Erdbestattung durchführen lassen

Many things need to be considered when carrying out a funeral in a coffin. You can find an overview here.

Burial in the ground means that the deceased person is buried in the ground in a cemetery. Some cemetery authorities also allow burial in a crypt or an above-ground burial building.

The Saxony-Anhalt Burial Act does not provide for any exceptions to the coffin requirement for burials in the ground. If the religion of the deceased prohibits burial in a coffin, some cemetery operators have developed solutions to reconcile religious motives with the coffin requirement.

There are different types of burial sites (elective grave, row grave, communal facilities). The respective cemetery operator decides what is on offer. An important difference between an elective grave and a row grave is that it is not possible to extend the right of use for a row grave and that row graves are generally cheaper. Also, only one person at a time can be buried in a row grave. Relatives who die at a later date may therefore not be buried in this row grave, but must be buried in another grave.

The location and size of the grave, the resting period, the duration of the right of use, fees and other details (e.g. grave maintenance) are determined by the respective cemetery administration by statute (= cemetery regulations, cemetery fee statutes).

Please note: As a rule, most of the formalities are taken care of by the commissioned funeral home. You will also receive reverent advice there. Ask for an explanation of the services offered and the prices before you commission the service.

• Death certificate or proof from the competent registry office that the notarization has been postponed.

Please ask your appointed funeral director or the municipality or church in whose cemetery the burial is to take place which other documents and proofs are required.

• Carrying out the post-mortem examination, this does not apply to miscarriages,
• certification of the death,
  • in the case of stillbirths, proof of the birth must be provided in the form of a certificate from the registry office before burial
  • in the case of miscarriages, a medical certificate must be submitted stating the date and circumstances of the miscarriage and the name and address of the mother,
• expiry of the waiting period or approval from the lower health authority to carry out the burial before the end of the waiting period,
• Acquisition of a right to use a burial plot.

Please ask your funeral director about the other requirements.

There are at least costs for

• the post-mortem examination (not for miscarriages),
• the notarizations,
• the right to use the grave ("acquisition" of the grave site),
• the coffin
• the funeral director.

If you are organizing a funeral service, additional costs will be incurred, e.g. for the funeral hall, the person giving the eulogy, catering, etc.).

The amount of the costs depends on the type and manner of the funeral and can be obtained from the funeral home you have commissioned and the cemetery where the burial is to take place.

If you are unable to afford the costs, please contact your local social welfare office as soon as possible.

As a rule, a burial may take place at the earliest 48 hours after the death.

The burial should take place within 10 days of the death.

The lower health authority (= district) may permit an earlier burial for religious reasons or order it for reasons of hygiene. It can also allow a later burial if there are no hygienic reasons to the contrary.

Burials are only permitted in a coffin in a cemetery. For burial in the cemetery, a right of use must be acquired from the cemetery operator (= municipality or church) and the date of burial must be agreed.

Contact the parish or town where the funeral is to be held.