How to book a burial

When a loved one passes away, a medical certificate cause of death (MCCD) is issued by a medical practitioner. You'll need this certificate to register the death and for your loved one to be buried. Before this paperwork is issued the death is first reviewed by the Medical Examiner.

The Medical Certificate is then sent electronically to the Register Office, and you will be contacted to arrange a registration appointment.

The Register Office will issue a certificate for burial.

If you use a Funeral Director, you must give them the certificate of burial as soon as possible. They will use this to take possession of the deceased from the hospital mortuary. You can then decide if your loved one is to be taken to a place of worship, home or the Funeral Directors mortuary.

The Funeral Director will contact the cemetery office to request a date and time for the funeral with all the completed paperwork. The Funeral Director will transport your loved one to the cemetery and give the ORIGINAL burial certificate to a cemetery official.

Please be aware that there are health and safety regulations to ensure that the vault is closed and all soil is returned to the grave during daylight hours. This means that funerals are not allowed to take place:

• after 3pm on any day in summer
• after 2.30pm on any day in winter.

If you prefer not to use a Funeral Director, you will need to arrange the funeral by contacting Bury Cemetery Office. You must have the legal certificate of burial before booking the funeral.

From the Bury Cemetery Office, you must request and complete a formal application and indemnity for burial form. The form confirms your booking and completes a binding contract over the funeral and will need to be returned to the Cemetery Office as soon as possible on the day of the burial.

From Monday to Thursday during office hours, bookings can be made by phone (0161 253 6510) up until 12 noon, provided the Green Certificate of Burial or White Coroner’s Order has been received.

On Fridays, bookings can also be made by phone, but the cut-off time is 10am, with all necessary paperwork required by 11am.

For out of hours bookings, see the Emergency Out of Hours Section.

When arranging a funeral, you'll need to provide the following information to book a burial:

• Funeral date and time: for when the funeral cortege will arrive at the cemetery gates
• Details of the deceased: name, age and address of the deceased (if the deceased did not live in the borough of Bury, there is an additional fee)
• Type of burial: whether the burial will be in a coffin, casket or shroud
• Grave size: you'll need to inform us of the coffin or shroud size to ensure the grave is prepared to the correct size. Generally, the dimensions of the grave are 9 foot by 3 foot , with a 12 inch space between each grave
• Type of grave: whether the grave is a vault or earthen
• Person arranging the funeral: this can be the Funeral Director or a family member. This person is responsible for paying the required fees and making sure that the burial certificate and all completed paperwork are given to Bury Cemetery Office.