In this guide
For repatriation of remains to Ecuador, a licensed U.S. funeral provider prepares the body, the family gathers certified death documents and the Ecuadorian consulate's guidance, and an airline carries the body as cargo to a receiving provider in Ecuador. We do not publish a cost range for this route, so ask each provider for a written quote that includes everything. Families with limited resources can apply to Ecuador's Foreign Ministry for help. Eternimax coordinates each step. This is not legal advice.
What repatriation to Ecuador involves
Repatriation means returning a person who died in the United States to Ecuador for a wake, burial or cremation. Many Ecuadorian families in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Illinois and Connecticut live far from the town where their relative will rest, and the last leg is often by road. Eternimax is not a funeral home and not an insurer. We coordinate independent, licensed providers in the U.S., the airline cargo booking and a receiving provider in Ecuador.
Step by step: from the U.S. to Ecuador
Confirm who holds the body and who decides
Hospital, medical examiner or funeral home may have custody. Only the legal next of kin can authorize release.
Order certified death certificates
Ask the state or county for several certified copies. Replacing an old or cropped copy can take weeks.
Contact the Ecuadorian consulate
It explains the documents it needs and can open a support request if the family qualifies. Confirm the current list with the consulate before booking.
Choose body or ashes
A body needs embalming and a hermetically sealed container. Ashes need a cremation certificate and a suitable urn.
Book cargo and confirm the air waybill (AWB)
The airline needs the receiving provider's details. Do not set the wake date or buy tickets until the AWB is issued.
Customs and release in Ecuador
The receiving provider presents the paperwork at the airport, usually in Guayaquil or Quito.
Ground transport and service
The receiving provider carries the body to the town and arranges the wake and burial or cremation.
Documents you will usually need
- Certified death certificate with cause of death: from the state or county.
- Apostille or legalization: from the issuing state's authority, or another step if the consulate asks. Confirm with the consulate.
- Embalming certificate and sealed-container statement for a body, or cremation certificate for ashes: from the U.S. provider.
- Passport or ID of the deceased and the next of kin's ID: copies first, original sometimes requested.
- Proof of relationship when last names differ.
- Receiving provider details in Ecuador.
- Autopsy or police report when there was an investigation. Ecuador's procedure lists these for support requests.
What the cost includes
A repatriation total usually combines:
- the U.S. provider's services, embalming, transfer and container;
- certified copies, apostille and translations;
- airline cargo fees, which vary by route and weight;
- receiving provider charges, such as airport reception, ground transport to the town, casket and wake;
- coordination.
Extras sometimes added later: storage days, a rush apostille, restoration for an open-casket wake, a casket upgrade, delivery to a home address and the separate shipping of belongings.
Estimates are for general information only. They are not a quote or an offer. Final costs depend on the providers, the airline, the destination and the family's choices.
We have few completed cases on this route, so we do not publish a range. Remote destinations raise the ground transport leg. See our repatriation cost guide for how each part adds up.
Body or ashes?
| Body | Ashes | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | We price this case by case | We price this case by case |
| Preparation | Embalming, hermetic container | Cremation, urn |
| Transport | Airline cargo with AWB | Cargo, or carried by a relative in many cases |
| Paperwork | More documents | Cremation and death certificates |
| Good when | The family wants a wake and burial in Ecuador | Cost, speed or flexibility matter |
Cremation in the U.S. and cremation in Ecuador are separate services. TSA allows cremated remains in carry-on and checked bags but will not open a container, and an urn that blocks the X-ray image may not be allowed. Some airlines restrict checked bags. Confirm with the airline. Our body or ashes guide goes deeper.
Support from Ecuador's government
Ecuador's Foreign Ministry runs a procedure for families in economic and social vulnerability. The family sends a written request to the Ecuadorian consulate with the ID of the requester and of the deceased, available death documents (medical certificate, and autopsy or police report if there was an investigation) and a sworn statement that it lacks the funds. After an evaluation, the state may support the transfer. The procedure has no application fee, and an approval is valid for 30 days unless local processes delay it. The page does not list which expenses the support includes, so ask the consulate. The ministry's protocol also covers foreigners who die in Ecuador.
