The Funeral
How do you arrange the funeral ?
What are your rights under the law ?
The main legal requirements in England and Wales are :
• The death has to be certified by a doctor or Coroner
• The death is registered with a Registrar of Births , Deaths , Marriages and Civil Partnership within 5 days of the date of death
• The body should either be cremated or buried
• There is no legal requirement to have any kind of funeral ceremony at all .
Documents you will need before you can arrange a funeral
You will need to give the Funeral Director , Crematorium or Cemetery Office the following forms :
Burial
• Green Form for Burial ( Form 9 ) from the Register Office - or Order for Burial ( Form 10 ) if the Coroner was involved .
Cremation
• Application for Cremation ( Form 1 ) signed by the next of kin or Executor
• Green Form for Cremation ( Form 9 ) from the Register Office , or Order for Cremation ( Form 6 ) if the Coroner was involved
• Medical form 4 ( completed by the doctor ( s ) who dealt with the deceased ).
Detailed planning of the funeral
The key decisions that need to be made for the funeral are listed below . If you are using a Funeral Director they will help you with all of this .
• Where the body should rest before the funeral
• Time and place of the funeral ( though this can only be finalised once the order for burial / cremation has been issued )
• Type of service ( civil or religious ), who will conduct it and those who will contribute to it
• How much to spend on the funeral
• Whether to have flowers , or instead donate money to a chosen charity
• Sending out invitations
• Placing a notice in the newspapers .
Taking the deceased ’ s wishes into account
Remember to check the deceased ’ s Will or other written instructions for special wishes about their funeral or what should happen to their body . However , the Executor does not have to follow the instructions about the funeral left in the Will .
If there are no clear wishes , it is generally the Executor or nearest relative who decides whether the body is to be cremated or buried .
Usually , the Funeral Director will receive some of these forms direct from the Coroner .
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The Registrar can send the Green Form direct to the Funeral Director on your behalf if you wish .