[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 22, Volume 1] [Revised as of April 1, 2002] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 22CFR72.3] [Page 348] TITLE 22--FOREIGN RELATIONS CHAPTER I--DEPARTMENT OF STATE PART 72--DEATHS AND ESTATES--Table of Contents Sec. 72.3 Telegraphic notifications of death. (a) Use of telegraph. When instructions must be obtained from the next of kin or other interested person in the United States as to disposition of the remains, notification of death should be sent by telegraph to the Department for forwarding. If available to the consular officer, the name and address of the next of kin or legal representative (Sec. 72.18) should be included in the message. Consular officers at posts in Canada and Mexico whose consular districts are contiguous to the United States may, in their discretion, communicate directly by telegraph with next of kin or legal representative, requesting instructions for disposition of the remains. (b) Content of notification. All such notifications should state the minimum cost of (1) Local burial; (2) Cremation (if applicable); (3) Embalming, preparing and shipping the remains; and (4) The maximum period of time before local burial is mandatory. (c) Payment of charges. The cost of these initial notifications of death by telegraph is a proper charge against offical funds. Subsequent telegrams relating to matters for personal decision are normally at the expense of interested parties. [22 FR 10841, Dec. 27, 1957, as amended at 30 FR 4412, Apr. 6, 1965]