Funeral Industry News

  • Register Now to Receive Latest Updates – For All Funeral Directors, Burial Authorities, Cremation Authorities and Any Other Interested Parties

    3rd April 2020 by

    In the future, it will be our responsibility to register the business/organisation details of every member of Scotland’s funeral industry. For now, we just want our communications to reach as many funeral industry members as possible, in particular the unaffiliated businesses. Please register your business/organisation details here: http://eepurl.com/gQxqsn We have mailed out postcards to hundreds...

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  • Update on procedures for Medical Certificates of Cause of Death

    28th July 2026 by

    This blog is primarily for funeral directors to bring to their attention the recent communication to GP practice managers (and GP practices) via the Scottish Practice Managers Development Network Newsletter. An extract of the newsletter can be located here. The update is a reminder for certifying doctors about the requirement for them to transfer medical...

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  • Repatriation – Handy Guide for Funeral Directors

    22nd July 2026 by

    Repatriation To Scotland From Abroad The Death Certification Review Service (DCRS) have created a handy guide for funeral directors about the procedure for repatriation from abroad.  Any questions about the guide should be emailed to DCRS at his.dcrs@nhs.scot or telephone 0300 123 1898. The guide can be downloaded here, Deaths Abroad – Handy Guide for...

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  • New Funeral Sector Inspectors Recruited

    1st July 2026 by

    New Funeral Sector Inspectors recruited The Scottish Ministers are pleased to announce the appointment of Robbie Beattie, Terry Dickson and Martin Jeffrey. They will join our current inspector, Robert Swanson, reinforcing Scotland’s continued commitment to leading the way in funeral sector regulation. By strengthening oversight and maintaining clear standards, the Scottish Government aims to build...

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  • Hydrolysis Regulations

    10th March 2026 by

    Our blog post of 5 February 2026 confirmed that the Hydrolysis Regulations would come into force on 2 March 2026: the Hydrolysis (Scotland) (No. 1) Regulations 2026 and the Hydrolysis (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2026. The No. 1 Regulations focus on the modifications to the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”), extending...

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  • Funeral Sector Register – update on registration numbers and their use on the new Burial and Cremation forms

    4th March 2026 by

    The Funeral Sector Register – registration number From 2 March 2026, the Funeral Sector Register moved the registration numbers from a QR-style code to a 10-digit number. The new format is designed to be more practical for day‑to‑day use, simpler to record and share, and easier to incorporate into routine administrative processes. Register numbers on...

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  • Updated Burial and Cremation application forms now available to download

    2nd March 2026 by

    The Burial and Cremation (Applications and Registers) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 are now in force. The Regulations amend the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 2019 and the Burial (Applications and Register) (Scotland) Regulations 2024. The new forms should be used from now on for all applications. Additional detail is available in our blog posts of 25 November...

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  • Update on amended burial and cremation forms

    24th February 2026 by

    In our blog post on 4 February 2026, we informed everyone about the new burial and cremation application forms that are coming into force on 2 March 2026. Our intention was to share the new forms in advance to allow burial and cremation authorities time to add their logo and address. We apologise that unfortunately...

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  • Changes to Duration and Extension of Right of Burial

    6th February 2026 by

    The Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024 commence sections 14 and 16 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”), which address the duration and extension of rights of burial. These sections will come into force on 1 March 2026. Section 14: Duration and...

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  • Regulations For Hydrolysis Approved by The Scottish Parliament

    5th February 2026 by

    The Hydrolysis (Scotland) (No. 1) Regulations 2026 and the Hydrolysis (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 were considered by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 5 January. The Regulations were subsequently passed by a vote in the Scottish Parliament on 21 January 2026. Details about what the regulations do is...

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  • Updates to Burial and Cremation Application Forms and Registers

    4th February 2026 by

    The Scottish Government introduces Regulations, making changes to burial and cremation application forms and registers, under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”). The Burial and Cremation (Applications and Registers) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 will come into force on 2 March 2026. The Regulations amend the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 2019 and...

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