What you get
- A code of its own, such as MQR-AB23CD, that never changes.
- The SVG file, a vector image, which is what the stonemason needs to engrave, and a high-resolution PNG.
- A QR that opens with any phone camera, with nothing to install.
Why the code never changes
The QR holds the code, not the page address. If one day the family makes the memorial non-public, the address changes and the old one stops working: whoever scans the headstone still reaches the right page.
If the plaque gets damaged, it can be made again with the same code: just download the file again.
How to do it
- Create the memorial, then create the QR for the headstone from its page in your personal area.
- Ask your municipality’s cemetery office whether a permit is needed and what may be added to the grave.
- Give the SVG file to the stonemason: they engrave it on the stone or on a small plaque and, where the regulation requires it, submit the request.
- Before installing it, test the QR with two or three different phones.
What cemetery regulations say
In Ticino each municipality has its own regulation. In the ones we read, a permit is needed before placing a headstone or an inscription. In Lugano and Bellinzona a specialist firm requests it on the family’s behalf, with two copies of the design, dimensions and materials (Lugano art. 21, Bellinzona art. 20); in Locarno the municipal council decides (art. 18). In Lugano the fee is 30 to 200 francs.
Urn niches have stricter rules. In Lugano and Bellinzona the closing slab may only show the surname and name, the years of birth and death, a framed photo, a flower holder and a religious symbol (Lugano art. 37, Bellinzona art. 34); in Locarno the municipality supplies the slabs (art. 21). A QR is not on the list: ask the municipality first.
None of the regulations we read mentions QR codes: the answer belongs to the municipality where the grave is.
Engraving tips
- At least 3 cm per side; 4–5 cm if the plaque sits high up or far from the viewer.
- Dark squares on a light background. On dark stone, a light plaque in ceramic, steel or brass works better.
- The white margin around it is part of the code: leave it.
- Below the QR you can also engrave the address with the code, for anyone who cannot scan it.
One grave, several people
If several people rest in the same grave, a single QR can lead to all of them: create the family tomb, choose who rests there and create its QR. Whoever scans it sees the names and opens each person’s memorial.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need an app to read it?
- No. The phone camera is enough: the page opens in the browser.
- What happens if I change the memorial’s privacy?
- The QR keeps leading to the page, with the rules you chose. If the memorial is private, whoever scans the code reads that the family has made it private.
- Can I stick a QR sticker on the headstone?
- Not without asking the municipality first: regulations require a permit for what is placed on the grave. And outdoors an engraved QR lasts longer than a sticker.
- What about Aevi plaques?
- The plaque catalogue is being prepared. The QR for the headstone already works today, engraved by the stonemason you choose.