How it Works
We've designed Cremstar to make arranging a direct cremation as simple as possible. The entire ordering process can be managed completely online in as little as fifteen minutes, with phone and chat support, from the security and comfort of home, or wherever you happen to be at your time of need. Plus, we’ll keep you apprised of where you are in the process via email so you always know where your lost loved one is located, and there are no surprises.
Step 1: Order Cremation
To start, click on the Order Cremation button, below. You’ll be presented with three forms. The first form (Options & Payment) lets you price out the cremation and pay. Cremstar accepts most major credit or debit cards, as well as MasterCard/VISA gift cards.
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Step 2: Complete Forms
Once the payment has been processed, you’ll receive two emails. One is a PDF receipt. The other features a link and pin number to take you to the final two forms.
The first of these two forms (Authorization & Signatures) is where you enter information about the decedent, and where the Authorizing Agent (usually next-of-kin) signs the screen using their mouse as a pen, or their fingertip if they’re using a smartphone. This gives us the legal authority to perform the removal and cremation, and to file the required paperwork with the state.
The third and final form (Details About the Deceased) is where you enter a little more information about the decedent required for the death certificate. It features questions like "Was the decedent in the military?" or "What was their mother's maiden name?" For samples of the questions you’ll need to answer, visit our Forms section.
That’s it. You’re done!
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Step 3: Confirmation of Pickup Details
Once submitted, our funeral director will reach out to you by telephone in order to confirm and finalize all outstanding details. For example, if the deceased is located at a private residence, they will verify the address and timing of the pickup (removal).
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Step 4: Transportation to Crematory
Transport professionals will pick up your lost loved one from the hospital, residence, or other location, and transport them to the crematory. Depending on the time of day and other factors, it may be necessary to store the deceased in a funeral home refrigeration unit prior to cremation. Once the removal has occurred, we’ll email you and let you know.
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Step 5: Cremation
There is a mandatory waiting period required by the state before any cremation can occur. Most cremations happen within a week of all permits being issued.
Before any cremation can occur, these steps must be completed:- Authorizations are signed by the Next of Kin;
- Attending physician certifies the death;
- State issues the disposition permit;
- In some states, the county issues a county cremation permit;
- Once the state officially registers the death, death certificates can be ordered.
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Step 6: Return of Cremains
The cremains (ashes) are collected and returned to you, according to the method you select during sign-up. They are sealed within a durable plastic bag, which is in turn placed inside a biodegradable reinforced cardboard or hard case plastic box, approximately 12” x 13”, more than suitable if you are planning a scattering. Or, you can purchase a custom urn when you first order your cremation, including biodegradable urns more appropriate for burial. You can either pick up the cremains at no cost from the crematory or Cremstar funeral home; have them shipped for a fee anywhere in the country via the United State Postal Service (USPS), the only way one can mail cremains in the U.S.; or we can scatter them for you anonymously either at sea or in one of our beautiful scattering gardens. Note that death certificates are processed by the state and shipped separately.
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Step 7: MemoryBox Memorial
Each Cremstar customer is entitled to receive an online memorial of their lost loved one at MemoryBox, the nation’s premier memorialization website and app, at no extra cost. You can select to upload a photograph of your lost loved one, and to pen a few words about them, when you first order the cremation—right after you finish the third form—or send yourself an email to complete the task later. We urge you to create an online community of friends and family to remember, honor, and to celebrate the life of your lost loved one. Research shows that memorializing the departed helps in the healing process. As world-renowned expert Dr. Clay Routledge has said, “If you’re a family member or friend of someone who’s dying, or of someone who has recently passed, MemoryBox can help you cope with your loss more effectively, delivering real clinical benefits.”
For those who’d like to arrange a virtual Life Celebration Event, especially in these pandemic times, we’ve pioneered MemoryBox in the Metaverse, an online location to memorialize lost loved ones and host virtual Life Celebration Events in real-time, with live eulogies, and guests from anywhere in the world. Take a tour inside a sample MemoryBox in the Metaverse. These unique environments are populated with images from existing MemoryBox Memories. For more information, visit our Shop Memorybox website.
- By phone: (888) 802-0999, available 24/7. (Se Habla Español.)
- By email: [email protected]
- By chat: 7AM - 10PM Eastern Time, seven days a week; click on the round red chat button on the bottom right of the screen.
If you have an immediate need, you may always order a direct cremation at Cremstar.com 24/7 by clicking on the Order Cremation button below, and a Cremstar representative will be in touch with you shortly.
Order Cremation