Your funeral director will deal with most of the paperwork for you. This page explains what each document is, so you know what's happening.
The green form
When you register the death, the registrar gives you a certificate for burial or cremation, usually called "the green form". Give it to your funeral director. The funeral can't go ahead without it.
If a coroner is involved
If the death was reported to a coroner, you may not get a green form. Instead, the coroner issues:
- an Order for Burial (Form 101), or
- a Certificate for Cremation (Form Cremation 6)
Your funeral director will usually collect these from the coroner for you.
For a burial
An application to bury
To buy a new grave, or to use a grave the family already owns.
The grave deeds
If you buy a private grave, you're given deeds granting the right to be buried in that plot. The deeds don't mean you own the land. Give them to your funeral director.
For a cremation
Since 9 September 2024, cremation paperwork in England and Wales has been simpler:
Form Cremation 1
The application for cremation, signed by the executor or next of kin. Your funeral director will help you fill it in. It also asks what you'd like to happen to the ashes - for example, collecting them, or having them scattered at the crematorium.
Form Cremation 10
Signed by a doctor at the crematorium (the medical referee) to authorise the cremation. You won't need to do anything with this one.
The two doctors' certificates that used to be needed - Forms Cremation 4 and 5 - no longer exist.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
The documents are different in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Your funeral director will know what's needed.
See also: What to do with the ashes
Reviewed by the Arranging a Funeral team - September 2026.
Common questions
What is the green form?
The certificate for burial or cremation, which the registrar gives you when you register the death. Give it to your funeral director; the funeral can't go ahead without it.
What if a coroner is involved?
The coroner issues an Order for Burial (Form 101) or a Certificate for Cremation (Form Cremation 6) instead. Your funeral director will usually collect it.
What forms does a cremation need?
In England and Wales, form Cremation 1 (the application, signed by the executor or next of kin) and form Cremation 10 (signed by the crematorium's medical referee). Forms Cremation 4 and 5 no longer exist.
Do grave deeds mean we own the land?
No. They give the right to be buried in that plot.