Funeral Industry News

Provisional Bookings for Burial or Cremation Prior to Registration of Death

August 2, 2022 by funeral-industry-news No Comments | Category Uncategorized

A Certificate of Registration of Death (‘Form 14’) is required under section 27A of the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965 before a burial or cremation can take place in Scotland.

Under the 1965 Act, it is the responsibility of burial and cremation authorities to ensure the appropriate paperwork has been received to allow a funeral to take place and it is an offence under the 1965 Act to proceed without the Form 14.

However, provisional bookings for burials or cremations can be made before the Form 14 is available. A letter was issued from us in 2015 confirming this and you can read that letter here:

Funeral Industry Subgroup – Letter to Burial Authorities re Form 14 Policy – PDF

Authorities continue to have discretion to allow provisional bookings which can help provide clarity and minimise distress to the bereaved.

Communication between funeral directors and authorities at the time of booking continues to be of paramount importance. An appointment with the registrars must be made and there is a possibility that any provisional booking might need to be changed should the case be selected for review by the Death Certification Review Service (‘DCRS’).

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at BurialAndCremation@gov.scot

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