The National Military Cemetery, explained.
The current price list and the DND application, an explanation of how the process works, and a plain-language answer to the question that causes the most confusion: the difference between the cemetery and the funeral home.
The documents
Everything you need, in one place.
The price list, the DND application, and answers to the questions I am asked most often. Please read the note below the price list before you look at the numbers — it explains how the costs are put together.
National Military Cemetery price list
Current pricing for lots, columbarium niches, monuments, and interment fees in the National Military Cemetery. Covers traditional burial, in-ground cremation, and above-ground cremation.
Download price list (PDF)National Military Cemetery application
The application submitted to the Department of National Defence to confirm eligibility. Approval normally takes ten business days. There is no cost to apply, and applying does not commit you to anything.
Download the application (PDF)Frequently asked questions
How to acquire a lot, what happens after approval, whether the monument is optional, the military urn, payment plans, and arranging from outside Ottawa.
Read the answersBefore you read the price list
Cemetery costs are made up of four separate parts. Knowing what they are in advance makes the price list much easier to read, and stops the total coming as a surprise.
- The lot or niche The land itself for an in-ground burial, or the columbarium niche for above-ground cremated remains. Purchased once.
- The monument To acquire a lot in the National Military Cemetery, the monument must be purchased at the same time — it isn’t optional. Its design and inscriptions are regulated by National Defence and must be approved before manufacture. There is room on it for the inscriptions of two people, including the crest of the branch the member served in. If both people served, there is room for two crests. The monument is purchased once, and it is manufactured and erected at the time of purchase — not after a death.
- Interment fees The opening and closing of the grave or niche. This is charged each time an interment takes place — not once per lot.
- Final inscription of dates The dates of birth and death are not carved when the monument is made. They are added afterwards, once the person has died. Because the monument carries two people, there are two of these inscriptions in total — one for each person, each charged separately.
If you are arranging for two people, some of these costs double
Every lot and niche in the National Military Cemetery holds up to two people — the member who served, plus one family member.
The lot and the monument are bought once, and cover both people. But the interment fee is charged per interment — two people means two interment fees. The same applies to the dates: one final inscription per person, charged separately for each.
It’s worth working out the full two-person total at the outset rather than only the first, so there are no surprises for whoever is left to settle the second.
- HST applies to all prices on the list.
- Interment costs carry a surcharge if the interment takes place in winter or on a Saturday.
- Prices are subject to change without notice. Arranging in advance locks in today’s prices.
- None of these prices include funeral services. That is a separate arrangement with a funeral home — explained below.
The distinction
Two things have to happen. They are arranged separately.
When a person dies, two entirely different things need to be taken care of. A funeral home has to take the person who died into its care and complete everything the law requires. And there has to be a place for them to be buried.
Most people think of these as a single decision, because they happen close together — and at Beechwood, on the same property. They are not a single decision. They are arranged separately, they are billed separately, and doing one does not do the other.
Care of the person who died
Handled by a licensed funeral home — Beechwood Funeral Home, or any other funeral home you choose.
What this covers
- Coming to collect you, wherever and whenever the death occurs, and transferring you into professional care
- Registering the death and obtaining the permits required before any cremation or burial can proceed
- Care and preparation of the person who died
- If you choose cremation, the funeral home carries it out. Beechwood has its own crematorium on site
- If you choose burial, the casket and the preparation for interment
- Whatever service you choose to have: nothing at all, a short graveside gathering, or a full traditional funeral with visitation and a chapel service
Required in every case. Whatever you decide about a service, someone licensed has to take charge of your body. There is no version of this that gets skipped.
A permanent resting place
Handled by Beechwood Cemetery — the National Military Cemetery.
What this covers
- The purchase of the land — the lot itself, or a columbarium niche for cremated remains
- The monument, manufactured and erected at the time of purchase
- Opening and closing the grave at the time of interment
- The final inscription of the dates of birth and death, added after the person has died
- Perpetual care and maintenance of the grounds
Arranging in advance. Once your eligibility is approved and the property is purchased, everything sits on file until it is needed. Arranging ahead also locks in today’s prices.
Approval only, with nothing purchased. You also have the option of applying for approval and simply leaving the approved application on file with the cemetery. In that case you would buy nothing, and nothing is held or reserved for you. But at the time of death your family would not face the delay of going through the approval process.
Different organizations. Different price lists. Different invoices.
The common misunderstanding
“I don’t want a funeral” is not the same as “I don’t need a funeral home.”
