How can you be buried in arlington cemetery

Due to limited space, only honorably discharged members in certain categories are eligible for burial in Arlington National Cemetery, this includes:. There is more space available for inurnment, the storage of cremated remains in a Columbarium - or wall. Inurnment is limited to honorably discharged members including:. Upon the death of the veteran or eligible family member, you should contact a local funeral home to arrange for any desired services in the hometown and assistance.

The next-of-kin or funeral director should contact the customer service center at to arrange for the service at Arlington. After you call you will be given a case number and asked to send copies of the veteran's DD, death certificate, and cremation certificate if applicable. You can email, fax, or mail them.

Be prepared, since there is a large demand for interment in Arlington it may take several weeks to several months until your request is approved. Also, special requests such as full military honors or use of a chapel may add to the approval time. There are no fees or costs for a burial or inurnment. However, all costs associated with preparation of the remains, casket or urn, and shipping of the remains to the Washington, DC area are at the expense of the estate unless the deceased is currently on active duty.

Standard graveside honors can be provided enlisted service members by the appropriate branch of service at Arlington National Cemetery. These honors include a casket team, a firing party and a bugler. Title 32 Code of Federal Regulations Part 26 September , section 12, outlines those individuals who are eligible for interment in-ground burial at Arlington National Cemetery. This Federal Regulation can be found here.

Definitions of terms used can be found in Section 1 For an abbreviated list of Eligibility rules, please refer to the attached fact sheet. Facts on Arlington National Cemetery. Related Programs. Arlington National Cemetery. An average of 25 burials are performed each day. Arlington National Cemetery covers acres of land. More than three million tourists pass through the cemetery each year.