Transport, storage, and cremation of remains must be handled by funeral homes; hospital morgues cannot provide such services, and storage is generally limited to 3 days
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Transport, storage, embalming, cosmetic preparation, and cremation can only be done by a funeral home. A hospital morgue does not handle the funeral. At most, it lets the body stay there for a short while. A funeral home generally keeps the body for no more than 3 days. If you need more days, you have to apply for an extension. Cremation takes a death certificate and a cremation confirmation document. The cremation certificate they give you afterward is still needed for the inheritance and for an insurance claim.
- Cost
- No cost involved.
- Benefit
- Article 25 of the Funeral Management Regulations states: “Services such as transport, storage, embalming, body preparation, and cremation must be provided exclusively by funeral homes.” No other entities are permitted to offer these services. Article 24 adds: “Morgues operated by medical institutions may not subcontract or provide funeral services; they may only offer temporary storage for remains.” Hospital morgues are thus restricted to short-term storage only. Article 27 specifies: “Funeral homes may store remains for no more than 3 days; extensions must be formally requested by the family or body transferor.” Article 28 requires cremation to be performed only upon presentation of a death certificate and cremation authorization document, after which a cremation certificate is issued. Article 29 further mandates that in regions where cremation is mandatory, remains must be cremated at a nearby funeral home.
- Notes
- Most “one-stop” services offered at hospitals are not affiliated with licensed funeral homes. Transport itself is a standard service with fixed pricing; see Section 6 for details. Keep the cremation certificate safe — it is required for inheritance, insurance, and other legal procedures. Whether cremation or burial is mandated locally is determined by provincial authorities. Article 9 safeguards the funeral customs of ethnic minorities. Any instance of cremation being required yet burial performed, or burial outside designated cemeteries or ecological burial zones, will prompt civil affairs bureaus to order immediate correction.
Sources · 1
- 国务院 (2026). 殡葬管理条例（国务院令第 824 号，自 2026 年 3 月 30 日起施行，第八、九、二十四、二十五、二十七、二十八、二十九条）. gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202601/content_70541…