Apply for an exhumation licence

You need to apply for a licence to remove human remains from the ground.

‘Exhumation’ means the removal from the ground of the remains of a human being, either in the form of a body or cremated remains.

You may need to exhume human remains to:

• move a body from the original grave site to a new grave
• deepen an existing grave for a further burial
• send them for cremation

How to apply

Download and fill in the licence application form to remove buried remains (including cremated remains) in England and Wales.

There’s a different process in Scotland.

You’ll need to get the signature of any close relatives, the owner of the grave plot and the burial authority.

You do not have to pay for an exhumation licence, but there may be fees charged by the burial authority and whoever carries out the exhumation.