Burial ceremony

At a UK burial the coffin is taken to a cemetery or churchyard, where a short committal is held at the graveside before the coffin is lowered. A service in a church or chapel often comes first. The grave is filled in after the family has left, and a headstone is usually added later, once the ground has settled.

Funero does not arrange burials. We handle repatriation to and from the UK, and direct cremation. Where a family wants a burial, we bring your loved one into the care of the funeral director of your choice, who arranges the grave and the service.

The paperwork before a burial

A burial cannot go ahead until the death is registered. The registrar then issues the certificate for burial or cremation, often called the green form, free of charge, and it must reach the burial authority or the funeral director before the day. Where a coroner is involved, the coroner's order for burial takes its place. Registration is due within 5 days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and within 8 days in Scotland. The cemetery has an application form of its own as well.

At the graveside

The committal is the moment the coffin is formally given up. At a burial it is a short service led by the minister or celebrant beside the open grave, and the coffin is lowered as it ends.

Faith and burial

Islam and Orthodox Judaism require burial. Islamic law asks for it as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours of the death, and a Muslim funeral is short: prayers at the mosque, then the cemetery, where women may pray separately or not attend the graveside. A Jewish funeral is held at a cemetery or a funeral hall, without flowers, and the family sits shiva at home afterwards.

What it costs

The grave is what makes a burial dearer than a cremation. SunLife's 2026 report puts the average traditional attended burial at £5,440.

Read next

How a burial compares with a cremation, on cost and timing, is in cremation or burial. What to wear and what to say on the day is in funeral etiquette in the UK, and the other choices in alternatives to burial.

Related terms: Headstone and Funeral procession. Every term in the funeral glossary.