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Funeral and release of body

Families wishing to organise the funeral of a loved one whose death has been reported to the court, do not need to wait for the coronial investigation to be completed before beginning to make their arrangements.

Families can contact a funeral director at any time.

The funeral director will liaise with the family and Coroners Court of Victoria staff to help plan the funeral. This includes providing information about when the person is likely to be released from the care of the court.

The coroner will usually authorise the release of a person once all the relevant medical processes required for their investigation have been completed.

Families are not obliged to use the funeral director who brought their loved one into the care of the court.

Releasing the deceased for burial

The coroner will authorise the release of a deceased person as soon as they can.

Two things need to happen first:

  • A funeral director applies for the release of the deceased.
  • The coroner is satisfied all required examinations are complete for the investigation.

Applying for release

Your funeral director can apply for the release of a deceased person on your behalf.

Funeral directors will need to complete the Application for the release of a deceased person and submit the form to the court.

The coroner will then make an order to release the body, which may contain terms or conditions.

In cases where two or more people apply for the release of a person, the coroner will determine who the person will be released to.

Transport and repatriation

St John Ambulance provides the Coroner Court with transport services in metropolitan areas and repatriation services to regional Victoria.

Ask your funeral director to contact St John Ambulance to help coordinate the repatriation of deceased persons to your nominated funeral home.

Last updated on 03 Aug 2020