Everything about funeral graves in France

A burial plot is a space in a cemetery for which you purchase the right to use (not the land itself). This way, at the time of death, the deceased already has a place to rest.

For a burial, the plot will be a vault or a grave. For a cremation, it will be a place in a columbarium or a cavurne.

There are 3 different types of burial plots:

• The individual plot: reserved for the person for whom it was acquired.

• The collective plot: reserved for those named in the concession deed.

• And finally, the family plot: reserved for the initial holder and members of their family.

A concession is granted for a specific duration. There are four types of concession periods:

• Between 5 and 15 years: temporary concession.

• For 30 years: 30-year concession.

• For 50 years: 50-year concession.

• For an indefinite duration: perpetual concession.

Each cemetery is free to offer one or more of these durations. This is why perpetual concessions are not available in some cemeteries, for example.

The price of a concession varies from one cemetery to another and depends on the type of concession and possibly its location within the cemetery.

For example, a 10-year concession in a columbarium niche will not have the same cost as a 30-year concession for a grave in the cemetery's landscaped area.

Do not hesitate to contact us to find out the purchase price of a burial plot at +33 9 77 55 39 39.

To acquire a concession, simply submit a request to the town hall or contact us.

To be buried in the cemetery of the municipality, the deceased must meet one of the following conditions:

• Be a resident of the municipality.

• Have died in the municipality, regardless of the place of residence.

• Have a family concession in the cemetery.

• Be a French citizen living abroad and registered on the electoral lists of the municipality.

However, the mayor of the municipality may refuse to grant a concession if there is not enough space in the cemetery.

When a deceased person is interred in the grave, the cemetery will check the expiration date of the concession. If it is less than 5 years, the cemetery will ask you to renew the concession before proceeding with the interment of the deceased.

Additionally, when the concession expires, it is possible to renew it within 2 years following its expiration. The renewal period must be equal to or longer than the initial concession duration.

The request must be made to the town hall, which cannot oppose the renewal.

The concession benefits the concessionaire (sole holder) or the entitled parties.

The concessionaire is the person who initially purchased the concession. The natural entitled parties are the concessionaire's spouse and children.

The spouses and children of a person already buried in the grave become de facto entitled parties to the grave.

Depending on the municipality, it may be necessary to go through administrative procedures to be recognized as an entitled party by proving one's family relationship with the concessionaire or a person already buried in the grave.

All entitled parties decide who can be buried in the grave and who cannot. If the concessionaire does not want a person to be buried in the grave, they must specify it in the concession deed.

If you wish to bury a person in a grave but it is full, you must proceed with a body reduction. This is an operation that allows you to gather the bones of several deceased persons who died at least 5 years ago and place them in a reliquary in the vault.

For more information, please refer to our article on body reduction and re-joining.

The municipality can take back a concession in two cases.

If the concession is not renewed before its expiration

The concession can be renewed up to 2 years after its expiration. If it is not renewed, the municipality can then decide to take it back to allocate it to another family.

There is a very precise formalism that the municipality must follow to proceed with the reclamation of a concession. The municipality must try to inform all the entitled parties, by any means possible. If the municipality has the contact information of the entitled parties, a letter is sent. Otherwise, a public notice is posted within the cemetery.

If the concession is in a state of abandonment

In cases where the municipality notices that the concession is not maintained, they can initiate a reclamation procedure if all the following conditions are met:

• The concession is more than 30 years old

• The last burial was 10 or more years ago

• A 3-year waiting period from the observation of abandonment has been respected by the municipality

• Those responsible for maintenance, namely the entitled parties, have been notified of the reclamation procedure

Finally, to be reclaimed and allocated to another family, the concession must not contain any deceased. Therefore, at the end of the reclamation procedure, the municipality proceeds with the exhumation of the deceased present in the burial site. The remains are placed in the cemetery's ossuary.

The transfer of a burial plot occurs when the concessionaire wishes to resell the concession because they are moving from their home or because their burial wishes have changed.

If a body has been interred in the grave, it must be exhumed before the transfer.

If the concession holder knows a buyer, they can resell it after obtaining the agreement of the city council. Otherwise, they transfer it back to the municipality. Only the concession holder can make the request for transfer; entitled parties cannot.

The town hall must give its consent, and they are not obliged to accept the transfer. Compensation for the remaining time may be provided by the members of the city council.

Finally, the funeral tombstone erected on the concession can be removed for resale to a third party or to the municipality. In the latter case, when the municipality cedes the concession to another person, the concession deed will distinguish the price of the concession from the price of the funeral monument.