A QR code on a gravestone: how it works and what to put on it

More and more often you see a small square on a gravestone or memorial plaque: a QR code. Whoever scans it with their phone lands on an online memorial with photos, a story and sometimes a video. That turns a stone with only a name and two years into a living story. In this article you will read how it works and what to put on it.

How does a QR code on a gravestone work?

A QR code is nothing more than a link in the form of an image. You link the code to your loved one's online memorial. Someone standing at the grave scans the code with their phone's camera and goes straight to that page. No app needed, no account.

What do you put on the memorial behind the code?

• A story that does not fit on the stone: who someone was, what they meant.
• Photos from different periods of a life.
• A video, for example a fragment of a voice or a moment.
• The place on the map, so that even those who cannot visit the grave can find the memory.

How do you make one?

On TributeMap every memorial comes with a shareable link and a QR code automatically. You first create the online memorial, and you receive the QR code to have engraved, put on a plaque or printed on a card. Many people have a small, discreet plate placed beside or on the back of the stone.

Is that not sensitive for privacy?

That is up to you. You can make the memorial public, or keep it private and share it only with those you invite. You also choose the precision of the location yourself. A QR code forces nothing: it only leads to what you have chosen to show.

What does it cost?

Creating a memorial can be free. The QR code and the share link are included. For the engraving or a plaque you depend on your stonemason or funeral director; the online side you can arrange yourself, without a subscription.

Getting started

Want to let a stone speak? Create an online memorial and use the QR code that comes with it. Also read how to create an online memorial if you have not started before.