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Facing the death of a friend or loved one is difficult
under any circumstances, let alone when it occurs in
a foreign country. Since the majority of Americans
living in Costa Rica are middle-aged or seniors, it
is advisable that they know what procedures to follow
if their spouse or a friend passes away.
First, you should contact the U.S. Embassy to report
the death of an American citizen. The American Citizen
Services section of the U.S. Embassy may be reached
at 519-2000, ext. 2452. If necessary, they will contact
family members, hold valuables for the family, act
as a liaison to help the family make funeral and/or
cremation arrangements, and help with repatriation
of the body (this cost is covered by the government
if the deceased was an active member of the military,
if so desired). They will also issue a Certificate
of Death Abroad, an official copy of which is sent
to the State Department in Washington, D.C. This document
may be important for both insurance, tax and probate
purposes.
Note: If your spouse or a friend passes away anywhere
else except in a hospital, the body has to undergo
an autopsy. A police report will also have to be made.
You will have to get a death certificate from a doctor
before the body can be sent to a funeral home. Without
a death certificate the body will be taken to the judicial
morgue, no matter the circumstances under which your
relative died. Then you'll have to go though a bureaucratic
process to get it released. If your relative dies in
the hospital, you do not have to worry about this.
You can find out additional information by calling
the U.S. Embassy at 220-3050.
Cremation is not that common in Costa Rica. Jardines del
Recuerdo has a monopoly on cremations. The cost is about
$2,000. All bodies tobe cremated must under go an autopsy.
Jardines de Recuerdo can take care of this. It also provide
authorization to ship the sealed urn out of the country. A
regular burial is a lot more affordable.
By the way, you can prepay either cremation or burial
at today's rates for these services.
Here is a person's recent experience with the cremation
of a member of the family: A relative passed away late
on a Monday night, the autopsy was completed around
noon on Tuesday, and the funeral home refrigerated
the remains until they could schedule the cremation
at their facility on Saturday morning.
Three local funeral homes offer cremation, all about
$1,600 plus $500 for the autopsy, and I selected Jardines
de Recuerdo (http://www. jardinesdelrecuerdo.co.cr/cremacion_y_cenizarios.htm)
in San José. The cremation was in their cemetery
on the way to the city of Heredia.
I was present and viewed my relative's remains immediately
prior to the cremation, which is attached to the chapel.
I also viewed the crematory unit and it was void of
any previous remains. I needed to do this for peace
of mind.
The funeral home obtained all permits, including the Consular
Mortuary Certificate from the U.S. Embassy. If you are returning
the ashes to the United States for burial, you need to allow
time for this to meet airline regulations. |