From Ecuador to the U.S.
Many families need to bring ashes from Ecuador to the United States. A provider in Ecuador handles the death registration, cremation and certificates, and we coordinate the shipment and delivery to the family. The U.S. leg alone, receiving ashes at the Miami airport and delivering them in Florida, has cost less than US$1,000 in cases we have coordinated, and the Ecuador leg is quoted separately. Providers in Ecuador have told us the work can be quick in the best case, though collecting a body in remote areas can be hard. If the person was a foreign resident, have the passport ready. Bringing a body into the U.S. generally requires a death certificate with cause of death unless embalmed or cremated, and non-cremated remains must travel in a leak-proof container, according to the CDC.
Common mistakes
- Buying tickets or setting the wake date before the AWB exists.
- Not knowing who has custody of the body.
- Using an old or cropped certificate and ordering too few copies.
- Assuming belongings travel with the body.
- Waiting to ask the consulate about support until after paying a provider.
- Several relatives giving different instructions.
How Eternimax helps
Eternimax is a coordination company, not a funeral home. We work with independent, licensed providers in the U.S. and Ecuador, explain what each price includes before you decide, send written updates at each step and stay with the family until the service ends. We do not give legal or immigration advice. The membership is not insurance and not a prepaid funeral plan, and repatriation is a separate service.
Talk with a coordinator. One call. One coordinator. We assist in English and Spanish. +1 (866) 978-5207 · Write to us
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send a body to Ecuador from the U.S.?
We do not publish a range for a body from the U.S. to Ecuador, because we have few completed cases on that route. The total depends on the departure city, the airline route, the container and whether there is a wake. We would give you a written breakdown before you commit. This is not a quote.
Does the Ecuadorian government pay to repatriate remains?
Ecuador's Foreign Ministry has a procedure for families in economic and social vulnerability. The family applies in writing to the consulate with ID, death documents and a sworn statement that it lacks the funds, and the case is evaluated. The procedure itself has no application fee, and approval is valid for 30 days. Confirm eligibility with the consulate.
How long does repatriation to Ecuador take?
In cases we have coordinated, the transfer typically takes about 5 business days once the body is released and no medical examiner or police are involved. With a medical examiner or police it typically takes 10 or more. The apostille typically adds 5 to 9 business days. No provider can promise a date.
Can I bring my relative's ashes from Ecuador to the U.S.?
Yes. A provider in Ecuador handles the cremation and the cremation and death certificates, and we coordinate the shipment and delivery in the U.S. Families sometimes travel and carry the ashes home themselves. TSA and your airline set the rules for the urn.
Is the Eternimax membership a repatriation plan?
No. The membership covers coordination services in the country where your loved one lives, and repatriation is a separate service. The membership is not insurance and not a prepaid funeral plan.
What documents does Ecuador ask for?
Usually a certified death certificate with the apostille or legalization the consulate requests, the passport or ID of the deceased, embalming or cremation certificates and details of the receiving provider. Requirements change, so confirm with the consulate before booking.
Official sources
- Gob.ec (Ecuador) — Repatriación de cadáveres y traslado de restos mortales (MREMH-023)
- Gob.ec (Ecuador) — Acuerdo Ministerial 0000082: Protocolo de repatriación de cadáveres y traslado de restos mortales
- TSA — Cremated remains
- CDC — Importing human remains into the United States
Links to the official sources. Requirements change: always check the current version.
General information
This guide is general information. It is not legal, medical, immigration or tax advice and does not replace a professional licensed in your jurisdiction. Requirements, timelines and costs are determined by the providers and authorities in each case and may change. Eternimax coordinates between the parties and does not itself perform funeral or other regulated services.
