Please refer to your own country's legislation.
Here is what the law says in France:
Can we keep the ashes of the deceased at home?
NO
In France, law n° 2008-1350 of December 19, 2008 relating to funeral legislation conferred on the ashes resulting from the cremation of the body of a deceased person a status and protection similar to those granted to a buried body.
This law created article 16-1-1 of the civil code which provides that “the respect due to the human body does not cease with death. The remains of deceased persons, including the ashes of those whose bodies have been cremated, should be treated with respect, dignity and decency.”
It also regulated the methods of conservation of the urns, by deleting the possibility of holding the urn at home, while maintaining the other possibilities of destination of the ashes.
Pending a decision on the destination of the ashes by the person qualified to provide for the funeral, the cinerary urn is kept in the crematorium for a period which may not exceed one year. At the request of the person qualified to provide for the funeral, the urn may be kept, under the same conditions, in a place of worship, with the agreement of the association responsible for the exercise of worship.
The destination of
the ashes
Article L. 2223-18-2 determines in a restrictive manner the destination of cinerary urns or the ashes they contain. Ashes from cremation can be either:
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kept in the cinerary urn, which can be buried in a grave or placed in a columbarium box or sealed in a funerary monument inside a cemetery or a cinerary site;
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scattered in a space designed for this purpose (garden of remembrance) of a cemetery or a cinerary site; or
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dispersed in the countryside, except on public roads.
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Can we keep the ashes of pets at home?
YES
After the death of your pets, the veterinarian or a cremation company will undertake the individual cremation of your pets. After that, you can take back the certificate of incineration as well as the ashes in an urn previously supplied by you. You can then keep it at home.
It's up to you to decide what you want to do with it