“I’ve arranged my plot at the Military Cemetery. I don’t want a service — no visitation, no ceremony, nothing. So I’m all set.”
The most common thing I hearA great many people arrive at this conclusion, and the logic is sound. If you have decided you want no service of any kind, it follows that you would not need a funeral home. A funeral home runs funerals. No funeral, no funeral home — a natural assumption to make, but unfortunately it is incorrect.
A funeral home is not only the people who run a service. It is the licensed establishment legally responsible for taking your body into its care and completing everything the province requires before your remains can be buried anywhere — including in the National Military Cemetery.
The sequence
Who does what, and in what order.
From the moment of death to the moment of interment, here is where each organization acts. Note how much happens before the cemetery is involved at all.
The death occurs
The family calls a funeral home — often the very first call they make. The deceased is transferred into professional care, usually within a few hours, at any hour of the day or night.
Documentation and permits
The death is registered. The funeral director completes the paperwork and obtains the permits required before a cremation or burial can legally proceed.
Cremation, or preparation for burial
The cremation is carried out and the remains are placed in a container or urn. For an earth burial, the deceased is prepared and casketed instead.
The service, if there is one
Anything from no service at all, through to visitation, a chapel service and a reception. This step is entirely yours to shape — including choosing to skip it.
Interment in the National Military Cemetery
The grave is opened, the graveside service takes place, and the grave is closed. Military honours are arranged by the cemetery. The monument is already standing — it was manufactured and erected back at the time of purchase — and the dates of birth and death are added to it afterwards.
Reading your price list
What a cemetery price list does and does not include.
The price list above is a cemetery price list. It prices the lot, the monument and the interment. There is a separate price list for the funeral home.
On your cemetery price list
Quoted and billed by Beechwood Cemetery
- The purchase of the land, or a columbarium niche
- The monument, manufactured and erected at the time of purchase
- Opening and closing of the grave
- The final inscription of the dates of birth and death
- Perpetual care of the grounds
Not on your cemetery price list
Quoted and billed separately by a funeral home
- Transfer of the deceased into professional care
- Death registration, documentation and permits
- Cremation — or casket and preparation for earth burial
- Visitation, chapel service or reception, if you want one
- Urns, keepsakes and memorial products
- The funeral director’s professional services
Your choice
You can use any funeral home you want.
Being buried here does not tie you to one funeral home
Buying cemetery property at Beechwood does not require you to use Beechwood’s funeral home. Any licensed funeral home — in Ottawa, elsewhere in Ontario, or anywhere in Canada — can take your loved one into their care, complete the documentation, carry out the cremation, and deliver the remains to Beechwood for interment.
Families do this regularly. Sometimes it’s because they have a longstanding relationship with a funeral home in their own community. Sometimes it’s simply because the death occurred a long way from Ottawa. Both work perfectly well, and neither affects the veteran’s eligibility or their place in the National Military Cemetery.
There is a practical case for keeping it under one roof
Beechwood is a funeral home, a cemetery and a crematorium on a single property. When the same organization handles both arrangements, a few things get simpler:
- One point of contact, rather than two organizations to coordinate between
- One set of paperwork moving in one direction
- No scheduling negotiation between a funeral home and a cemetery over timing
- No transfer of remains between separate providers
- Everything — care, cremation, service and interment — happening at the same address
For families arranging things from out of town, or during an already difficult week, that tends to matter more than they expect it to. But the choice is entirely yours. What matters is that the choice gets made in advance, rather than discovered at the time of need.
Questions I get asked
Common questions.
About the two arrangements
I’ve already applied to DND and been approved. Doesn’t that cover it?
No. Form DND 2277-E establishes that you are eligible for burial in the National Military Cemetery. It is a determination of eligibility — not a purchase, and not an arrangement. It costs nothing and obligates no one.
Both the cemetery property and the funeral home arrangements still remain to be made.
I’ve bought my plot. Am I finished?
You have secured your resting place, which is a significant thing to have settled. What you have not yet arranged is for anyone to take you into their care when you die and complete everything required to get you there.
That is the second arrangement, and it is the one people most often miss.
I truly want nothing — just cremation. Do I still need a funeral home?
Yes. Direct cremation with no service at all is still a funeral home arrangement. Someone licensed has to collect you, register the death, obtain the cremation permit, perform the cremation, and provide a container for your remains.
Choosing no service reduces what you pay a funeral home. It does not remove the need for one.
Can I pre-arrange the funeral home side as well?
Yes, and most people who have thought this far ahead do. Pre-arranging with a funeral home puts your wishes on record in writing and can lock in today’s prices.
