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Every corpse must be buried. The will of the deceased is the primary deciding factor for the place, type and execution of the burial. In Rhineland-Palatinate, either burial or cremation is permitted. Cremation is equivalent to burial.

Cremation involves the cremation of a body and the burial of the ashes in a grave.
The human corpse is burned in a crematorium and cremated; the ashes of the deceased are then placed in an officially sealed container, an urn, and buried in the cemetery. In principle, the will of the deceased is decisive for the type of burial. However, a declaration of intent written down during the deceased's lifetime is not mandatory. If this is not available and the deceased did not specify a type of burial during their lifetime, the decision lies with the funeral directors, who must take the deceased's presumed wishes into account.
The burial can take place in municipal cemeteries, church cemeteries and other burial sites such as institutional cemeteries and private burial sites (exception)

• The most important documents are the death certificate and the death certificate. The death certificate is issued by a doctor. If the death occurs at home, it is therefore particularly important to inform a doctor first, in addition to a funeral home. If the death occurred in a hospital or hospice, the relatives do not need to arrange for a death certificate to be issued; this will be arranged by the hospital or hospice.
  The death certificate is required in order to apply for the death certificate at the relevant registry office. If desired, the funeral home can take on this task for the bereaved.
• In addition to the death certificate, a valid identity card and the birth or marriage certificate of the deceased are required for the application. It is advisable to apply for several copies of the death certificate, as this is required for many formalities, e.g. termination of contracts, submission to health insurance, submission to statutory social insurance.
• In addition, it is not permitted to carry out the funeral without the death certificate and the death certificate.

• Cremation can only take place if the responsible crematorium has the necessary documents. This includes, among other things, a declaration of intent from the deceased. This can be submitted before death or it can be taken over later by a so-called "person authorized to care for the dead" (usually a relative or friend). This ensures that cremation is in accordance with the wishes of the deceased.
• If no heir can be identified, the following persons are responsible for the funeral in the order listed, provided they have full legal capacity:

• The spouse/life partner,
• the children,
• the parents,
• the other legal guardian,
• the siblings,
• the grandparents,
• the grandchildren

• In addition, both a death certificate and a death certificate must be available.

The cost of a cremation is generally lower than that of a burial.

• The total cost of a funeral is made up of:
  • the funeral services,
  • cemetery fees,
  • fees for the post-mortem examination,
  • fees for notarizations,
  • Fees for the issue of burial permits,
  • fees for the issue of a corpse passport,
  • the costs for a coffin and an urn, cremation as well as the headstone and the funeral service and, if applicable, grave maintenance,
  • other administrative services.
• In principle, the funeral costs are paid by the heirs of the deceased, who are generally liable for the funeral.

• After the death of a person, a post-mortem examination is carried out immediately, during which a doctor determines the death, the time of death and the cause of death.
• A death certificate with a confidential and a non-confidential part is issued for each corpse.
• The body is taken to a mortuary after the death certificate has been issued.
• The body may be buried at the earliest 48 hours after death. This period may be shortened if there is a health risk.
• Before cremation, a (second) special official post-mortem examination must always be carried out and an official medical certificate issued.
• Cremation must always take place within ten days of death.
• The mortician transfers the deceased to a crematorium. If all requirements are met, the body is cremated.
• After cremation, the ashes must be immediately sealed in an ash capsule/urn.
• The ash capsule is then sent to the funeral director or the cemetery or transferred by hearse.
• The ashes should be buried no later than six weeks (exceptions are permitted) after cremation.

Cremation must always take place within ten days of death. It may not take place until 48 hours after death at the earliest.

First contact a funeral home. They will take care of the formalities and, at your request, plan the cremation and its procedure. Discuss with the funeral director which tasks you would like to carry out yourself and which you would like the funeral director to do.

You can request the following services from the funeral director:

• Organization of the crematorium,
• Transportation of the deceased,
• Formalities, especially obtaining the death certificate and arranging appointments,
• Advice on the choice of coffin and urn, headstone,
• Hygienic care, dressing and embedding of the deceased,
• laying out,
• Organization of the funeral service.

Please contact either a funeral home, which will usually take care of all the formalities when you place your order
or:
- a doctor to carry out the post-mortem examination and issue a death certificate,
- to the competent lower health authority (public health officer) for carrying out a (second) special official post-mortem examination due to cremation,
- for issuing the death certificate to the responsible registry office,
- for the burial, the use of the municipal cemetery, possibly the mortuary and the design of the grave to the cemetery administration of the place where the burial is to take place,
- for the transfer from the place of death/cremation to the cemetery/crematorium to a mortician.

Local cemetery administrations