Death at home in France: What to do?

A death has just occurred in a home? Here are the different steps to follow to ensure proper care.

First of all, you should know that you have 2 options:

1. Arrange a transfer to the funeral home of your choice

2. Leave the deceased at home for the few days necessary to organize the funeral

What to do in case of a death at home in France?

1. Contact a doctor to certify the death
   

   This is the first step to be completed. Until the doctor has confirmed the death, no further steps can be taken.

   Please note that it is common for doctors to be unavailable and it may take several hours for them to arrive.

   You can contact your family doctor, the SAMU (emergency medical service), SOS Médecin (doctor on call), etc.

2. Check the accuracy of the death certificate
   

   Once the doctor arrives, they will confirm the death and give you a death certificate. This document consists of 3 or 4 parts, depending on the version.

   This document is very important. Without it, no further steps can be taken.

   It is crucial to check the accuracy of the information on the death certificate. Doctors are often overwhelmed, rushed, and errors are common.

   If there is an error, the doctor will have to come back, and no transfer can be done until the certificate is accurate.

   Here are the main elements to check:

   • Information about the deceased: Name, first name, address, and date of death.

   • All sections must be stamped and signed by the doctor.

   • The Yes/No checkboxes must be marked as "No". If any boxes are checked as "Yes", please call us while the doctor is present.

   Do not hesitate to call us during the doctor's visit so that we can verify the information together and avoid waiting several hours for the doctor to return and correct it.

3. Call us to arrange the transfer to a funeral home

   We can carry out a transfer anywhere in France, 7 days a week, to the funeral home of your choice, or the one closest to your home.

   We will check the accuracy of the death certificate with you and inform you of the time frame within which our teams will be present to carry out the transfer.

4. Organize the funeral ceremony with our advisors

   Once the urgency of the transfer to the funeral home has passed, contact us to organize the rest of the funeral arrangements. We are available 7 days a week and can provide you with a funeral quote tailored to your wishes within a few minutes, without having to travel.

   You can also consult our guide on funeral planning for more clarity.