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When someone dies abroad
Whether the death happened overseas or the family hopes to bury someone in their home country, the same choice comes first: bury where they died, or bring them home.
Contact the US embassy or consulate
If a US citizen dies abroad, the nearest US embassy or consulate helps the family with local burial or the return of the body, and can issue a Consular Report of Death Abroad, which you will need in the US. The State Department cannot pay to bring remains home.
Decide: bury there, or bring them home
Burying where the person died keeps to the haste the Sunnah asks for, and costs far less. Bringing a body home can take days or weeks of permits and flights. Scholars differ on moving a body before burial: many advise burying where the person died, and some schools discourage moving it without a strong reason. Ask a scholar before deciding.
If you bring them home, ask about embalming first
Airlines and the countries involved set their own rules for transporting a body, and some require embalming. Ask the funeral home on both ends what is required, and whether refrigeration or a sealed container is accepted instead.
If you bury in another country from the US
A US funeral home that works with Muslim families can arrange the paperwork, the consulate of the destination country, and the flight. Ask for the total cost in writing before you agree.