Crematorium and cemetery permit and requirements

If you run a funeral home in the Netherlands and want to start using a new cemetery, crematorium or garden of remembrance, you need a permit from the municipality. They determine where to build these facilities.

Crematorium and Garden of Remembrance requirements

Owners of crematoria with a Garden of Remembrance in the Netherlands must comply with regulations about soil and air quality, in particular with standards for flue gases and requirements for incineration installations. Your crematorium must have an afterburner chamber and mercury filter.

Cemetery and crematorium registers

If you manage a cemetery in the Netherlands, you must keep an up-to-date register that lists the names of those who are buried at the cemetery. You must specify accurately their burial location. You must also keep an up-to-date register of cremation urns placed at your cemetery. If you manage a crematorium, you must keep an up-to-date register of cremated mortal remains and where the ashes have been taken. These registers are public.

Animal crematorium

There are 2 kinds of animal crematoria:

• Animal crematoria with a limited incineration capacity (up to 50kg per hour), that are only allowed to cremate pet animals.
• Animal crematoria with a high incineration capacity (more than 50kg per hour), that are allowed to cremate horses as well as pet animals.

Animal crematoria must meet strict (environmental) requirements. An animal crematorium must, for example, have an incineration installation that complies with the minimum incineration conditions.