"If you think, 'if I die, I want to be buried in Brazil,' the ideal thing is to have insurance." With that line, Pastor Miguel Albanês — he doesn't sell insurance; he speaks from what he has seen walking families through it — takes on, in the third episode of the "911: Emergency in Los Angeles" segment, the question that runs through the whole series: who pays when a Brazilian dies far from home.

Why repatriation is so daunting

In the cases described in the segment, sending a body from Los Angeles to Brazil was quoted at between $15,000 and $30,000, depending on the airline, the time of year and the cause of death — contagious diseases require a special sealed casket, which raises the price. The most common alternative, cremation, costs a fraction of that, but it still adds up to thousands of dollars once you count the funeral home's daily fees and the paperwork.

And the Brazilian government, as a rule, doesn't pay. The regulation of Brazil's Migration Law does not provide for the federal government to cover the repatriation of the bodies of Brazilians who die abroad, except in exceptional situations assessed by the consulate. The case of Juliana Marins, who died in Indonesia in 2025, put the issue on the agenda in Brazil — the participants recall talk of a law to guarantee repatriation, without knowing whether it passed; as of this writing, there is no law in force guaranteeing government-funded repatriation. Even with exceptions, it is not something a family can count on.

Life insurance: what it costs

The pastor surprises host Jason Lanzarini with the numbers: for a young adult, a $25,000 life insurance policy can run between $25 and $50 a month, sometimes less — these are figures mentioned in the episode, for someone young and healthy; the real quote only comes from a broker. The price goes up with age and health conditions. His advice is not to stop at $25,000: "Ideally at least fifty thousand dollars," because "every little thing ends up costing five thousand," and the total easily passes the lower amount.

A few points help anyone who has never bought a policy:

• The cheapest kind is term life insurance: it covers a set period — 10, 20, 30 years — and only pays if death occurs within that period.
• Immigrants, including those without a green card, can buy coverage from a number of insurers; some accept a foreign passport and an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead of a Social Security number. Terms vary by company.
• The pastor recommends going through a Portuguese-speaking broker at a solid company, so you understand the fine print. He tells the story of a friend whose condo insurance in Florida didn't cover flood damage — and the loss, tens of thousands of dollars, came out of his own pocket.

In practice, the person who handles the repatriation and the paperwork is usually the woman in the family — which is why she needs to know the policy details.

An example from the first episode of the series shows the difference: a young Brazilian businessman who died alone in his room had insurance, and the insurer took care of everything — from moving the body to sending it to Brazil. The family didn't even need to travel.

Travel insurance and repatriation

For people coming from Brazil on vacation or to study, the way to go is travel insurance with repatriation of remains coverage. The pastor says his brother-in-law crashed his car in the United States and didn't spend a cent: the travel insurance that came with his credit card in Brazil paid for everything. Many premium credit cards offer travel insurance when the ticket is paid with them — read the terms before you fly, including the coverage limits for repatriation.

For exchange visitors on a J-1 visa, this isn't optional: the federal regulations for the J-1 program require, at a minimum (the sponsor may require more), $50,000 for medical evacuation and $25,000 for repatriation of remains, in addition to health coverage. For students on an F-1 visa, the requirement depends on the school. The pastor suggests English schools partner with insurers and build the insurance into tuition.

The policy the family can't find

In the checklist at the end of the episode, the pastor describes two cases in which the family "thought" the person had life insurance — and they didn't, or no one knew the insurer or the policy number. To collect, leave the insurer's name and the policy number written down with at least two people you trust, one of them outside your household.

When the family suspects there is a policy but doesn't know where, there is a free tool: the Life Insurance Policy Locator, from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), which the California Department of Insurance points consumers to. A beneficiary or representative submits a request with the deceased's information, and participating insurers report whether there was a policy.

Sources and verification

• Decree No. 9,199/2017 (regulation of Brazil's Migration Law) — general rule barring the use of public funds to repatriate bodies.
• 22 CFR 62.14 — mandatory insurance for J-1 exchange participants (medical evacuation and repatriation of remains).
• National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) — Life Insurance Policy Locator; California Department of Insurance — consumer guidance on life insurance.
• Repatriation and insurance figures: participants' estimates in the episode; prices vary by insurer, age and health.

Who's talking: Brasileiros em Los Angeles is the podcast of the Brazilian Community in the Los Angeles area, hosted by Jason Lanzarini, who since 2014 has run the Community's Facebook groups in California. This is the third and final episode of the series on the deaths of Brazilians in the "911: Emergency in Los Angeles" segment, with Pastor Miguel Albanês of the First Brazilian Baptist Church of Los Angeles (PIBBLA), who has walked families through these cases for years.

All three episodes of the series are on the Brasileiros em Los Angeles podcast.

Note: the rules described apply to California and, in several respects, to Los Angeles County; consular procedures and airline requirements change over time. This text is general information, not legal advice: for a specific case, consult a professional licensed in California and confirm the rules with the consulate.

Watch this part of the episode:

Life insurance costs and the difference for immigrants and students — starting at 15:42 · ☆ Brasileiros em Los Angeles