If they can, then all I have to do is find someone (Andre, as suggested?) to pick it up and there are no money issues.

If I could work out the money thing, and they could get a receipt from the council that the payment was made, they could e-mail me the permit. What remains to be seen is whether Customs would require the original, in which case we are back to square one.

Option #2 is to see if the hotel can handle this, i.e. charge the fee to my credit card and send someone, perhaps a driver dropping someone off, to pick it up. This might be the best option.

Anyway, there are further steps to follow. Logistically, it's still a crapshoot, because someone from my party would have to stay behind with the ashes until the permit can be brought to that person and who knows how difficult that will be.

I will have to talk to my sister and brother-in-law and see how willing they are to hassle with this. I'm starting to think these ashes may yet be buried in my backyard.

Another option, although not ideal, would be to have someone from your party go ahead a few days earlier for these arrangements. After all the hassles, I’m sure it will be well worth it. You will have a beautiful ceremony placing your loved on in Heaven on Earth

Another option, although not ideal, would be to have someone from your party go ahead a few days earlier for these arrangements. After all the hassles, I’m sure it will be well worth it. You will have a beautiful ceremony.

Here's a final recap for anyone who is interested in doing this on the up-and-up.

First of all, to do a complete scatter/burial at sea, keep in mind that the ashes of a 200 lb. person are going to weigh about 6-8 lbs. Call your airline to see whether human cremains should be put in checked baggage or carry-on. (American requires them in carry-on bags.) You will need a TSA-approved urn, which is one that the scanners can see through. Because I was doing a full burial at sea, not a scatter, I purchased online a biodegradable urn made of paper and some extra bags (which are made of cornstarch and also degrade) because these bags are not all that sturdy. The urn for an adult is about 12" square, maybe a tad larger. If you are freaked out about transferring the ashes from a permanent urn (if you have one), some funeral homes will do this for you. I contacted one who did it for me, so I never had to see the ashes.

The urn WILL be subject to additional screening and will be swabbed. Plan to bring certified copy of original death certificate and copy of cremation certificate.

Thanks to Negril.com boardie Kold Ass Mofo for information about the transit permit. IF your luggage is NOT searched, you are home free. But if your luggage is searched, and you DON'T have a transit permit, the urn will be confiscated and held at Customs until you get it. And here is the Catch-22. You have to have the permit when you are at Customs. Some drivers will do this for you for an additional fee. But the driver will be outside and you will be at Customs...so how do you get it?

I found a service in Negril that I will not name here because they are not an advertiser. I paid them to do the logistics and Fedex the permit and original documents back to me. You can e-mail a PDF of the death certificate and cremation certificate, along with where you are staying and your arrival information (dated, fight #) to the St. James Health Department. My contact there was Sheronie Foster-Barrett (moh.secstj@gmail.com). Do this a few weeks before your arrival. It will have to be signed by the Medical Officer.

There is a $J7000 fee for the permit, which is about $55-$60, depending on the exchange rate. You cannot get the permit without the receipt for payment, and the payment is NOT made to the Health Department, but to the St. James Municipal Corporation, which is the Parish council. There, you have to show the same documents in order to get the receipt, then take the receipt back to the St. James Health Department to get the permit.

I opened a Fedex account so I was able to get the folks who took care of this for me to send me the permit in advance of my trip. This way, if they checked my luggage, I would have the permit. It was about $100 each way for Fedex, so this was not exactly cheap. But I am an anxious person and I wanted to make sure I would get through without a hassle.

Everything went without a hitch, someone reached out to me about a guy who had no issues with taking us out to sea to do this, and it all worked out great.

So if anyone decides they want to do this for a loved one, and needs more information, just send me a PM.

Hackwriter...that was so very kind of you to share these final details. I've done similarly, but my information is a bit different with living here.
Your original question is often asked & again we appreciate you & everyone that has shared in this thread.

As for sharing information about someone that's not a sponsor...this is generally not a problem as long as it's not a blatant form of free advertising. If they were very helpful & someone that should be mentioned...could you private message Rob or I the name of who had helped you out.

Thank you so much for not only your original question, but also the final results. The remains of my very good friend Robert will be brought back to the island in early November and this thread has helped immensely. I was very impressed in my dealings with Sheronie Foster-Barrett and the MOH in MoBay. The only hitch I had was with the Parish Council. They demanded the date and flight number the remains would be on, of which I didn't have. I had to return at a later day once the flight arrangements were made. Nothing is easy in Jamaica but sometimes that's part of the allure. Now Westjet has cancelled one leg of my flight and I have to fly on a different day. This should be interesting.

Once again Hackwriter, sorry for your loss. Negril and Negril Beach will be there forever as will the memories.

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Originally Posted by brownsd54

Thank you so much for not only your original question, but also the final results. The remains of my very good friend Robert will be brought back to the island in early November and this thread has helped immensely. I was very impressed in my dealings with Sheronie Foster-Barrett and the MOH in MoBay. The only hitch I had was with the Parish Council. They demanded the date and flight number the remains would be on, of which I didn't have. I had to return at a later day once the flight arrangements were made. Nothing is easy in Jamaica but sometimes that's part of the allure. Now Westjet has cancelled one leg of my flight and I have to fly on a different day. This should be interesting.

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It might be worth your while then to spring for Club MoBay, depending on when you are travelling. We came in on a Tuesday and there was NO ONE in line for "nothing to declare". There wasn't even a place in that line for them to inspect bags. And the gal from ClubMoBay really did just get us right through. It's always a crapshoot, but I know if I HADN'T had the permit, I would have been stopped!