Arranging Cremation
From Out Of State
You do not need to travel to Florida.
A direct cremation in the Tampa Bay area can be arranged entirely from where you are — by phone, email, and electronic signature. Florida requires a 48-hour waiting period and Medical Examiner authorization before any cremation, so the process typically takes 7 to 10 business days.
$795 for the cremation, plus $195 to mail the cremated remains to you — $990 in total.
What to Do Right Now, From Wherever You Are
If the death has just occurred, here is what actually needs to happen — and what does not.
If your loved one died in a hospital or nursing facility:
The staff will notify the attending physician and move your loved one to the hospital’s care area. There is one step the hospital needs from you: tell them which provider you’ve chosen. Ask for the nursing supervisor or security staff and give them our name and phone number — Affordable Cremations of Central Florida, 813-647-3689. That’s all you need to do. Once they have our information, we coordinate the release and transfer directly with the hospital.
If your loved one died in hospice care:
Hospice staff will make the required notifications. Tell them you have selected Affordable Cremations of Central Florida and give them our phone number, or call us and we will coordinate directly with the hospice.
If your loved one died at home or somewhere unexpected:
Call 911 first if you have not already. Law enforcement and the District Medical Examiner will determine whether the death requires investigation. Your loved one may be transported to the Medical Examiner’s office before being released into our care. This can add time to the process, and it is outside any provider’s control.
What you do not
need to do right now:
- You do not need to book a flight.
- You do not need to be physically present for the transfer.
- You do not need to have the death certificate before calling us.
- You do not need to decide about a memorial service. Direct cremation does not foreclose any option — families frequently hold a service weeks or months later, wherever family is located.
Call us at (813)647-3689 and we will tell you exactly what happens next in your specific situation.
REMOTE ARRANGEMENTS
How Arranging From Another State Works
You call us.
We ask for your loved one's full legal name, date of birth, date and place of death, and your relationship to them. This takes a few minutes, and most families complete their arrangements the same day they call.
We arrange the transfer.
We coordinate directly with the hospital, hospice, facility, or Medical Examiner's office and bring your loved one into our care.
We send you the paperwork electronically.
You will receive the cremation authorization and declaration of intent by email. You review and sign them electronically from wherever you are.
We obtain the required approvals.
We file for the disposition permit and submit the file to the District Medical Examiner for the authorization Florida requires before any cremation.
The cremation is performed.
This happens only after the statutory waiting period has passed and all authorizations are in hand.
The cremated remains come to you.
We return them to you by mail, or release them to a family member or representative who can collect them in person.
You receive the death certificates.
We order certified copies on your behalf and mail them to your address.
At no point in this sequence do you need to be in Florida
Who Is Legally Allowed to Authorize the Cremation
Florida does not permit cremation on verbal consent. A cremation may not be performed until a legally authorized person gives written authorization, and that person must also sign a declaration of intent stating what will happen to the cremated remains. This requirement is set out in Florida Statute § 497.607.
Florida law defines who qualifies as a legally authorized person, in a specific order of priority (§ 497.005):
- The decedent, where they left written instructions before death
- The surviving spouse
- Adult children
- Parents
- Adult siblings
- More distant relatives, then a guardian or personal representative of the estate
What this means if you are out of state
Nothing in this statute requires the authorizing person to be physically in Florida. If you are the highest-priority legally authorized person, you can sign electronically from your home in any state.
If you have siblings
Where the authority sits with adult children and there are several of you, this is worth resolving early. We will walk you through what is required in your family’s situation — this is one of the most common questions we are asked, and it is usually simpler than families expect.
If you are not on that list
Nieces, nephews, cousins, close friends, and unmarried partners without documented legal standing generally cannot authorize a cremation in Florida. If no one on the priority list is available, there is usually still a path forward through the estate’s personal representative. Call us before assuming you are stuck.
Florida's Two Separate 48-Hour Rules
Families researching Florida cremation often encounter two different references to “48 hours” and reasonably assume they are the same rule. They are not. They come from two different statutes and do two different things.
The waiting period. Florida law makes it unlawful to cremate a body before 48 hours have elapsed from the time of death. There is no way to shorten this, and no provider can waive it.
The performance window. Separately, once a legally authorized person has authorized the cremation and agreed in writing to a specified time, the cremation must be performed within 48 hours of that time.
One is a floor. The other is a ceiling. Neither means a cremation will be complete two days after death — the practical timeline is longer, for the reason in the next section.
