Funeral guides
Clear, compassionate guidance for every stage — checked against official UK sources and written for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
When someone dies
What to do when someone dies
What to do when someone dies in the UK: the first hours, the medical examiner, registering the death in each nation, the funeral, Tell Us Once and the estate.
How to register a death
How to register a death in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland: deadlines, who can register, what to bring, what you get and what certificates cost.
Tell Us Once: how it works
Tell Us Once lets you report a death to HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office and the council in one go. Who can use it, what you need and what to do after.
Medical examiners, coroners and post-mortems
What medical examiners, coroners and procurators fiscal do after a death in the UK, when a post-mortem or inquest happens, and how it affects the funeral.
Death certificates: how many you need and how to get them
How to get a death certificate in the UK, how many copies you need, and what they cost in England and Wales (£12.50), Scotland and Northern Ireland.
How long after a death is the funeral?
How long after a death is a funeral in the UK? Typical timelines, why registration now takes longer, faith funerals within days, and what can speed things up.
When someone dies abroad: what to do next
What to do when someone dies abroad: FCDO help, registering the death locally, bringing the body or ashes home, UK coroners, costs and Tell Us Once.
Arranging a funeral
How to choose a funeral director
How to choose a funeral director in the UK: compare price lists, check who owns the firm and its trade body, questions to ask, red flags and faith needs.
How to plan a funeral, step by step
How to plan a funeral in the UK, step by step: registering the death, choosing a funeral director, burial or cremation, the service, costs and the day itself.
Arranging a funeral without a funeral director
Can you arrange a funeral without a funeral director? Yes. The UK legal position, paperwork by nation, coffins, transport, bookings and where to get help.
Repatriation: taking someone home for their funeral
How to repatriate a body from the UK, or bring someone home to the UK: coroner notice, documents, specialist funeral directors, airlines, costs and faith.
Arranging a funeral for a baby or child
Gentle, practical guidance on a funeral for a baby or child in the UK: hospital support, stillbirth registration, help with costs and where to find support.
Repatriation to Pakistan from the UK: documents, steps and timings
How to repatriate a body to Pakistan from the UK: coroner permission, the free consulate NOC, documents to take, what affects timing, costs and Muslim burial.
Repatriation to India from the UK: documents, steps and timings
Repatriating a body or ashes to India from the UK: coroner permission, the Indian NOC, eCARe clearance, VFS for ashes, fees, timings and Hindu and Sikh rites.
Repatriation to Bangladesh from the UK: documents, steps and timings
Repatriating a body to Bangladesh from the UK: coroner permission, High Commission welfare contacts, death certificate attestation, costs and Muslim burial.
Repatriation to Nigeria from the UK: documents, steps and timings
How to repatriate a body to Nigeria from the UK: coroner permission, Nigerian health requirements, the Port Health waiver, High Commission contacts and costs.
Repatriation to Ghana from the UK: documents, steps and timings
How to repatriate a body to Ghana from the UK: coroner permission, when you need a Ghana High Commission letter, the documents and £30 fee, timings and costs.
Repatriation to Jamaica from the UK: documents, steps and timings
Repatriating a body or ashes to Jamaica from the UK: coroner permission, the Jamaican health import permit, documents to travel with the body, and costs.
Repatriation to Poland from the UK: documents, steps and timings
How to repatriate a body or ashes to Poland from the UK: coroner permission, the starosta burial permit, the Polish consul's certificate, the fee and timings.
Repatriation to Ireland from the UK: documents, steps and timings
Repatriating a body or ashes to the Republic of Ireland from Britain or Northern Ireland: coroner permission, what Ireland needs, ferries, timings and costs.
Repatriation to Somalia or Somaliland from the UK: documents, steps and timings
Repatriating a body to Somalia or Somaliland from the UK: coroner permission, embassy and mission contacts, FCDO travel advice, Muslim burial and costs.
Repatriation to Turkey (Türkiye) from the UK: documents, steps and timings
Repatriating a body to Turkey from the UK: coroner permission, the consulate's funeral transport certificate (cenaze nakil belgesi), documents and timings.
Costs & help paying
How much does a funeral cost in the UK?
