Clan and Family Cemetery Permits and Individual Grave Reports — Area Limits, Distance Restrictions, and Application Documents

Procedure

1. 1. Confirm the cemetery type and procedure

   A site holding a single grave, or that grave together with the grave of the deceased's spouse, is an individual grave and must be reported within 30 days after installation. A family cemetery gathering the graves of persons who were relatives under the Civil Act, and a clan cemetery holding the graves of clan members, require a permit in advance, and installing one without a permit is punishable by imprisonment of up to 2 years or a fine of up to 20,000,000 won.

2. 2. Review site restrictions and distance standards

   Use the land use plan confirmation and cadastral map to check whether the site lies in an area where installation is prohibited under Article 17 of the Act, such as a water source protection zone, a cultural heritage protection zone, or a restricted part of a green zone. Under Annex 2 of the Enforcement Decree, individual graves and family cemeteries must be at least 200 m from roads, railways, and river zones and at least 300 m from residential clusters of 20 or more houses, schools, and similar places, while clan cemeteries must be at least 300 m and 500 m away respectively. An exception applies if the mayor, county governor, or district head recognizes that the land or terrain does not interfere with the function of those facilities.

3. 3. Plan the area and grave form and prepare drawings

   Plan a family cemetery as one site per family of 100 ㎡ or less and a clan cemetery as one site per clan of 1,000 ㎡ or less, and keep the area for each grave with its altar stone and headstone within 10 ㎡ (15 ㎡ for a joint burial). Mounds may be up to 1 m high and flat graves up to 50 cm, and stone retaining walls and access steps must also lie within the permitted area. Prepare a floor plan for a family cemetery and a survey drawing for a clan cemetery.

4. 4. Prepare and file the report or permit application

   For an individual grave, file the Individual Grave Installation Report (Form No. 4 of the Enforcement Rule of the Act on Funeral Services, etc.) with a floor plan, a location map or photos, and the landowner's consent to use if the land belongs to someone else. For family and clan cemeteries, file the Cemetery Installation Permit Application (Form No. 5), and a clan cemetery also needs the clan rules or documents proving the clan's decision and documents proving the land is owned by the clan. The land register, registry, land use plan confirmation, and cadastral and forest maps are checked by the official through shared administrative information.

5. 5. Compliance check, permit issuance, and managing changes

   For family and clan cemeteries, the mayor, county governor, or district head notifies the applicant to carry out the application, confirms that installation work is complete, and then issues the installation permit (Form No. 6). A change permit is needed if the area, retaining walls and access roads, or the installer and manager of a clan cemetery change, and an individual grave requires a change report if the area, structures, or grave form changes.

Required documents

• Individual Grave Installation (Change) Report (Form No. 4 of the Enforcement Rule of the Act on Funeral Services, etc.) or Family and Clan Cemetery Installation (Change) Permit Application (Form No. 5 of the same Enforcement Rule)
• Floor plan (individual graves and family cemeteries) or survey drawing (clan cemeteries)
• Location map (sketch) or photos showing each grave and the cemetery location
• Clan rules on installing the clan cemetery or documents proving the clan's decision (such as clan general meeting minutes)
• Documents proving the land is owned by the applicant (by the clan for clan cemeteries) or the landowner's consent to use (individual graves and family cemeteries)
• Change plan and change drawings (for change permits and change reports)
• Letter of Authorization (when an administrative agent files on the applicant's behalf)

Fees

Generally in the range of several hundred thousand won across the industry. We quote after consultation based on the cemetery type, the scope of site review, and the volume of clan decision documents. Surveying and survey drawing costs are separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 8
• Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 14
• Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 17
• Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 18
• Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 19
• Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 39
• Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 42
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 12
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 13
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 14
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on Funeral Services, etc., Annex 2
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 5
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Funeral Services, etc., Article 6
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Funeral Services, etc., Form No. 4
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on Funeral Services, etc., Form No. 5

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-14

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Family and clan cemeteries must be installed only after a permit is granted, and building graves first and applying for a permit later may lead to criminal punishment for unpermitted installation.
• Graves in a private cemetery have an installation period of 30 years, which is extended once for 30 years at the request of a relative, so record the installation date and the extension application timing in the clan's internal records.

Frequently asked questions