Exhuming a body

If you wish to exhume buried or cremated remains, a Home Office licence is usually required.

However, if the remains are being removed from consecrated (holy) ground and are being re-buried in consecrated ground, only a Bishop’s Faculty is required.

If the remains are being removed from consecrated ground and are being re-buried in unconsecrated ground, both a Bishop’s Faculty and a Home Office licence are required.

All enquiries about exhumation should be made to a funeral director, who will liaise with the local authority. The funeral director will then obtain the necessary documents for you to complete.