Here is a clear, simple comparison of every key difference, exactly as it works in England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland.
Cremation
- The coffin is transported to a crematorium, and reduced to fine, safe ashes (cremated remains) using high heat (~800–1000°C)
- Takes 1–2 hours; ashes are returned to you usually within 2–7 days
- No permanent plot needed
Burial
- The Coffin is lowered into the earth or inside a vault/tomb
- Takes place in cemetery, churchyard, natural burial ground, or approved private land
- Simpler legally: Fewer forms
- Fixed permanent location
Cost (Biggest difference)
Cremation: £3,800 – £5,500 total
- Cheaper overall — no grave plot to buy
- Includes: service, cremation fee, coffin, transport
- Direct cremation (no service): from £1,480
Burial: £4,000 – £8,000
- More expensive — you must buy a grave plot
- Plus: grave digging fee, memorial costs, longer-term fees
- Natural burial: similar cost, simpler grave preparation
Service fees, transport, coffin cost are almost the same for both
Location & Memorial
Cremation
Flexible, no fixed place
- Keep ashes at home, scatter anywhere allowed, bury in a small plot, place in a columbarium, or share between family
- Can turn ashes into jewellery, glass, diamonds, or memorial objects
- No permanent grave to visit — you choose where their memory lives
- 👉 Most popular: ~73% of UK funerals are cremations
Burial
Fixed, permanent resting place
- You own/rent the right to that exact plot
- You can add headstone, plaque, bench, tree, or kerb — a permanent place to visit, bring flowers, or gather
- Cannot move them easily later; once buried, they stay there
- 👉 Traditional, familiar, rooted in history
Legal & Paperwork
Cremation
- Certificate for Cremation (Green Form): Issued by the registrar after you register the death.
- Cremation Form 1 (Application for Cremation): Completed by the executor
- Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD): Issued by a doctor, reviewed by a medical examiner.
- Coroner’s Certificate: If the coroner is involved, this replaces the MCCD
- Preliminary Application (instructions for crematorium)
- Must go to a licensed crematorium — cannot cremate anywhere else
- Independent families: harder to arrange yourself, because of extra medical forms
Burial
- Certificate for Burial (Green Form): Issued by the registrar after you register the death, this authorizes the disposal of the body. Or an Order for Burial if the corner is involved
- Notice of interment form (For council owned cemetery)
- Can bury in cemeteries, churchyard, natural ground, approved private land
Environment
Cremation
- Uses energy, small carbon footprint (~160kg CO₂), uses no land
- Eco-options: bio-cremation (water-based, no heat)
Burial
- Uses land permanently, no emissions
- Eco-option: natural burial — no concrete, simple shroud/coffin, planted with trees, returns fully to nature