Why Florida Timelines Run Longer Than You May Expect
If you have arranged a cremation in another state, Florida will feel slow. There is a specific reason.
Florida requires Medical Examiner authorization before a cremation.
Under Fla. Stat. § 406.11, the District Medical Examiner does not relinquish jurisdiction for cremation until the cause of death has been established. This applies even when the death was entirely expected and occurred under hospice care. It is not triggered by anything unusual about the death.
The review is sequential, and that is what drives the timeline.
The Medical Examiner reviews the certified cause of death — which means the attending physician must first complete and return their portion of the death certificate. Until the physician signs, the Medical Examiner cannot review. Until the Medical Examiner authorizes, the cremation cannot proceed.
This is the step that most often extends a Florida cremation past the week mark, and it sits with the physician’s office and the Medical Examiner’s office, not with the cremation provider. Weekends and holidays extend it further.
A realistic timeline: 7 to 10 business days from the date of death.
Some are faster. Deaths requiring Medical Examiner investigation take longer.
Each District Medical Examiner charges a fee for the cremation authorization. The fee varies by county, and each of our county pages lists the fee for that district.
What we do about it.
We submit the file as soon as it is complete rather than in batches, and we follow up directly with physician offices when a certificate is outstanding. When something is holding up your loved one’s file, we tell you what it is and who has it. You will not have to call us to find out.
COMING HOME
Getting the Cremated Remains Back to You
You have two options.
Have them mailed to you.
Collect them in person [ no mailing fee ]
Getting Death Certificates When You Live in Another State
Florida issues two different versions of a death certificate, and out-of-state families frequently order the wrong one and have to start over.
Without cause of death.
A public record. Any person 18 or older may obtain a certified copy. Sufficient for many routine purposes.
With cause of death.
Confidential under Fla. Stat. § 382.025 for 50 years from the date of death. Most life insurance claims, pension administrators, and banks require this version.
Who may obtain the confidential version:
- The surviving spouse
- A parent
- An adult child, grandchild, or sibling
- Anyone providing a will, insurance policy, or other document demonstrating an interest in the estate
- Anyone with documentation that they are acting on behalf of one of the above
- Anyone holding a court order
The trap.
If the person handling arrangements is a niece, nephew, cousin, or unmarried partner — common when the closest relative is elderly or unwell — they are not on that list. In that situation Florida requires a notarized Affidavit to Release Cause of Death Information (DH Form 1959), signed by someone who is eligible, along with photo identification for both people. Families usually discover this after the certificate has been refused and time has been lost.
Order more copies than you think you need.
Most institutions will not return the copy you send them. Banks, insurers, brokerages, the Social Security Administration, the DMV, and each titled asset will typically each want their own. Families who order two or three routinely come back for more weeks later. Most estates need somewhere between five and ten.
We order certified copies on your behalf as part of the arrangement and have them mailed directly to your address, wherever you are. Certified copies are $15 each. Tell us how many you need and which version. If you are not sure, we will help you work it out.
What It Costs
Direct cremation – $795
Transfer Into Our Care
Electronic filing of all
necessary paperwork
Sheltering of remains
(up to 10 days)
County fee to approve
cremation
Crematory fee
(up to 399 lbs)
Seashore Temporary Container
(TSA Approved)
Specific to families arranging from out of state:
- Coordination with the hospital, hospice, or facility on your behalf
- Electronic paperwork — no travel, no notary required for the authorization
- Certified death certificates ordered and mailed to your address in any state
- Direct access to the owner throughout, rather than a rotating call center
Returning the cremated remains to you:
The U.S. Postal Service is the only carrier permitted to ship cremated remains, and since March 2025 its rules require specific packaging and Priority Mail Express service.
A typical out-of-state arrangement is $990 — the $795 cremation plus $195 mailing.
Why Out-of-State
Families Choose Us
You will speak with the owner. When you are coordinating from another state, being handed between staff members who do not know your case is the difference between a manageable process and a distressing one. Our families reach the owner directly.
The transfer is handled by our own staff. We bring your loved one into our care ourselves rather than subcontracting the transfer. The cremation is performed at a licensed crematory with which we work directly.
We tell you where things stand. If a physician’s certificate is outstanding or the Medical Examiner’s office has a backlog, we tell you that, and we tell you what it means for your timeline. You should not have to chase us for information about your own family member.
