Cremation approval process and prescribed forms
The remains of a deceased person can only be cremated in Western Australia if a permit to cremate has been issued by a medical referee. Application for a permit to cremate requires the completion of forms 6 and 7.
Application for permit to cremate: Form 6
The senior next of kin or administrator of the estate are the usual people who will apply for a permit to cremate, although there are provisions for other people to apply if necessary.
Information to be provided includes:
- personal details about the deceased
- instructions of the deceased
- details of the death
This form has been amended and must be used from 1 July 2008.
» Download Form 6 PDF version (50KB) | Form 6 Word version (200KB)
Form 6 is also available from funeral directors and from most general practitioners. The applicant must make a statutory declaration that the information given is true and correct. This declaration must be witnessed by a person authorised to take statutory declarations, such as a Justice of the Peace.
Certificate of medical practitioner: Form 7
The doctor who attended the deceased prior to death must complete this form.
Information to be provided includes:
- illness causing death
- place and time of death
- any evidence of a non-natural death
- any implants that may make cremation unsafe
This form has been amended and must be used from 1 July 2008. (Formerly called "Certificate of Medical Attendant".)
» Download Form 7 PDF version (50KB) | Form 7 Word version (200KB)
Permit to cremate: Form 9
A medical referee can issue the permit after receiving the completed forms 6 and 7.
A medical referee cannot issue a permit to cremate when he/she has signed the death certificate, as the two processes must be independent. The Cremation Act 1929 sets out full circumstances when the medical referee cannot issue a permit to cremate.
Once the permit to cremate has been issued, the funeral director must provide this form to the crematorium, together with the radiation safety certificate if applicable (see Form 7). A permit to cremate is sufficient authority for the cremation of the body at the crematorium.
Medical referees can obtain copies of Form 9: Permit to cremate by contacting us.