It is a separate conversation from the cemetery one, but there is nothing stopping both from happening on the same day.
What if the death happens far from Ottawa?
A funeral home local to where the death occurs takes the deceased into care, completes the documentation and carries out the cremation. The remains are then brought to Beechwood for burial in the National Military Cemetery. This is routine, and it doesn’t complicate the cemetery side at all.
Does my family have to decide everything at once?
No. Eligibility, cemetery property and funeral home arrangements can each be settled separately and at different times. Many veterans confirm eligibility years before purchasing property, and arrange the funeral home side later still.
The only thing worth avoiding is leaving all three to be sorted out in the same week by grieving family members.
About the cemetery arrangements
How can I acquire a lot or columbarium niche in the National Military Cemetery?
You must first complete the National Military Cemetery Application and have it approved by the Department of National Defence. Approval normally takes ten business days, though occasionally it comes sooner.
The application has been approved. What are the next steps?
You now have the authorization to acquire a lot or columbarium niche in the National Military Cemetery. Those arrangements are completed with one of the NMC Liaisons at Beechwood Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services.
Your application remains on file with the NMC Liaisons until the arrangements have been completed. Nothing expires while you think about it.
Can I make arrangements in advance, or do I have to wait until someone passes away?
Either is possible. Arrangements can be made in advance of need, or at the time of a death.
Many families choose to arrange in advance. It provides peace of mind, spares the family decisions at a difficult time, and it locks in today’s prices.
If I purchase a lot for in-ground interment, do I have to acquire the military monument?
Yes. To acquire a lot in the National Military Cemetery, the monument must be purchased at the same time.
National Defence heavily regulates monument and niche inscriptions, and the NMC Liaisons must work within those regulations. Once the inscriptions have been approved by both National Defence and the family, the monument or niche front is manufactured and installed on site.
Besides the lot or niche and the monument, what other costs should I expect?
The interment or inurnment fees — the opening and closing of the grave or niche — along with urns and an urn vault, if you want one. These can be purchased in advance or at the time of need.
Separately, Beechwood is a fully licensed funeral home offering both traditional and alternative funeral and cremation services. Your NMC Liaison can provide costs and options for the funeral home side.
What is the military urn?
The military urn is unique to Beechwood. It is solid black granite with the Canadian Forces crest on the front.
There is also a granite double urn for a columbarium niche, holding two sets of cremated remains, with the Canadian Forces crest on one side and either a rose or bird design on the other. Matching granite urns for non-military spouses carry either a rose or a bird design.
Urns are ordered and held in storage until needed, and can be shipped anywhere in Canada at the time of need.
What is an urn vault, and is it mandatory?
An urn vault is optional. It is a fibreglass container holding up to two urns, used for in-ground interment of cremated remains.
Its purpose is to keep both urns side by side beneath the ground without earth separating them, and it offers some protection from the elements. Many couples find the idea of their urns resting side by side a comforting one.
Casket vaults are not permitted in the National Military Cemetery.
Are payment plans available?
Not for the cemetery. The full cost of the cemetery arrangements — the land, the monument, the interment and the final inscription — is payable at the time of purchase.
The funeral home side is different. If you choose to pre-plan your funeral arrangements with the funeral home, payment plans are available and the cost can be spread over time.
Either way, arranging in advance locks in today’s prices.
Can more than two people be interred in the same lot or niche?
No. Every lot and columbarium niche within the National Military Cemetery accommodates the member who served plus one family member — two people, no more.
For families who need to keep more people together, Beechwood created the Military Family Member Program, which allows additional family members to acquire a lot in one of the neighbouring sections within Beechwood at a reduced cost.
I don’t live in the Ottawa area. Do I have to meet an NMC Liaison in person?
No. The NMC Liaisons can discuss all of the arrangements by telephone and email, and the arrangements can then be completed by regular mail or email.
This page explains the general division of responsibilities between a cemetery and a funeral home. It is not a price list and does not constitute a quote. Costs, inclusions and available options are set by each organization and change over time — always confirm current details directly with the cemetery and with the funeral home you intend to use.
Who wrote this
If something here isn’t clear, call me.
I’m a funeral director at Beechwood Funeral Home and Cemetery in Ottawa, and I work with veterans’ families going through the National Military Cemetery process. I built this site myself, because the official information is spread across several places and families kept arriving with the same questions.
There is no cost to ask and no obligation. If you would rather talk to someone before filling in a form, that is usually the quicker route.