What to do first

Do not make final funeral arrangements until you are sure that the death does not have to be reported to the coroner, since this may affect the date when the funeral can be held.
 
Find out if there is a will, since this may give requests about the funeral arrangements.
 
If you arrange for a funeral, you are responsible for paying the bill so first check where the money will come from and if there will be enough

Funeral Arrangements: The options

There are few legal controls governing the disposal of a body in the United Kingdom. The only requirements is that the death is certified and registered and the body properly taken care of, by either burial or cremation.
 
Burial is virtually free of regulations; individuals can be buried in almost anything and almost anywhere. All that is required is a death certificate signed by a doctor and a certificate for burial from the registrar of deaths.

Choosing The Funeral Director

Your first task is to decide which funeral director to use. Friends, family, clergy or your doctor may be able to suggest reputable local funeral director. 
 
Most funeral directors are members of one of 3 trade associations: the Funeral Standards Council (FSC) and the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF). All have codes of practice which require the provision of a price list on request and will not exceed any written estimate given to you without your permission.

The addresses and telephone numbers are: 

The National Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors
SAIF Business Centre
3 Bullfields
Sawbridgeworth
Hertfordshire
CM21 9DB
Telephone: 0845 230 6777
Email: info@saif.org.uk
Website: www.saif.org.uk

Funeral Standards Council
30 North Road
Cardiff CF1 3DY
Telephone: (029) 20382046 National Association of Funeral Directors
618 Warwick Road
Solihull, West Midlands B91 1AA
Telephone: (0121) 7111343   

The funeral director will need Certificate for burial or cremation (Green Form) or an order for burial, or a Certificate for cremation giving permission for the body to be buried, or an application for cremation to be made. However, it is not necessary to delay contact with your chosen funeral director, who will be able to advice you on local conditions which may affect the time and day of the funeral.

Check the will to see if there are any instructions for the funeral left by the deceased. It is generally up to the executor or nearest relative to decide whether the body is to be cremated or buried. The executor does not have to follow the instructions about the funeral left in the will. 
 
The funeral director will help you to decide where the body should stay until the funeral, and the starting point, time and place of the funeral. 
 
If there is to be a service or ceremony, contact the appropriate person for the religion or belief concerned. If you are not sure what to do or who to contact, the funeral director should be able to help you. You can choose the place for the funeral service and you may be able to choose the person to conduct the service. If you wish, you do not have to hold a religious service. You can design your own non-religious service.
 
You also need to decide whether you want flowers for the funeral, or perhaps donations for a named charity. If you want flowers and a cremation is planned, you can decide what should be done with the flowers. The local hospital or old people’s home may be pleased to accept cut flowers.

Cremation

No one can be cremated until the cause of death is definitely known. FIVE FORMS, from the funeral director or crematorium, have to be completed.

They are:
An Application Form (form A) signed by the next of kin or executor
 
And two cremation certificates (form B and C) each signed by a different doctor. You have to pay for these. If the death is referred to the coroner, these 2 certificates are not needed. Instead, the coroner will give you the form E which is a certificate for cremation  
 
And a certificate (form F) signed by the medical referee at the crematorium. The medical referee has the power to refuse cremation and either require a post-mortem examination to be made or refer the matter to the coroner
 
And a certificate for burial or cremation issued by the registrar. This form is not required if the coroner has issued a Certificate for Cremation.

If the death occurred abroad
 
Costs
Most crematoria are run by local authorities. The costs usually include the medical referee’s fee and the use of the chapel. 
 
Cremated remains
 
Ashes can be scattered in a garden of remembrance or in a favourite spot, buried in a churchyard or cemetery, or kept. It is important to make quite clear what you want to be done with the remains. If no wishes have been expressed, it is the responsibility of the funeral director or crematorium staff to contact the relative before disposal.
 
In the case of babies and very young children there may be no ashes following a cremation. 
 
Arrangement can be made for the placing of a memorial plaque at some cremation.

Find out if the person who died had already arrange a grave space in a churchyard or cemetery, by checking the will and looking through their papers. 
 
Churchyards
 
Most town churchyards and many suburban churchyards are no longer open for burial because there is no space. If you want the burial to be in a churchyard, you can find out the priest or minister about the space and the right to burial there. 
 
Cemetries
There will be a deed of grant if a grave space has been paid for in a cemetery. Most cemeteries are non-denominational so you can have most types of service or ceremony. Non-denominational cemeteries are owned by local authorities or private companies, and fees vary. 
 
Religious burial
If you need to arrange burial or a funeral service according to the requirements of a particular religion you can seek advice from a minister of the religion or the religious organisation to which the deceased belonged.

Summary of Forms and Certificates

Listed are some of the forms and certificates you will be given from funeral directors or crematoria. The list explains when and where you get each form.