Contents

Burial of a coffin or urn in a cemetery in Denmark
Burial of a coffin in a cemetery in a country outside of Denmark
Scattering of ashes (“Askespredning”) over open water
Burial of urn on private property 
Dividing the ashes (“Askedeling”) 
Urn to be sent abroad
Urn kept at home
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Burial of a coffin or urn in a cemetery in Denmark

The coffin or urn can be buried in a cemetery in Denmark whereas an urn can also be buried in the Woodland cemeteries.

If the deceased had a special affiliation with a specific parish, it is possible for the coffin or urn to be buried in that parish - otherwise the burial can take place in the parish where the deceased used to live.
It is the cemetery board of the parish or municipality of residence who grants permission for the burial of a coffin or urn.

Burial of a coffin in a cemetery in a country outside of Denmark

If the deceased wished to be buried in a country outside of Denmark, a mortuary passport is required.

You or the undertaker must apply from the Danish Patient Safety Authority. The mortuary passport and a Certificate of Personal Data for the deceased must accompany the coffin all the way to the destination.

> Read more about the issue of a mortuary passport by the Danish Patient Safety Authority
> Look up any words and terms that you are not familiar with
> Find information on Certificates of Personal Data 

Scattering of ashes (“Askespredning”) over open water

Scattering of ashes must take place over open water, i.e., over the sea or large inlets/bays leading to open water.

Scattering of ashes must take place in a decent manner so that the act does not attract attention (for example, you must not scatter the ashes from a ferry)

The following is not permitted:

• to scatter the ashes over a lake
• to immerse an urn with ashes into the sea
• to scatter the ashes over land

Burial of urn on private property 

If the deceased wanted to have his or her urn buried on private property in Denmark, the notifier or undertaker must send a request to the diocese where the property is located. There are specific requirements, including the size of the property.

If you are not sure to which diocese you should send the request, you can find the diocese and its contact details by entering the address of the property on sogn.dk and clicking on “Fakta om sognet” (In English: facts about the parish).

> Find information about the diocese on sogn.dk
> For more information about burial sites, please visit borger.dk

If the deceased wished to be buried in an urn on private property in another country, you should check the requirements in the country concerned. There is no requirement for a mortuary passport when an urn is sent abroad.

Dividing the ashes (“Askedeling”) 

If the deceased wanted the ashes to be divided, the applicant or undertaker must send a request to the diocese where the deceased lived.

If you are not sure to which diocese you should send the request, you can find contact information on the diocese by entering the address of the property where the ashes should be buried on sogn.dk and clicking on Fakta om sognet (Facts about the parish).

>Find information about the diocese on sogn.dk

It is not permitted to have the ashes buried in two different cemeteries in Denmark.

If one part is to be buried in a Danish cemetery, the other part must be:

• scattered over open water - or
• buried on private property (also requires permission from the diocese) - or
• sent abroad

A ceremony may be conducted before the permission for division of ashes has been granted by the diocese, but the urn will not be handed over from the crematorium before the permission has been given.

Urn to be sent abroad

If the deceased wanted the urn to be sent abroad, you must check the rules in the other country that may be different from the rules in Denmark, i.e., whether they require any documents to accompany the urn such as a Certificate of Personal Data or a copy of the death certificate for the deceased.

There is no requirement for a mortuary passport when an urn is sent abroad.

Urn kept at home

It is not allowed to keep an urn with the ashes of a deceased person at home. The ashes must either be buried in a cemetery, on private property or scattered over open water, please read more in the sections above.