Exhuming a deceased body

Exhumation or disinterment can be a complicated and expensive process, and very strict procedures must be followed, both in preparation and when carrying out the disinterment itself.

The exact process depends upon the grave that the deceased is to be disinterred from and the grave into which the body will be re-interred; the land that the grave occupies will be either Consecrated according to the Rites of the Church of England, or Dedicated for Burial.

If both graves are on consecrated land, then a Faculty from the ecclesiastical courts of the Church of England will be required, giving permission for the exhumation to take place.

If both graves are on dedicated land, then an application must be made to the Ministry of Justice for a Licence for the Removal of Human Remains.

Where an exhumation is carried out from Consecrated land for re-interment in Dedicated land, or vice versa, then both a Faculty and a Home Office Licence are needed.

You can apply for a licence for the removal of buried human remains (including cremated remains) in England and Wales on the ministry of Justice website.

For further information, please contact Bereavement Services.