Burial Services

New lairs (graves) are available to purchase in most of our burial grounds. Please contact Burial Services who will help you select a suitable plot.

Cremated remains lairs are available in some burial grounds.

Once this has been purchased, as the lair holder you own the Exclusive Right of Burial in the lair and the right to make an application to erect a memorial. The actual lair and burial grounds belong to the Council.

In accordance with the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016, all new EROB grants across Scotland will, from 1 March 2026, be for a fixed term of 25 years. Lair holders have the statutory right to apply for extensions in 10-year increments.

The Council will make reasonable efforts to write to the lair holder at least 3 months before the 25-year term ends. The lair holder or their personal representative if the lair holder is deceased, must then apply to extend their rights.

If the rights are not extended, vacant lairs revert to the Council for potential future allocation. Lairs containing interments remain protected, but no further burials or new memorials may be installed until the EROB extension has been applied for which may also require lair transfer if the lair holder is deceased.

Once 100 years have passed since the last burial, unextended EROBs with interments may be considered for reuse by the Council in line with statutory requirements

Burial Grounds where Pre-Purchase of Exclusive Right of Burial is Unavailable

To ensure the long-term availability of burial space within our communities, Shetland Islands Council has a policy restricting the pre-purchase of Exclusive Right of Burial (EROB) in burial grounds with limited capacity. This approach follows best practices across burial authorities to ensure fairness and sustainability in managing burial space.

In burial grounds where the remaining capacity is estimated to be less than 10 years, pre-purchasing an EROB is not permitted. This policy prioritises immediate burial requirements and helps maintain future availability for those requiring interment at the time of need.

At the time of burial, families will have two options:

1. Shetland Islands Council lair allocation at no extra cost.
2. Assisted specific lair selection for an additional charge.

Exceptions to the pre-purchase restriction may be considered in specific circumstances, such as when parents wish to secure a lair alongside their child, including adult children. We recognise the importance of family wishes and will accommodate such requests where possible.

We understand that burial arrangements are deeply personal, and we appreciate your understanding as we manage this essential community resource.

Pre-purchase of Exclusive Right of Burial is unavailable in the following burial grounds:

*Inactive once existing EROB’s fulfilled/then ashes interment applications only

**Historic/closed to full coffin interments