On October 20, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced that it has started a service to issue supporting documents online for bereaved families of national merit recipients applying for exemptions from public cremation facility usage fees, starting from the evening of October 19. The name of the newly created document is the ‘Certificate of Fact of Application for Burial in a National Cemetery’.
1. Grounds for Exemption from Public Cremation Facility Usage Fees
Pursuant to Article 23-2 of the 「Act on Establishments of Commerce, etc.」, if a person who has sacrificed or contributed under the 「Framework Act on National Patriots and Veterans」 passes away and uses a public cremation facility, the head of the local government shall fully exempt the usage fee. Recipients of livelihood benefits and medical benefits are also subject to exemption under the same article.
Until now, eligibility for public cremation facilities was verified through computer system inquiries or National Patriots Registration Cards; if verification was difficult, documents such as a Certificate of Confirmation of National Merit were required separately. Some bereaved families found it difficult to prepare supporting documents immediately when cremating on weekends or public holidays when veterans’ offices are closed, as they could not issue the Certificate of Confirmation of National Merit online.
2. What has changed
- Implementation: From the evening of October 19, 2026
- Document: Certificate of Confirmation of Application for Burial in a National Cemetery (Exclusively for proving exemption from public cremation facility usage fees)
- Issuance Method: Bereaved families can print it directly from the National Cemetery Burial Application System (www.ncms.go.kr); no separate application or approval process by a person in charge is required.
- Timing of Issuance: After the application for burial in a national cemetery is submitted and the cemetery completes identity verification and checks for any exclusions from the application of the law, the ‘Print Crematorium Usage Fee Exemption Supporting Document’ button will be activated on the application details screen, regardless of the final burial approval status.
- Available Hours: Can be issued even on weekends and public holidays.
This certificate can only be used for the purpose of applying for an exemption from public cremation facility usage fees. It cannot be used for identity verification, verification of veterans’ registration status, or proving eligibility for burial in a national cemetery.
3. Cases where it cannot be used yet
This service applies preferentially to applicants for burial in national cemeteries. Bereaved families who intend to use other funeral facilities instead of being buried in a national cemetery must apply for an exemption as before, by verifying their National Merit Registration Card or National Merit Certificate, etc. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs stated that it plans to improve the system to expand the service so that all bereaved families of those who sacrificed or contributed can use it, regardless of whether they have applied for burial in a national cemetery, but the timing of this expansion has ⚠️ not been announced.
4. Points for Bereaved Families to Check
- If the cremation schedule is set for a weekend or public holiday, first file the application for burial in a national cemetery and check the system to see if the eligibility verification is complete.
- Since the method for submitting exemption applications (on-site submission, advance submission) may vary by public cremation facility, ⚠️ you must check with the cremation facility you intend to use in advance.
- If you are being interred in a charnel house or natural burial site other than a national cemetery, there is also support for separate interment facility usage fees (actual expenses within 1 million KRW per person). You can find the relevant details in Guide to Support for National Merit Charnel House Usage Fees.
Hwang Yunsang administrative agent (administrative scrivener) office provides document preparation/filing services for National Merit bereaved family registration applications and documents related to veterans’ benefits.
This post is an administrative trend guide organized by the Hwang Yunsang administrative agent (administrative scrivener) office based on publicly released data. Whether this applies to individual cases requires verification with the competent authorities.