How much does a funeral cost in the UK? 2026 averages by type and region, an itemised cost breakdown, the CMA price list explained and practical ways to save.
Help paying for a funeral: every UK scheme explained
Help paying for a funeral in the UK: Funeral Expenses Payment, Scotland's Funeral Support Payment, children's funeral funds, bank releases and next steps.
Public health funerals: what happens when no one can pay
What is a public health funeral? When councils must arrange one, the law in each UK nation, what families can expect and what to do before contacting them.
Types of funeral
Direct cremation: what it is, what it costs and what to check
Direct cremation explained: what's included and not, the UK average cost of £1,628, pros and cons, faith considerations, plans and holding a memorial later.
Cremation or burial? How to decide
Cremation vs burial in the UK: 2026 costs compared, how common each is by nation, faith rules, environmental points, grave ownership and memorial options.
Natural and woodland burial: a guide for families
Natural and woodland burial in the UK: what it is, average plot costs, coffins and shrouds, memorial rules, burying ashes, faith needs and what to ask.
What happens at a cremation?
What happens at a cremation in the UK, step by step: paperwork, the service, identity checks, witnessing the charge, metals and getting the ashes back.
Burial at sea in the UK: licences, sites, coffins and costs
Burial at sea in the UK: who issues the licence in each nation, the three sites in England, coffin and weight rules, DNA sampling and scattering ashes at sea.
Words & etiquette
How to write a eulogy
How to write a eulogy step by step, with a fill-in template, example openings, delivery tips and guidance for Catholic, humanist and other faith services.
What to wear to a funeral
What to wear to a funeral in the UK, with a quick guide by faith, advice for children and what to do when the family asks for bright colours or a theme.
Condolence messages: what to write in a sympathy card
55+ original condolence messages for sympathy cards, texts and emails, grouped by loss and faith, plus what not to say and how to send late condolences.
Donations in memory and gifts in wills
How to ask for charity donations instead of flowers, wording for funeral notices, collecting donations, choosing a cause and leaving a gift in your will.
Funeral flowers: what to send and what to write
A guide to funeral flowers in the UK: types of tribute, who sends what, faith customs, what to write on the card, and when to give a donation instead.
Funeral music, hymns and readings
Ideas for funeral songs, hymns, classical music and readings, with Bible references, classic poems, faith customs and practical tips on choosing and timing.
How to create a funeral order of service
How to create a funeral order of service, with what to include, a page-by-page template, cover wording ideas and printing tips to get it right first time.
What is a wake?
What a wake is, how it differs from a funeral reception, Irish and faith traditions such as shiva and Nine Night, typical costs and tips for hosting one.
Funeral etiquette: what to do before, during and after
Funeral etiquette explained: when to arrive, where to sit, phones and photos, faith customs, livestreams, flowers or donations, and supporting the family.
Children and funerals: a guide for parents and carers
Should children go to a funeral? Age-by-age advice on explaining death, preparing children for the day, ways to involve them and where to find UK support.
What happens at a funeral: running order, timings and what mourners do
What happens at a funeral in the UK: the running order at crematorium, church and graveside services, how long each lasts and what mourners do at each stage.
What to say at a funeral (and what not to say)
What to say at a funeral to the family, at the wake and in the weeks after, with simple examples, faith phrases and the things it's kinder not to say.
Thank-you messages after a funeral: 40 examples for cards, posts and notes
Thank-you messages after a funeral: 40 original examples for cards, social media, the funeral director, celebrant, colleagues and people who sent flowers.
Funeral poems: ideas by theme, and which you can print
Funeral poems for a mum, dad, grandparent, partner or child, plus nature, faith and light-hearted choices, with notes on which are out of copyright in the UK.
How to write an obituary or death notice
How to write an obituary or death notice, with fill-in templates, short examples, what to include, what to leave out for safety and where to publish it.
After the funeral
Do I need probate?
Do I need probate? When a grant is needed in England and Wales, confirmation in Scotland and probate in Northern Ireland, what it costs and how to apply.
Bereavement leave and pay: your rights
UK bereavement leave and pay explained: time off for dependants, compassionate leave, Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay, and Bereavement Support Payment.
