This can vary based on the situation surrounding the local area, how the deceased passed and availability. The very first thing that can quite drastically vary how long until you are able to book a funeral is the coroners involvement. If the death was expected more than likely the coroner will have no involvement and the death will be referred to the GP or doctor in the hospital. If the coroner is involved this will delay the process as you cannot register the death until after the coroner has finished their enquiries.
Most people are under the belief that a death HAS to be registered within five days after the death occurs. While it is beneficial to register the death as soon as possible, you don’t HAVE to registered within five days. If the coroner is involved this may take longer. It has been known to take upwards of two weeks before completing their enquiries. If the coroner opens an inquest this will delay the registering process.
The next factor is the availability of the registrars and when they are able to see you. As of the 24th March 2022 the registrars have asked that everyone registers the death in person and will no longer allow deaths to be registered over the phone or online. How long until they are able to see you varies massively depending on area and availability. In some areas it’s not uncommon to have to wait a couple of weeks before being able to register.
Once the coroner is no longer involved and the death has been registered the next steps is to look at availability. Starting with yourself and your family. In my professional opinion, I recommend you look more at dates you can’t do rather than trying to pinpoint a day, this may be unavailable due to external factors. Once you have selected the dates speak with your funeral director and inform them of your availability. They will then be able to book your time at the crematorium, church, or burials ground. Your funeral director will do their best to match the venue, minister and your families availability to get the best date available.
Due to how busy the crematoria and churches might be, the location of the funeral will widely impact how long until a funeral can take place.
Another factor that is taken into account is religion. Some religions believe that the person will need to be buried or cremated within a certain time frame after the death has occurred. If the funeral director is aware of this, they will do everything in their power to arrange the funeral within the time frame. If the deceased is in the care of the coroner, please do make sure that the coroner is aware of the traditions within their religion. Staying within the time frame unfortunately is not a guarantee. Under some circumstances they might not be a way to be able to get everyone’s availability.
In some occurrences families may want to have the funeral at a later date. This could be due to having family members travelling from various countries and attempting to book a flight. If this is the case, you will more than likely have a much wider selection of days and timings available to you. A factor to take into consideration is the funeral director you are using may charge a fee for the care of your loved one until the day of the funeral.
