The right holder is the person who holds the burial rights (the leaseholder). The right holder has a significant say in what happens to the grave. For example, they decide who may be buried in the grave and for how long. The right holder also decides what will be inscribed on the grave. The cemetery administrator takes the right holder’s wishes into account, not those of other people. The right holder has rights, but also obligations. If there are any costs involved, the right holder is responsible for them.
The holder of a grave must be a living person. If the holder has died, or if there is another reason to transfer the grave rights to a new holder, you can transfer (or arrange for the transfer of) burial rights. The family of the beneficiary, if they have passed away, is responsible for this.
You may relinquish your grave rights if you are the rightful holder. You can do this with immediate effect, or set a date in the future. If you are unsure whether you are the rightful holder, please contact the cemetery administration.
Grave number
We need the plot number of the plot you wish to relinquish. If a burial has already taken place there, you can look up this plot number at www.grafzoeken.nl.
Grave covering
If there is a grave marker (a memorial and/or plants) on the grave, you have the following options:
- Remove the grave covering yourself (or have it removed) and dispose of it
- Apeldoorn Council is removing and destroying the grave coverings
No entitlement to compensation
You are not entitled to a refund if you relinquish your grave rights. There is one exception to this rule. In the past, it was possible to reserve grave rights at the Heidehof, Soerenseweg and Wenum cemeteries. In that case, you will have a grave number beginning with RES. Only then are you entitled to a refund of 50% of the grave rights fee paid.
Cemetery management regulation 2018
For further information, please visit the Cemetery management regulation 2018 Read. Article 22 explains how to relinquish a burial right.
If you relinquish your burial rights, you must also specify what you wish to happen to the grave marker. You can give the memorial stone a new lease of life. The stone will then be recycled, making it suitable for reuse as if it were new. In doing so, you will be helping to make more sustainable funerals possible. For information on reusing the memorial stone, please refer to the Circlestone’s website.