Identification procedures. When your loved one comes into our care, they are given an identification band that stays with them from that point forward. Before the cremation takes place, our team copies and compares every identifying document against your loved one and against that band. The crematory issues a metal identification tag with a unique number assigned to your loved one, which remains with them throughout. If anything does not match — a misspelled name, a wrong date, a single transposed digit — the process stops. Nothing proceeds until the discrepancy is resolved and every piece of information has been re-verified.
Family-owned and local. We are based in Tampa and serve the
Common Questions From Out-of-State Families
Do I have to fly to Florida to arrange a cremation?
No. Every step — authorization, the declaration of intent, payment, and delivery of the cremated remains — can be completed remotely. Florida law requires written authorization from a legally authorized person, but does not require that person to be physically present in Florida. You can sign electronically from any state.
Can I sign cremation paperwork electronically in Florida?
Yes. Florida Statute § 497.607 requires written authorization from a legally authorized person, and electronic signature satisfies this. We email the documents to you and you sign from wherever you are. Verbal authorization alone is not sufficient under Florida law.
How long does cremation take in Florida if I live out of state?
Typically 7 to 10 business days from the date of death. Living out of state does not itself add time. The timeline is driven by Florida’s 48-hour statutory waiting period and by the requirement that the District Medical Examiner authorize the cremation after the attending physician certifies the cause of death.
Why does Florida require Medical Examiner approval for every cremation?
Under Fla. Stat. § 406.11, the District Medical Examiner must establish the cause of death before relinquishing jurisdiction for cremation. Because cremation is irreversible, this review applies to all cremations, including expected deaths under hospice care. It is a standard step, not an indication of any concern.
My mother died in Tampa and I live in another state. What do I do first?
Call the cremation provider you have chosen and give them the name of the hospital, hospice, or facility. They coordinate the transfer directly. You do not need a death certificate, and you do not need to travel. We can be reached at 813-647-3689 at any hour.
Who is legally allowed to authorize a cremation in Florida?
Florida Statute § 497.005 sets a priority order: the decedent’s own written instructions, then the surviving spouse, adult children, parents, adult siblings, and more distant relatives, followed by a guardian or the estate’s personal representative. The highest-priority available person signs the authorization.
Can cremated remains be shipped to another state?
Yes. The U.S. Postal Service is the only carrier permitted to ship cremated remains. Since March 1, 2025, USPS requires its own Cremated Remains packaging (BOX-CRE) sent by Priority Mail Express, which is tracked throughout. Senders may no longer use their own box with a Label 139 sticker.
How much does it cost to have the cremated remains mailed to me?
Our mailing fee is $195 to an address outside Florida and $125 within Florida, charged in addition to the $795 direct cremation. There is no charge if a family member collects them in person in Tampa. Most out-of-state families pay $990 in total.
What is the total cost if I live in another state?
$990 for most families — $795 for the direct cremation and $195 to mail the cremated remains to you. Additional certified death certificate copies, urn upgrades, and transfers beyond our standard service area are priced separately. We give you the full figure before you authorize anything.
How do I get a Florida death certificate if I live in another state?
Your cremation provider can order certified copies and mail them to your address in any state. Florida issues one version without cause of death, available to any adult, and a confidential version with cause of death, restricted for 50 years to close family and those with a documented estate interest.
Can I get a death certificate if I'm not the closest relative?
The public version, yes. The confidential version with cause of death requires you to be a spouse, parent, adult child, grandchild, or sibling, or to document an estate interest. Others need a notarized Affidavit to Release Cause of Death Information (DH Form 1959), signed by an eligible person.
What if my loved one was only visiting Florida? What if my loved one was only visiting Florida?
The process is the same. Florida law applies to the place of death, not the place of residence. Snowbirds and visitors are handled identically to Florida residents, and the cremated remains can be returned to the family’s home state.
Can I still hold a memorial service if I choose direct cremation?
Yes. Direct cremation is separate from any memorial. Many out-of-state families hold a service weeks or months later in their own community, which allows relatives to attend without arranging emergency travel to Florida.
What if my siblings and I disagree?
Call us before signing anything. Florida’s legally authorized person statute establishes who holds authority, and there is usually a straightforward path once the order of priority is clear. We would rather help you sort this out early than have it surface later.
We Can Start From
Wherever You Are
You do not need to be in Florida, and you do not need to have anything prepared before you call. Tell us what has happened and we will tell you exactly what comes next.
Phone: 813-647-3689
Office: 326 S Falkenburg Road, Tampa, FL 33619