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.
Download Form 6 (PDF 62KB) / Form 6 (Word 119KB)
Form 6 is also available from funeral directors and from most general practitioners. If the applicant is not the administrator of the deceased, then the applicant must make a statutory declaration. 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.
Download Form 7 (PDF 198KB) / Form 7 (Word 56KB)
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.
Permit to Cremate Ordering System
Permit to Cremate Books (Form 9s) should be ordered online (external site).
To order books, there are standard fields for medical referees or practice staff to complete, including
the medical referee’s name, AHPRA number, email address, practice postal address and number of books
required.
Instructional material: Form 9 Permit to Cremate Ordering System training video (external site).
Permit to Cremate Ordering System – Instructions for GPs (PDF 438KB)
For other related queries, contact the Office of the Chief Health Officer.