transporting ashes

Are you speaking about legally? You need to contact the American consulate or embassy in Sweden about such matters. They can assist you with these kinds of things.

thank you for the info

Check the US Customs website: www.customs.gov

I could be completely wrong about this, but if my memory is correct, you can import personal remains in the form of ashes, but it requires paperwork and documentation. Without the proper documentation, ashes are considered in the same class as soil, which can only be imported under certain strict criteria.

Advice about contacting the embassy is best, but unless Sweden has some odd laws, it is somewhat common to transport ashes between countries. To add to the information, you may want to look on the airlines website, there are some specific rules about the containers and ashes on airplanes.

Search on this page for what the US Embassy in The Hague says about transporting ashes.

http://thehague.usembassy.gov/faqs/u.s.-customs/

As you are going into the State from Sweden, it should be the the same.

Put the ashes in a polythene bag. Make a little cushion cover to look like a souvenir - say with a bit on embroidery or an applique on it. Put the ashes in, wrap up and put into suitcase. What could be wrong with that?

Linda, I wanted to suggest something like that and I'm sure people use such means all the time. I know I would.

Lord knows I am not a law breaker BUT I took some of my best friend's ashes to Italy in 06'. She was in a beautiful Crown Royal bag packed in my walk on. Flew into Heathrow. No problem and none on Ryan Air which I flew to Rome. Still it BEST to get info from the consulate.

When my beloved collie died last year, I was determined to fly back to Indiana and return his ashes back to his old favorite back yard resting spot at our former home. His ashes (in my checked luggage) were contained in the (heavy) wooden box provided by the Humane Society's cremation service. The whole time, I worried about the possibility of having them mistaken for human remains, but luckily, no one noticed. Taking him home was very emotional.I didn't want to have to deal with any government paperwork or having to prove he wasn't human. I certainly can't imagine how ashes, which aren't drugs or explosives, especially an amount small enough to fit into a locket, or disguised in another container,could realistically be a major risk. But I am a slight risk taker...especially when it's for emotional or sentimental reasons.

"I certainly can't imagine how ashes, which aren't drugs or explosives, especially an amount small enough to fit into a locket, could realistically be a major risk." The issue is that if the ashes are contaminated by foreign soil, you could inadvertently introduce an agricultural disease. There have been precedents in the past, that is why the standards are so strict.

Wow, Frank, I had no idea that contaminants in the soil(?) could possibly survive the 1400-1800 F, temps of the cremation process. I'd love some links to this research so I could read more. Sounds like I should probably be disposing of my shoes, just in case, before I enter a new country.

Yes, just how does soil get into the crematorium I am wondering. And if I have the ashes sealed in a bag and packed in my luggage, surely my unsealed walking shoes are more likely to have contaminants.

It's not so much that contaminants would survive the cremation process (they wouldn't, and anything that could affect agriculture is not likely to infect a corpse anyway), it's the need to certify that the ashes have remained separate from the soil and relatively sealed since the cremation. The whole reason soil importation is restricted is to prevent the spread of potentially harmful spores and fungus to vulnerable farm products (what might be harmless to crops in Europe could be damaging to American crops, and vice versa). That's why immigration asks if you've visited a farm while in Europe. There is a rhyme and reason for at least some regulations...

I have been to the UK so many times and the only time (Once) I was asked if I had visited any farms was when they had foot and mouth disease that was in 2001. Never asked before and never after 2001.

Well, to add to Franks comment, the issue would be if they suspected that the cremains had been in the ground, or more likely, that a stellar TSA agent would mistake the cremains for soil. In response to Robin, while you may have not been directly asked about being on a farm, contact with soil, or having plant/soil; It is a standard question on your customs re-entry form to which you check yes or no.

Is my name showing up as "Frank" for some reason?

No Tom, you are Tom,, but funny how they keep calling you another name!

The OP asked about a small amount of ashes, not the whole amount. She asked about the amount that you could put in a locket. That could be less then one teaspoonful.

I would just take the dang locket with the ashes in it. Its a non issue to me.

Pat, you have cut to the heart of the matter. A tiny amount of ash, not an urn-ful.