Burial

Burial is laying a person to rest in a grave, usually in a coffin, in a cemetery, churchyard or natural burial ground. Before it can take place, the burial authority needs the green form from the registrar or an order from the coroner. The family pays for the grave and its preparation, and a headstone or memorial can follow later.

What has to happen first

The registrar issues the green form, the certificate for burial or cremation, once the death is registered. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland registration is generally due within 5 days, and in Scotland within 8 days. Where the coroner, or in Scotland the procurator fiscal, is investigating, their burial order takes the place of the green form. There is no legal deadline for the burial itself, and because it needs only the green form and a booking with the cemetery, it can often be arranged sooner than a cremation.

What it costs

The grave is usually the largest single cost. A cemetery charges once for the exclusive right of burial and again for the interment, and together these run from around £1,000 in parts of the north to several thousand pounds in London and the south east. A headstone is extra and usually goes up some months later, once the ground has settled. Burial authorities publish standardised price lists, so you can compare one cemetery with another.

Help with the cost

If you receive certain benefits, you may be able to claim a Funeral Expenses Payment; in Scotland the equivalent is the Funeral Support Payment. If no one is making arrangements, the local council has a duty to arrange a public health burial or cremation. A natural burial often costs less than a traditional one.

When faith decides it

Islam and Orthodox Judaism require burial, and Orthodox Christianity prefers it. For an Islamic burial the family will want registration done quickly, because burial is meant to follow as soon as possible after the death.