Dying to Get Here

I wouldn't have thought about today's morbid topic except it recently came to my notice as a result of working in a hotel, where we handle a wide variety of guest requests. Sometimes, having visited a place often, or lived in a place for a while, you might develop a special affinity for it. Here's a complete how-to on making the BVI your final resting place.

In order for human remains to be buried or scattered within the BVI, whether on land or sea, a permit must be sought from the Ministry of Health and Human Services. It's a pretty simple, two-page form, that asks for basic contact information for the person making the request (i.e. the executor) and birth and death information for the deceased.

The one application also serves to request permission to import the remains to the Territory, should the currently be located outside it, and to request permission for a tomb or underground vault to be built. The second page of the application requires details of which items the applicant is specifically seeking, along with details of how/when/where the import of the remains and the interment are to take place.

If the remains are to be interred, information is needed on the location of burial, including the registration, block and parcel numbers of the piece of land. For those wishing to be buried on private land, as in the photo above, you must have permission in writing from the land owners. All people wishing to be buried on land in the BVI must also have a permit to bury from the Registrar's office -- necessary so that no one goes digging you up in the future.

Applications must be accompanied by a death certificate, and a certificate of cremation where applicable. By statute, cremated remains may only be scattered at sea, five miles south of Norman Island or Peter Island, unless special permission is granted by the Ministry of Health.