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Arranging a funeral

Decisions to make when arranging a funeral

Last updated
20 Jul 2026

You should think about:

  • where the body is to rest before the funeral
  • the time and place of the funeral
  • how much you can afford to spend on the funeral
  • whether to have a funeral service
  • whether to have flowers, or make any donations to charity
  • whether to put a notice in the newspaper
  • whether the body should be buried or cremated

Funeral services

Funerals can be:

  • religious or non-religious
  • traditional or non-traditional
  • formal or informal

A funeral director can help you arrange any type of funeral.

You can arrange a funeral yourself if you wish.

Burials

Check the person's will to find out if they had already paid for a burial plot in a churchyard or cemetery. This is sometimes called a lair.

If not, you'll have to buy one. The cost of this depends on the location.

If you're using a funeral director, they'll make the arrangements for you. 

You may have to complete a burial form, which will include where the person is to be buried. 

Your funeral director will give you this, or if you're arranging the funeral yourself you can ask your local council for a copy.

Cremations

Crematoriums must be given:

  • the death certificate
  • a completed cremation application form

If you're arranging the funeral yourself, give these documents to the crematorium.

The cremation application form will ask for some medical details, such as whether the person has a pacemaker. If so, these must be removed before cremation. Your funeral director or the crematorium will talk to you about this.

You can download a cremation application form on gov.scot.

If you're using a funeral director they can give you advice on filling this in, but you must complete it yourself. 

The ashes

You can choose what you want to happen with the ashes after a cremation. Your funeral director or the crematorium staff can explain what choices are available.

You could:

  • scatter the ashes in a garden of remembrance
  • scatter them somewhere the person liked
  • bury them in a churchyard or cemetery
  • keep them in an urn
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