Excavation and reburial or cremation

What is it?

You want to rebury a deceased person in another place or still have them cremated. To do this, you want to have the deceased exhumed. This is only possible if you:

  • have permission from the person(s) entitled to the grave
  • have a permit from the municipality

How does it work?

If you want to have a remains exhumed, you always need permission from the person entitled to the grave.

In addition to permission from the rightful owner, you must submit an application to the municipality.

Reburial or still cremation

You may have good reasons for having a remains exhumed. For example, if you want to rebury the deceased's remains in another grave or transfer them to another cemetery. You can also still cremate the remains. For cremation within 1 year of burial, you need permission from the prosecutor of the place of exhumation.

What to do

You must submit a written request. As a rule, a funeral director submits the request for reburial or as yet cremation.

What does it cost?

There are costs associated with a request for reburial or cremation. For information on these costs, please refer to the fee schedule in the Regulation Amending the Regulation on the Levy and Collection of Funeral Fees 2026.

Local regulations