A family member passed away in Costa Rica. You are thinking of cremation in Costa Rica, so it is easier to take the remains with you.
Last week I told you in a blog how important it is to get a Costa Rican last will if you have any Costa Rica real estate or other assets in the country. Even though you have already a will in your own country.
In fact, you should express your wishes in your will and state exactly how you wish to be cared for. It can be a hard decision for some families, especially when the wishes of the deceased were never clearly stated.
In this blog, we will look at the options of cremation in Costa Rica.
When you read this article, do not call us to take care of the remains of your beloved ones. We are a real estate MLS, not a funeral home. If the deceased owns a property in Costa Rica that needs to be sold or rented, we can assist. We have the solutions for you.
Dying in Costa Rica
No matter if you are a resident, a tourist or a perpetual tourist, when you pass away in Costa Rica, your immediate family has three options:
1. A cremation in Costa Rica
2. A funeral in Costa Rica
3. Repatriation of the remains to another country
For any of the above, you need to contact a funeral home in Costa Rica.
Some funeral homes have an experienced English spoken staff that works with the airlines, foreign consulates, and prepare all documentation. They assist in making the process of repatriation of the ashes as smooth as possible. So be meticulous when you research on the different funeral home options.
Cost of Cremation in Costa Rica
Families now seek affordable alternatives to traditional funeral and burial services; many are choosing cremation even though it is more expensive than it is in other countries.
I do not like to quote any prices in my blogs because prices change all the time and there are already way too many articles on the World Wide Web with outdated information, but I just bought a cemetery plot in the new Escazu Memorial Park in February 2013 myself. By the end of 2014, they will have the crematory and adjacent niches functioning. Their sales manager there gave me the approximate cost of the following in March 2013:
1. A cemetery plot for two deceased, with the size of 2.16 m2 with the possibility, to be used again in 5 years after burial, has a cost of $4,500. Financing plans are available.
2. The cost of a niche at a cremation center is usually 30% more than the cost of a cemetery plot.
3. The cost of a cremation is between $1,500 and $2,500
Cremation Services in Costa Rica
Most funeral homes can offer you the following cremation services in one package but better check before you sign any contract.
* Consulting In English during the entire process
* Autopsy (MOH requirement for all cremations)
* Transport from the home, hospital or funeral home to the morgue and from the morgue to the crematorium
* A special cremation casket
* Procedures before the Civil Registration (if not previously be performed as part of the funeral service)
* Advice and paperwork for Costarican Social Security (CCSS) if the deceased has legal residency in Costa Rica
* The actual cremation process
* Delivery of the ashes in a metal urn labeled with the name of the deceased, and date of birth and death
* Packing of the urn
Who to contact for cremation
It is of course much simpler to go straight to the funeral homes that operate a crematory on their premises and offer all the other services. While some funeral homes advertise that they offer “cremation services”, most subcontract this sensitive process to other crematories.
Costa Rica has the following funeral homes (Funerarias) offering burial and their own cremation services:
Escazu Memorial Park, click on website. Phone 2215-0707
Jardines del Recuerdo in Heredia, click on website. Phone 2222-9022
Funeraria Camposanto La Piedad offers 5 private cemeteries and a crematory in Mercedes Norte in Heredia, click on website. Phone 2259-5296
Funeraria Polini in San Jose, click on website. Phone 2223-4333
Other blogs
Similar blogs that can be useful to you are:
- Costa Rica Funeral homes and Cemeteries
- Repatriation of the deceased
- How to donate your organs in Costa Rica
- Get a will in Costa Rica
- Did you inherit a property in Costa Rica?
I certainly hope this blog will give you enough useful information about cremation in Costa Rica. I will also try to satisfy the requests of many readers to give you useful information on funeral homes and cemeteries in Costa Rica as well as information on repatriation of the remains to your home country in my following blogs.
For more information on Costa Rica properties, or if you need to sell a property that you inherited, feel free to contact us now.
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