Frequently Asked Questions

A Bare Cremation (often called a direct cremation) is an increasingly popular alternative to a traditional funeral. A traditional funeral typically involves a ceremony, with coffin present, in a funeral parlour.   A Bare Cremation is a cremation-only service, which then  allows families to create a personal memorial service after the cremation occurs. It is the fastest growing funeral trend in Australia, because of the cost advantages, but more importantly the flexibility it affords families to hold a highly personalised farewell.  For families who would like support arranging a ceremony, a Bare Memorial is perfect for you.  A Bare Memorial is a ceremony, but without a coffin present.  This allows the service to focus less on their passing, and more on the life that they lived - and the people that mattered to them. 

No. Once the plan is paid in full, there’s nothing more to pay, whether you need us in 5 or 50 years’ time. The only situation where extra fees may be payable is if you pass away in a different region in Australia. While we are almost always in a position to be able to attend to your cremation care as planned, additional costs may be incurred based if the death occurs outside 50km of the address nominated on your prepaid contract. We encourage you to keep in touch and provide us with updated details should you change address.

In the instance of an overseas death, your finances are returned to their estate as we cannot service.

A celebrant is the person entrusted with bringing the story of your loved one out in all its richness. Your celebrant will meet with you prior to the service to help plan the Order of Service; who will speak, what they might like to say, what poems or passages will be read, and more. On the day, your celebrant ensures the smooth running of your service and supports your family every step of the way. ​

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A Bare appointed celebrant is an optional extra in your Bare Funeral or Bare Memorial package to help plan the service and officiate on the day. Your Bare Arranger will recommend a celebrant based on an understanding of your family and your loved one. Whether Bare appoints a celebrant on your behalf or you organise a family member or friend to carry out the role it is very important someone is designated to officiate on the day. You will always remember the celebrant who celebrated your loved one's life, so we take great care in our selections.

The investment value of your prepaid contract is invested in a regulated Fund with the Lifeplan Australia Friendly Society. As a member of the Fund the investment value is held in your name and we can only access the funds on your passing as part of the pre-paid contract. In the very unlikely event that we are not in business when you pass away the investment value at that time would either be paid to your Estate or paid to another Funeral Director at the direction of your Executor to contribute to your funeral expenses.

The safest and easiest way to revoke, or cancel, your Will or estate document is to make a new document. This new document will then be declared as your last Will or most current estate planning document. Making a new version automatically makes all previous documents of the same type void. Signing the Will correctly is vital to ensure it is valid.

A Bare Cremation (often called a direct cremation) is an alternative to a traditional funeral as it is a more simple and affordable option. It is a private or unattended cremation with no family or friends present during the process. This option allows families to create a personal memorial service anytime at a later date or whenever they are ready.

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A Bare Memorial is best for families who want a less traditional funeral and a flexible option with no time constraints. For families who would like support arranging a ceremony, a Bare Memorial is perfect for you. A Bare Memorial includes everything in a Bare Cremation and a memorial service arranged by your arranger at a time and place that suits you. 

We take this responsibility very seriously, and the process to ensure this happens is closely regulated. Your loved one is cremated individually. They, the coffin, and the ashes receptacle are all labelled and checked and verified. Your loved one’s paperwork accompanies them throughout their care journey and is checked multiple times to ensure their identity is recorded correctly.

Our Base Funeral package already covers the essential services for a simple and meaningful farewell. If you would like to personalise the service, we also offer optional extras so you can choose and only pay for other service elements you need. Your arranger will guide you and help with any additions that suit your wishes. 

The date a funeral can take place will depend on many factors, including the location of your loved one and completion of paperwork. There are also many things that need to be planned and put into place. We suggest that at least 7 days is necessary to allow you time to process matters, make decisions and planning to take place. Your funeral date will need to be settled in conjunction with your funeral arranger, but our advice is to not rush and to give yourself the much needed time to prepare for the day fully.

We know that paying for a funeral can be daunting, particularly when bills and financial commitments don't stop. At Bare, we don't ask for payment upfront for an immediate or imminent arrangement. We offer affordable services and flexible payment options to support your family. If you have any questions about this, please give our care team a call on 1800 071 176.

Probate (where there is a will), or Letters of Administration (where there isn't a will) is the approval granted to an executor of a Will by the Supreme Court. Obtaining a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration means that the Court has formally recognised the authority of the executor to manage the estate of the deceased.

For Bare Cremation or cremation-only without service, we use either a basic cardboard coffin or an MDF coffin made from compressed wood fibres. At this time, we do not offer other coffin options for our cremation-only arrangement.

