Cremation: how it works, costs and necessary documents
What is cremation, how it works, what are the necessary documents, and how to proceed?
The cremation of the body of the decease is a practice now increasingly widespread in our country, can be perform in a long series of unauthorize structures, mostly coinciding with organizations’ graveyards.
Cremation takes place by placing the coffin into the crematorium oven, which is reduce to ashes through a combustion process.
After a few hours, the ashes are separate from any metal parts (nails from the coffin, prostheses, etc.), collected, and seal inside an urn, which will then be deliver to relatives.
How to manifest the will to cremation
To proceed with the cremation of a body, it is necessary to certify the decease persons’ will of cremation
There are three ways to express this will in writing:
- a will registered by the notary.
- a holographic will (i.e. written in one’s own hand) with date and signature.
- membership in a cremation association or cremation company.
The last option involves the payment of a registration fee (one-time or annual) and involves the completion of a form, drawn up by hand. In all cases, it is also possible to indicate the desire to disperse the ashes or to entrust them to a relative, partner, friend.
Membership in an association or a cremation company allows you to enforce the will of the decease even in the event of opposition from relatives.
Cremation: how it works and who to contact after death
If the decease was register with an association or company, the family members must inform the company in charge of the funeral service, which will take care of all the necessary paperwork to activate the procedure at the municipal offices.
In case the desire of cremation has not been express in writing, it can be brought up by the spouse or partner (in the case of a civil union) or, in their absence, by the closest relative within the sixth degree. If there are more relatives of the same degree, and conflicting indications, the opinion of the absolute majority of relatives of the same degree counts.
In this case, the manifestation of the deceased’s desire to be cremated must be made in front of the registrar, in the municipality of residence in the life or death of the deceased, or in the municipality of residence of the declarant.
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Where cremation takes place
The cremation of the coffin is carry out in one of the numerous crematoria existing in our national territory, concentrate above all in the northern regions and in Tuscany.
Cremation: costs
Cremation is a public service whose price is add to the cost of a complete funeral, be it religious or secular. The price varies from the crematorium to the crematorium, within the limit of a maximum ministerial rate, currently equal to € 509.03 + VAT, are adjust annually according to the programmed inflation rate.
Some municipalities, however, charge a reduce rate, taking on the part of the reduction.
The expenses for the investigation of the file and for the custody or dispersion of the ashes must be add to the basic amount, in addition to any expenses connect with the funeral service.
Where to put the ashes?
The ashes of the decease, seal in special cinerary urns, can be kept in the “common cinerary” of the cemeteries, in the cinerary cells, in the cemetery niches
You can also keep them at home, through custody to family members (or decide to turn them into a diamond ring, for example).
Although the national law allows this possibility of conservation, it does not regulate the relative methods of assignment; therefore, you will have to consult the regulations prepared by the region and the municipality to which you belong.
What is certain is that:
- the decease must have specifiy this will;
- the urn must be seal;
- the personal data of the decease must be report.
The delivery to family members must be on record and a suitable guarantee must be given so that the places where the urns will be put are not desecrating, or that no one removes the urn. In fact, once put to trust, the urn cannot be move at will, for example by taking it with you to a different home: also in this case, you will need a specific authorization.
Furthermore, the correct placement and keeping of the urn is subject to checks by the municipal police.
Family life insurance, as the name implies, provides coverage for the couple, of all types. In this case, the children will be even more protected, since they know that, in case something happens to one of their parents, they will have the necessary resources to avoid difficulties. The possible coverage of family insurance varies according to the needs of the contractor.
The scattering of the ashes
The dispersion of ashes is also legal in Italy.
It must be authorize, respecting the wishes of the decease, by the registrar of the municipality in which the death occurs.
It can be allow in specific areas of the cemeteries (“gardens of remembrance”) or in private outdoor areas (with the consent of the owners).
Municipal administrations have the right to allow dispersion in kind as well, by adopting their own regulations in this regard.
The person in charge of dispersing the ashes can be the person identifie alive by the decease himself or it can be the spouse, another family member, any executor of the will, the legal representative of the association or of the cremation company to which the decease person she had sign up.
