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Burial at sea marine licence

A marine licence is the legal permission required to bury a body at sea in English waters. The licence is issued by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). Without a licence, the burial would breach the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 and the wider regime governing what can be deposited in the sea. The licence does not authorise the funeral itself — that is arranged with a funeral director — but it is the document that allows the body to be placed in UK marine waters. [source: gov-uk/burial-at-sea-licence-2026-05-02.html]

Two routes:

  • Self-service licence — for the three designated burial sites (off The Needles, Hastings to Newhaven, Tynemouth). Faster and cheaper because the location has been pre-approved as suitable.
  • Standard licence — for any other location. Requires the family or funeral director to provide evidence that the location is suitable for a sea burial: water depth, currents, distance from shipping lanes and fishing grounds, and absence of conflicting marine activity.

Documents required:

  • Death certificate.
  • Certificate of Freedom from Fever and Infection (issued by the deceased's GP or the hospital).
  • Coroner's notice (where the death has been referred to the coroner).
  • DNA consent form (for The Needles site only).
  • Application fee.

[source: gov-uk/burial-at-sea-licence-2026-05-02.html]

Coffin specification: the MMO sets specific requirements that the coffin and body must meet for a licence to be granted:

  • Solid softwood coffin with reinforcement and drainage holes.
  • Weighted with at least 200 kg of iron, steel, or concrete.
  • Body wrapped in metal wire mesh.
  • Body not embalmed.
  • Lightweight, biodegradable clothing only.

[source: gov-uk/burial-at-sea-licence-2026-05-02.html]

Validity: once granted, the burial must take place within three months. The licence is specific to the named deceased and the named location. [source: gov-uk/burial-at-sea-licence-2026-05-02.html]

What the licence does not cover:

  • Scattering of cremated ashes at sea — no licence required. The MMO does not regulate the placing of human remains that have already been cremated.
  • Burial at sea outside English waters — the family applies to the relevant national authority: Marine Scotland in Scotland, Natural Resources Wales in Wales, or DAERA in Northern Ireland.
  • Repatriation by sea of a body that died abroad — handled under the international death-abroad framework rather than the marine licensing regime. See When someone dies abroad.

Practical sequence: most families apply through a funeral director with experience of sea burials — there are only a handful of UK firms that specialise in this. The funeral director coordinates the licence application, the boat charter, the coffin specification, and the medical certificates. Allow at least two weeks from the date of death for the licence to be granted, longer for non-designated sites.

Cost: licence fees are published by the MMO; the boat charter, coffin specification, and funeral director's services are separate. A typical sea burial costs significantly more than a comparable land burial because of the boat charter and the specialist coffin.

→ Burial rights in the UK · Marine Management Organisation

Last verified: 2 May 2026 against gov.uk burial-at-sea licence guidance.