Riga City Funeral Service
Information service 24/7
In most of Riga's cemeteries new plots are no longer allocated: of the 22 municipal cemeteries, 15 are partially closed and 5 are closed. This means there is only one way to bury a relative beside the family there — a further burial in an existing family plot. This article sets out when that is possible, which time limits and documents apply, and what to do if the plot is registered to someone who has died.
Riga City Funeral Service handles the approval of a further burial together with the rest of the funeral arrangement: we check the status of the plot, prepare the documents and agree the date with the cemetery keeper. Advice around the clock: +371 2208 4540
The decision rests with the cemetery keeper and turns on two things: whether the plot has unused space, and whether the required period has passed since the previous burial.
If there is unused space in the plot the matter is simple — the burial takes place in the free part and the time limits do not apply. If there is no free space and the burial must be made above an earlier one, then a coffin burial is permitted no earlier than 20 years after the previous burial. That period may be shortened to 15 years, but only with the consent of the Health Inspectorate; without it the keeper will not give permission.
For an urn the position differs from a coffin: placing an urn in an existing family plot is generally more straightforward, and this is precisely why in closed cemeteries, where other burials are no longer allowed, urn burial remains the only option.
The status of every cemetery of Riga municipality is set in Annex 1 to Riga City Council binding regulations No. RD-23-242-sn. What may be done at a cemetery follows from that status:
| Cemetery status | What is possible there |
|---|---|
| Open cemetery (2 of 22) | New plots are allocated; a further burial in an existing family plot is also possible. These are Jaunciems and Bolderāja cemeteries |
| Partially closed (15 of 22) | No new plots are allocated. Burials take place only in existing family plots — by coffin or urn, subject to the time limits |
| Closed cemetery (5 of 22) | No new plots, no coffin burials. Only the burial of an urn in an existing plot is possible |
The first step is therefore always the same: establish which cemetery holds the family plot and what status it has. All 22 cemeteries with their addresses and statuses are listed on the cemeteries page.
A further burial in an existing family plot requires two principal documents: the written consent of the plot holder and a copy of the death certificate. If the period is being shortened from 20 years to 15, the consent of the Health Inspectorate is needed in addition.
One situation comes up more often than any other: the plot is registered to a relative who has themselves died. There is then no one to give consent, and the rights of the plot holder must first be taken over — this is done by application to the cemetery keeper. In the event of a dispute, precedence goes to whoever filed the application first, so this step is best not postponed.
The full list of documents for a funeral is on the page documents for burial.
Burial depth is set by the same regulations and differs for a further burial: a coffin is normally buried at 1.5 m to the lid, whereas in a further burial the depth is between 0.7 and 1.2 m; an urn is placed at not less than 1 m. A further burial is therefore physically possible only where the earlier burial was made at sufficient depth, and the keeper checks this before granting permission.
On cost: the allocation of the plot itself is free in Riga — the municipality makes no charge, following the Constitutional Court judgment of 5 March 2019. The paid services are others: grave digging, use of the chapel and grave care. In a further burial the main part of the cost therefore falls on the digging and the burial itself.
One last thing worth knowing in advance: if you expect that someone else will in time be buried in the plot, the right to it has to be maintained — the plot must be tended, and the municipality inspects it once a year from 1 April to 1 November. Rights may be terminated if a plot has not been put in order for three years.
