(a) A dead body may be disposed of by cremation in the Territory of the Virgin Islands, or may be removed from the Territory for such purpose. If death occurred in the Virgin Islands, the death certificate required by law shall be filed with the registrar of vital statistics for the island in which the person died, if known, or, if not known, for the island in which the body was found. A cremation certificate from the chief medical examiner, deputy chief medical examiner, associate medical examiner, or an authorized assistant medical examiner, stating that he has made inquiry into the cause and manner of death, and is of the opinion that no further examination or judicial inquiry is necessary, shall be filed with the registrar of vital statistics of the island in which the person died, if known, or, if not known, of the island in which the body was found, or with the registrar of vital statistics of the island in which the funeral director having charge of the body is located.
(b) The estate of the deceased person, if any, shall pay the sum of forty dollars ($40.00) for the issuance of a cremation certificate. Upon receiving the certificate, the registrar of vital statistics shall issue a permit for the cremation of the dead body; except that, when the cremation certificate is issued in a jurisdiction other than that where the person died, the registrar of vital statistics shall ascertain from the original removal permit that the certificates required by the statutes of the territory have been received and recorded, that the body has been prepared in accordance with this title and that the entry regarding the place of disposal is correct.
(c) Whenever the registrar finds that the place of disposal is incorrect, he shall issue a corrected removal permit and, after inscribing and recording the original permit in the manner prescribed herein, shall then immediately give written notice to the registrar for the jurisdiction where the death occurred of the change in place of disposal, stating the name and place of the crematory and the date of cremation. Such written notice shall be sufficient authorization to correct these items on the original certificate of death. No dead body shall be cremated until at least forty-eight hours after death, unless the death was the result of a communicable disease, and no dead body shall be received by any crematory unless accompanied by the permit provided for in this section. The fee for a cremation permit shall be twenty dollars and for the written notice five dollars. The Department of Health shall provide forms for the permits, which shall not be the same as for regular burial permits, and any blanks and books as may be required by the Registrar of Vital Statistics.