The mission in historical perspective

• Cremation must be considered equal to burial in the eyes of the law; 
• Cremation must be practically possible;
• Everyone must be given the option to choose personally between burial and cremation.

The first objective was realised in full through the 1991 Burial and Cremation Act. 

Besides building sufficient crematoria, the second objective aims to provide a wide range of resting places for the ashes of deceased persons, especially in cemeteries. To this end, the Facultatieve has for some time now been paying particular attention to cemeteries that are willing to participate in this. This is supported by the awarding of Encouragement prizes.   

The third objective has a permanent character; it relates to the dissemination of relevant information regarding the options and consequences of the various forms of dealing with the human body after death.

The current mission
The mission of the Royal Facultatieve is to promote personal choice for dealing with the human body after death and the realisation of this individual decision. The objective arising from this mission is that the Facultatieve has a permanent task to disseminate relevant information regarding the options and consequences of the various ways of dealing with the human body after death, including technical, ecological, social and psychological aspects. This basically means: “Providing information to support people in making a personal choice when departing this life or when bidding farewell to loved ones.” The key is making one’s own free choices, which is the essential aspect in all the Royal Facultatieve’s activities.