Dying
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 foreigners living in Costa Rica that are middle-aged or seniors, it is advisable that they know what procedures to follow if their spouse or a friend passes away.
If you are American you should contact the embassy to report the death. The American Citizen Services section of the U.S. Embassy may be reached at 2519-2000, 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 to be cremated must under go an autopsy. Jardines de Recuerdo can take care of this. It also provides authorization to ship the sealed urn out of the country. A regular burial is a lot more affordable.
Three local funeral homes offer cremation, all about $1,600 plus $500 for the autopsy, and I selected Jardines de Recuerdo (www.jardinesdelrecuerdo.co.cr/cremacion_y_cenizarios.htm) in San José.
The fact is if you come here to live and decide to stay and retire you may die here, so we need to discuss the process. I guess the biggest shocker to most folks who move here is that the embalming of bodies is generally not done in Costa Rica. Not embalming a body, without getting too graphic here, means the burial clock starts ticking about 1 second after your heart stops ticking. The clock I refer to is the nose clock. Speed is of the essence.
When someone dies here, he or she is buried immediately… often within hours, and seldom more than 24 hours later. In many countries, after a person passes, the body is examined, an autopsy performed if nothing looks suspicious, a death certificate is issued, and the body is sent to a mortician who prepares the body for burial. Preparing involves the use of formaldehyde so decomposition is delayed.
The relatives make their preparations, notify other family members, place an obituary in the paper saying nice things, and giving the date and time for the service, if any, and the burial, if any. Although nobody gives this much thought, the root of this whole process is the embalming which allows for a somewhat less urgent agenda. Remove the embalming part, and things have to move right along!
So what is the process here? Here is an example.
Normally (as in North America), wives, husbands, children, close relatives and friends have a few days to compose themselves and deal with the loss. Not here. The loss is really fresh… just hours old… and the grieving is painful to watch. Families are very close here, and this process forces an almost immediate closure.
Let’s say someone has passed at about 8:30 in the evening. The first thing that must get done is to phone all the family and friends of the deceased to inform them the news and to get down to the funeral home. For the deceased are usually buried within 24 hours.
Embalming
What happens if you die in Costa Rica and you DO want the embalming and perhaps wish to have your remains shipped back to another country? The good news is that it is relatively easy. The bad news is that it is quite expensive.
The casket must be steel and is welded completely shut. Embalming is done before the sealing process. Any funeral home can make arrangements to ship the remains internationally. There are also health forms and permissions that the funeral director can handle.
If you plan to have this done, I’d advise choosing a funeral home well before the reaper cometh, and make the arrangements. Make sure your family knows of your intentions.
One thing you do NOT want to do is to die intestate (without a will) if you have assets in your name. The probate procedure here is long and arduous and there are a whole group of bad guys who watch the obituaries every day then file fraudulent claims for land and other property. A popular pastime is actually doing this in anticipation of a person’s death!
If you have acquired property while living here, it is imperative that you set up a last will and testament to protect your assets.
Cremation in Costa Rica
Cremation is available here in Costa Rica, but it is expensive and may run a few thousand dollars and the urn about $2,000 or so. Expensive yes, but then you get to maybe fertilize a rose bush or something.
Click here for Wills and Testaments in Costa Rica