No! If we are arranging a Bare Cremation, Funeral or Memorial on your behalf, then our Bare Aftercare services outlined above are included as part of your Bare service. We recognise that losing a loved one requires more than just a cremation or memorial service, so we do what we can to support our families throughout many different challenges they face.

Obtaining a grant of probate (or letters of administration) is not the whole estate administration process. Before obtaining a grant of probate (or letters of administration) the death certificate must be obtained and information must be collected from any asset holders. An application for the grant can then be made and, when the grant is made by the Court, asset collection and distribution can be completed.

The estate administration can take between 6 – 12 months, this is generally impacted by the type of assets that need to be dealt with. For example, if property needs to be sold this can be a longer process to complete.

Your Will does not need to be lodged or submitted anywhere. Keep a copy in a safe but accessible place and give another copy, or the original, to your executor or solicitor. The common approach is to not keep your original Will at your place of residence, because if the property is destroyed by fire your Will may never be found. You can store your Will at your bank, usually in a safe deposit box or envelope with any mortgage documents. If it’s stored under both your name and the name of your executor, they will have authorised access at the time when they need it.

Estate administration is the process of legally transferring ownership of assets after a loved one passes away. This may require applications to court utilising a law firm, such as Bare Law. Through our aftercare service we will help you kick-start your estate administration journey by searching for your loved one’s assets and offering you a free consultation with a lawyer from Bare Law to determine your best legal path forward.

There are no hidden fees. The base funeral package includes all essential services as listed. If you choose to add optional extras, such as a venue upgrade, a coffin upgrade, a celebrant, stationery, flowers, or catering, your arranger will discuss them with you and provide a quote prior to booking.

Yes. You can edit your Final Wishes at any time - it's a free tool that you can access via our End of Life Dashboard whenever you like.

If you are travelling within Australia when death occurs, your family will need to contact us immediately, so that we can make the necessary arrangements to assist with your safe transfer.

We are almost always in a position to be able to attend to your cremation care as planned, however additional costs may be incurred based on where the death occurs. In the rare event we can't complete our services, your finances are released back to your estate, or can be transferred to a local funeral director.

Yes, cemeteries welcome family and friends to visit a loved one’s grave. Visiting is a very personal way to connect with a loved one who is resting. Some cemeteries have specific visiting hours, so it’s a good idea to check with cemetery staff before visiting. Many families find comfort in returning to the site to reflect, honour and pay their respects.

The short answer is - almost anywhere you like.

We use a wide variety of venues to suit your individual wishes, whether it be a formal service to something more casual. Your dedicated arranger will help you choose your venue based on your wishes, be it a cemetery chapel, a function centre, a sports club, community hall, or a restaurant or pub. We can also work with you if you have somewhere specific in mind that’s not currently listed in our hundreds of Bare partner venues.

To view our Bare Funeral venues, simply head to our venues page and enter your postcode and preferences: https://bare.com.au/venues 

When the time comes to put your Bare Prepaid Plan to use, our team will be on hand 24/7 to guide your family through all the steps to bring you or your loved one safely into our care. Firstly, you or your family will need to give us a call on 1800 071 176 to notify Bare of the passing. We’ll step into action to make sure you, your loved one, and your family receive urgent care.

We’ll be able to locate a record of your Prepaid Plan with Bare, but we’ll ask the Next of Kin to complete some additional forms upon a death to help formalise a passing. These forms have an important function in ensuring a cremation is carried out safely, smoothly and legally. We’ll guide the Next Of Kin through any questions they have. The completed forms will:

• Authorise Bare to liaise with the healthcare facility (if applicable) to bring the deceased into care.
• Allow the cremation to proceed with the permission of the Next Of Kin - this is a safeguard to ensure there is no reason to investigate the cause of death prior to the final act of cremation, and ensures that the cremation is carried out with the permission of an authorised person.
• Allow Bare to gather the necessary details to register the passing with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages so that a legal Death Certificate may be issued. We’ll take care of registering this on behalf of the Next of Kin, but it’s important these details are current and up to date at the time of death.

We aim to be one of the cheapest providers in every region we operate. The bulk of our costs are from the cremation fee and the transportation. In some states (such as Western Australia) the cremation fee is significantly higher than others. Our prices reflect the local input prices of our services. We’re constantly working to get our prices as low as possible in all locations.  

Absolutely! At Bare, we understand that each person is unique and we believe in helping you create a personalised service that reflects the life and personality of your loved one. Our experienced team will work closely with you to understand your preferences, desires and ideas, ensuring the funeral service is tailored to meet your needs and pays tribute to the life of the deceased.

In short, almost anything is possible; whether it’s a traditional, religious, or modern funeral. Feel free to give us a call and we’ll see if we can make it happen.

Bare operates across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, ACT and WA. Click here to view all our service areas.