How does direct cremation work?

Your funeral director will take the person who has died into their care while they help you gather the paperwork for the crematorium:

• The ‘green’ certificate for burial or cremation. This is given to you when you register the death.
• The application for cremation form. This is usually given to you by the funeral director or direct cremation provider to sign, although it can be downloaded online. You may also be asked to fill out a form describing what you would like to be done with the ashes.
• Two medical forms. These are the certificate of medical attendant (Forms 4) and the confirmatory medical certificate (CR5). The first is usually provided by the doctor who signed the medical certificate of death, while the other is signed by a separate, independent doctor. Both charge £82 each. Your direct cremation provider or funeral director will be able to help you get these. If the coroner is involved, they will provide cremation form 6 instead, free of charge.

With the forms in order, the funeral director will then take the body to the crematorium as soon as possible – usually, they’ll need at least two days. There’s no embalming or viewing of the body during this wait.

When the time comes, the body will be cremated in a low-cost coffin, in a process that usually takes about an hour and a half. Families aren’t able to choose the time or location of a direct cremation.

The ashes are generally ready to be collected within a 2 weeks, after which the family might decide to hold a memorial service or simply gather together to scatter the ashes privately.