When can the headstone be placed on the grave?
Almost always, it is not right after the funeral. The earth of a new grave needs to settle before taking stone — which is why so many families are told, at the funeral home or at the cemetery, that they have to wait a few months.
This page explains how long people usually wait, how to confirm your cemetery's timeframe, and what you can get ready in the meantime — paying nothing and committing to nothing.
If your loss was recent: you don't have to decide anything today. There is no countdown here.
Why there is a wait
An earth grave settles. After a burial, the ground keeps settling for months, and it does not do so evenly: it gives more in one spot than another, and it gives faster when it rains.
A stone piece set on earth that is still settling tilts, sinks on one side or cracks. That is why cemeteries ask for the wait — it is not paperwork, it is what makes the piece sit straight and stay that way.
In a niche or a family vault the problem does not exist, because the plaque sits on built structure and not on earth. There, in most cases, it can be placed right away.
How long, exactly
Here it is necessary to be exact, because a lot of wrong information circulates about this.
There is no national rule. There is your cemetery's regulation.
In Portugal, cemeteries are governed by municipal regulations — from the town council or the parish — and those regulations vary. Some set a waiting period after the burial, others set different periods from one another, and there are regulations that set none at all.
A concrete, public example: the cemetery regulation of the Junta de Freguesia de Alcabideche rules that borders or slabs may only be placed on graves three months after the date of the burial. It holds for Alcabideche. It does not automatically hold for your town.
Three months is the interval we hear most often from the families who write to us, and it is a good starting expectation. But it is an expectation, not a law — and the only place where it can be confirmed is the cemetery where the grave is.
How to confirm your cemetery's timeframe
It is one phone call to the junta de freguesia — the Portuguese parish council — the cemetery belongs to, or to the town council if the cemetery is municipal. Two questions are enough:
- 01
From when can I place the headstone on the grave of [name], buried on [date]?
- 02
Is a permit or prior notice required to place it, and how much does it cost?
Deal with the permit during the wait, not after the piece arrives. It is the step that most often delays everything, and the only one that depends neither on us nor on you — it depends on a counter with opening hours.
We supply the piece engraved and ready to set, with a fixing support. Fitting on the grave and the permit are not included — that is handled by the family, a local monumental mason, or the funeral director.
We keep your project until it can be placed
The wait is for setting the stone on the grave. It is not for choosing the photograph, deciding the inscription or seeing how it will look — all of that can be settled now, calmly, while there is time.
That is what we propose: send us the photograph and what you want engraved, we make the design of the piece, and we keep it for you. Paying nothing, committing to nothing, with no expiry date. When the time comes, everything is ready — and production takes 7 to 14 working days from your approval.
- 01
Send us the photograph
By WhatsApp, whenever it suits you. We tell you on the spot, honestly, whether it is sharp enough to engrave — and if it is not, we tell you that too, instead of letting you find out at the end.
- 02
We choose with you what gets engraved
The name, the dates and the inscription. If you don't know yet what to write, that is all right: we have 64 phrases gathered by relationship — mother, father, grandmother, son — and we compose yours with you.
- 03
We make the design and show it to you
You see the piece with the face, the name, the dates and the inscription, before deciding anything at all. It costs nothing and binds you to nothing. It goes as a file, so you can show it to your siblings or to whoever you wish.
- 04
It stays kept until the time comes
With no expiry date. Tell us when you want us to talk again and that is when we write to you — a person, not an automatic message. If you change your mind about the date, just say so.
What is promised, and nothing more
- Nothing is engraved without your approval. Until you say yes, the stone does not go into the machine.
- Nothing is paid before approving. There is no deposit, no advance, no upfront payment.
- The project does not expire. Whether the wait is three months, a year or longer, it stays kept all the same.
- We do not insist. A person writes to you, once, at the time you choose. None of this is automatic.
The pieces are slate — the dark stone you see in the photographs on this site — with the colour photograph, the name, the dates and the inscription already included in the price, from 35 €. If you want to see all the figures before talking to us, they are open at how much a headstone costs, with shipping explained and the comparison with what the market charges.
Leave the project kept, and come back when it is time
Tell us what you want engraved and when you want us to talk again. We make the design, show it to you, and keep everything until the grave is ready. You pay nothing and are tied to nothing.
Questions about the wait
How long do you have to wait to place a headstone on a new grave?
It depends on the cemetery. Many municipal regulations set a waiting period after the burial, for the earth to settle — the cemetery regulation of the Junta de Freguesia de Alcabideche, for example, only allows borders or slabs to be placed on graves three months after the date of the burial. Other municipalities set different periods and there are regulations that set none. There is no single national rule: confirm with the parish council or with the cemetery where the grave is.
Why is the wait necessary?
Because the earth of a new grave sinks as it settles, and that settling is not uniform. A stone piece placed on earth that is still settling can tilt, sink on one side or crack. Waiting is not bureaucracy: it is what makes the piece sit straight and stay that way.
How do I confirm my local cemetery's timeframe?
Call or go to the parish council the cemetery belongs to — or to the town council, when the cemetery is municipal. Ask for the cemetery regulation and ask two things: from when you may place the headstone, and whether a permit or prior notice is needed to place it. It is one phone call.
Do I need a permit to place the headstone?
Many cemeteries require a permit or prior notice to place or replace a headstone, and charge a fee for it. It is requested from the parish council or the town council. Deal with it while you wait, not after the piece arrives — it is the step that usually delays everything.
Can I order the headstone now, even without being able to place it?
You can, but it is not what we recommend, and we say so even losing today's sale. You gain nothing from having the piece at home for months and you risk damaging it. What makes sense is to leave the project settled — the photograph, the name, the dates, the inscription — and see the design approved. Production takes 7 to 14 working days from your approval, so there is no need to order months in advance.
Does keeping the project cost anything?
No. The design is free, binds you to nothing and has no expiry date. You only pay if one day you decide to go ahead — and even then, payment comes after approving the final design, never before.
Will you keep insisting during the wait?
No. You choose on the form when you want us to talk again and it is only then that we write to you, once. The person writing is Flávio, not a system. If you would rather be the one to contact us, choose that option and you will hear nothing from us.
What if it is a niche or a family vault?
There, there is normally no wait at all: in a niche or a vault the stone sits on built structure, not on earth. Confirm with the cemetery, but in most cases the plaque can be placed right away.
You don't have to decide today. You only have to not lose what you already know.
Send the photograph and the inscription while you have them at hand. We make the design, keep it, and talk again when you say.