Permit to Relocate an Unclaimed Grave

Procedure

Procedure

1. 01

   Site check and photographs: Confirm on site the grave's location, number, mound condition, and any markers such as a tombstone or stone table, and photograph the grave from several angles for the application. Any name or year carved on the tombstone is recorded as is, since it becomes grave information for the public notice.

2. 02

   Review of public records: Use the land register and the certified copy of the real estate register to confirm the applicant owns the land, and document how the grave came to be installed without the owner's consent. This forms the basis for the statement of reasons why the relatives are unknown and the document proving the relatives hold no rights to the land.

3. 03

   Drafting the notification or public notice and publishing it twice: State the grave's location, the reason for relocation, where and for how long the remains will be placed afterwards, and the landowner's name, address, and contact details, with a period of at least 3 months. Known relatives are notified in writing; otherwise the notice is published in two or more daily newspapers (including at least one national daily) or on the province or city/county/district website plus at least one daily newspaper, with the second notice more than 40 days after the first.

4. 04

   Preparing and filing the relocation permit application: If the relatives remain unknown after the notice period, file the relocation permit application with the city/county/district where the grave is located, attaching the grave photographs, the statement of reasons, proof of land ownership, and the notification or public notice. The land (forest) register and land registration details are checked by the official through administrative information sharing.

5. 05

   Receiving the permit, cremation, and enshrinement: The processing period on the form is 3 days; after receiving the relocation permit, the grave is opened and the remains are cremated. The ashes are enshrined in a charnel facility for 5 years, after which they are scattered at a designated scattering facility within a funeral facility or given a natural burial. Book the crematorium and charnel facility in advance to match the relocation date.

6. 06

   Reporting the disposal: Cremation, enshrinement, and disposal after the public notice must be reported to the competent city/county/district; relocating without notification or public notice, or failing to report the disposal, is subject to an administrative fine. Keep the relocation permit and the cremation and enshrinement certificates until the process is complete.

Filing route

Filing route

Deadlines & processing notes

Deadlines & processing notes

Basic documents

Basic documents

A permit cannot be applied for until the two public notices 40 days apart and the notice period of at least 3 months have been completed, so if a land sale or construction is scheduled, start the public notice first.