Cremation Without a Funeral: How It Works and Your Options

Cremation without a funeral is called direct cremation. The body is cremated shortly after death, with no viewing, visitation or ceremony with the body present, and the ashes are returned to the family. A provider collects the body and handles the permits, and you decide later whether to hold a memorial, scatter the ashes, bury them or keep them at home. Many families choose it for the lower cost and the freedom to plan a gathering when relatives can travel.

What does "cremation without a funeral" mean?

The FTC Funeral Rule defines direct cremation as a disposition of human remains by cremation, without formal viewing, visitation or ceremony with the body present. You may also hear it called simple cremation, basic cremation or cremation only.

It is not the same as having no remembrance at all. Direct cremation decides only what happens to the body. The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) says a memorial or graveside service can be held at any time, once the family can gather and is ready to grieve together. Our guide to what direct cremation is explains what a provider does at each step.

How do you arrange a cremation without a funeral?

1. Work out who has the right to decide. State law sets who may authorize a cremation (see the next section).
2. Call the provider. Many families call a funeral home or cremation provider soon after the death. Compare more than one if you can.
3. Ask for the General Price List and an all-in price. Under the Funeral Rule, a provider must give you prices by phone. Our guides to the General Price List and to the cost of direct cremation explain what to compare.
4. Sign the cremation authorization. The person with the legal right to decide signs it.
5. Let the provider complete the paperwork. A doctor, medical examiner or coroner certifies the death, and a cremation permit is issued where required.
6. Allow for the waiting period. CANA says cremation typically happens at least 48 hours after death. Texas law, for example, sets a 48-hour waiting period, which a justice of the peace, medical examiner or court order can waive.
7. Collect the ashes. CANA says the cremated remains are returned to the authorized agent. If you have not chosen an urn, they come back in a temporary container.

Do you have to use a funeral director? The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) says some states allow only a licensed funeral director to arrange a cremation, but most states let a private citizen get the death certificate and permits. Check that the crematory will accept a body directly from a family, as some work only through funeral homes.

Who can authorize the cremation?

The person with the legal right to control the disposition of the remains signs the authorization. State law sets the order, and it differs, so do not assume your family's arrangement matches your neighbor's.

• Texas. Unless the person left written directions, the order is the person named in a written instrument signed by the decedent, a surviving spouse, any one of the surviving adult children, either parent, any one adult sibling, the executor or administrator, and then the next of kin.
• California. Unless the person left other written directions, the order is a health care agent with the right of disposition, a competent surviving spouse, then the sole adult child or a majority of the adult children, then parents, and so on. Fewer than a majority can act if they have made reasonable efforts to notify the others and know of no opposition.

If relatives with equal rights disagree, a crematory may be unwilling to go ahead until the dispute is settled. A probate attorney can explain the rule in your state. If you are planning ahead, write your wishes down and tell the person you want to carry them out.

Can you still say goodbye?

Yes. A direct cremation does not rule out a farewell. CANA lists the options that work with cremation:

• A viewing or identification before cremation. Facilities may accommodate only a limited number of people, so ask the provider.
• A witnessed cremation. Many crematories let a few close family members be present as the body enters the cremator. It must be requested and scheduled in advance. Ask whether the provider charges for it.
• A memorial service. It has no body present, may include the urn or meaningful memorabilia, and can be held at a place of worship, cemetery, home or anywhere meaningful to the family.
• A graveside service. It can include placing the urn in a niche or in a cemetery plot.

CANA also notes the downside of doing nothing: with direct cremation and no other services, you handle potentially complicated arrangements on your own, possibly while grieving. Its one recommendation is "don't do nothing." Families who leave the ashes with no plan can end up with them stored indefinitely.

For ideas, see cremation memorial service ideas, and our guide to holding a memorial after direct cremation.

What can you do with the ashes?

The FCA lists a wide range of choices, and it says disposition is generally not regulated by law:

• keep them at home in a container or urn
• place them in a columbarium niche
• bury them in a cemetery or, with the owner's permission, on private property
• scatter them on land or at sea
• divide them among family members

Scattering rules differ by place, and some sites need permission. Our ash scattering rules checker and guides to scattering ashes and keeping ashes at home cover the details.

Does faith or family tradition affect the decision?

It can. The FCA says most religions permit cremation, while Orthodox Jewish and Muslim traditions forbid it. CANA says some religions, including orthodox Buddhist and Hindu traditions, include cremation in the mourning rituals. The Catholic Church permits cremation, though the FCA notes the remains must be buried or entombed rather than scattered or kept. Practices vary within every tradition, so speak to a faith leader if you are unsure. Our guide to the Catholic view of cremation covers one example.

A written note of the person's wishes helps whichever way they leaned. Wishes that exist only in conversation can leave relatives guessing.

What to do next

1. Check who has the right to authorize the cremation where the death occurred, and make sure close relatives know the plan.
2. Phone two or three providers for an all-in price and an expected date for the ashes.
3. Decide if you want a viewing, a witnessed cremation or neither, and ask for it in advance.
4. Pick a rough plan for a memorial or for the ashes, even if the date is months away.