Standard processing in Georgia takes 8-10 weeks for mail-in requestsGeorgia Department of Public Health - State Office of Vital RecordsVerified Oct 15, 2026View source. A funeral home's order at the time of death usually arrives first.

Georgia sets a statutory order for who controls the disposition of remains: health care agent named in an advance directive for health care, then surviving spouse, then sole surviving adult child or the majority of surviving adult childrenO.C.G.A. 31-21-7(b)Verified Sep 10, 2026View source. The state allows you to name your own agent in a signed, written documentO.C.G.A. 31-21-7(a)Verified Sep 10, 2026View source, and that designation takes priority over the default order. Those wishes can be recorded alongside the rest of an estate plan when you create a revocable living trust.

Georgia imposes no statutory minimum waiting periodO.C.G.A. 31-21-5Verified Sep 10, 2026View source before cremation. Cremation must be authorized by the person holding the right of disposition under O.C.G.A. 31-21-7(b), who must give the crematory a signed statement specifying the ultimate disposition of the remains (O.C.G.A. 43-18-80). The funeral director or person acting as such must also obtain a disposition permit from the local registrar before cremation (O.C.G.A. 31-10-20).

Georgia allows estates with personal property of $15,000O.C.G.A. § 7-1-239Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less to use the Bank Deposit AffidavitO.C.G.A. § 7-1-239Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, which avoids full probate administration. The Bank Deposit Affidavit is presented directly to the bank, employer, or other holder of the property — it is not filed with a court. There is no statutory waiting period.