Changing your name after a bereavement
Widowed and thinking about your surname? Keeping your married name, going back to a maiden name, choosing a new name and your children's names — UK guide.
Dealing with debts after someone dies
Who pays debts after a death, when family members are liable, joint accounts, mortgages, insolvent estates and the order debts are paid, across the UK.
Scattering ashes: UK rules and ideas
Scattering ashes in the UK: where you need permission, Environment Agency advice for rivers, the rules at sea, burying or keeping ashes, and practical tips.
Coping with grief
What grief can feel like, the main models of grief explained simply, ways to look after yourself and when to seek extra help, with UK support contacts.
Bereavement support in the UK: helplines and services
Free UK bereavement helplines and services with checked phone numbers and hours, plus specialist help after baby loss or suicide, faith and local support.
Pet cremation and burial: individual vs communal, home burial and grief
Pet cremation and burial in the UK: individual vs communal cremation, questions to ask, the rules on burying a pet at home, pet ashes and pet grief.
Headstones and grave memorials: a practical guide
When a headstone can go up, memorial permits and churchyard rules, materials, costs, faith customs, choosing a memorial mason and caring for a grave.
Clearing a home after someone dies
Clearing a house after a death: who can do it, securing the home, valuables, council tax on empty homes, insurance and choosing a house clearance firm.
How to find where someone is buried
How to find a grave in the UK: council burial registers, cemetery offices, church records, CWGC war graves, online indexes and what to know before you visit.
Dealing with someone's online accounts after they die
Digital legacy after a death: how to memorialise or close Facebook, Instagram, Google and Apple accounts, save photos and handle phones and subscriptions.
Planning ahead
How to record your funeral wishes
Should funeral wishes go in your will? Why a will may be read too late, how a letter of wishes and a funeral plan help, and how to make sure your family knows.
Funeral plans: how they work and what to check
Funeral plans explained: FCA regulation since July 2022, how to check a provider, what plans cover and exclude, cancellation rights and the alternatives.
Donating your body to medical science: consent, what happens and funerals
How to donate your body to medical science in the UK: consent forms, medical schools, why donations are declined, what happens afterwards and funerals.
Funeral regulation in the UK: what's covered, what's changing and how to complain
How funeral directors and funeral plans are regulated in the UK: CMA price rules, the FCA, Scotland's statutory code, 2026 reform plans and how to complain.
Faith & culture
Nigerian funerals in the UK
Nigerian funerals in the UK: Yoruba, Igbo and other customs, Christian and Muslim rites, aso ebi, why funerals are held weeks later, and repatriation.
Ghanaian funerals in the UK
Ghanaian funerals in the UK: the one-week celebration, why funerals are held weeks later on a Saturday, red, black and white cloth, costs and repatriation.
Caribbean funerals in the UK
Caribbean funerals in the UK: Nine Night, homegoing services, gospel music, mourners filling the grave, why funerals are weeks later, costs and repatriation.
Irish funerals and wakes
Irish funerals and wakes explained: wakes at home, the rosary, removal and funeral Mass, month's mind, Northern Ireland customs and bringing someone home.
Polish funerals in the UK
Polish funerals in the UK: Catholic funeral Mass, burial and cremation, the stypa meal, candles, All Saints' Day and Zaduszki, and repatriation to Poland.
Chinese funerals in the UK
Chinese funerals in the UK: Buddhist, Taoist and Christian customs, white and black clothing, joss paper, auspicious dates, white envelopes and planning tips.
Greek Cypriot funerals in the UK
Greek Cypriot funerals in the UK: Greek Orthodox rites, the Trisagion, open coffin and final kiss, burial, koliva, the 40-day memorial and mourning customs.
Somali funerals in the UK
Somali funerals in the UK: Islamic washing, shrouding and janazah prayer, fast burial, tacsi condolence visits, mourning, community support and repatriation.
Gypsy and Traveller funerals
Gypsy and Traveller funerals explained: Romany Gypsy and Irish Traveller wakes, large gatherings, floral tributes, burial, headstones and cemetery rules.