You must mandate a funeral home. The funeral home will contact the forensics institute, or the hospital where the death occurred, to receive notice as soon as the burial permit has been issued.

The location and arrangements are made by the person with the authority to arrange the funeral for the deceased, such as the spouse, parents, adult children, brothers or sisters, etc. It’s best to achieve a family consensus in all cases.

The funeral home can handle the administrative formalities for all death-related certificates, such as the death certificate, the funeral authorization, the authorization to seal the coffin, the burial permit, the cremation permit, etc.

The declaration of death is issued by an authorized police officer or a hospital official. The civil status service at the city hall of the place where the death took place will then issue the death certificate. The issuance of the death certificate does not require that the family go to city hall. Copies of the death certificate can be remitted to the designated funeral home.

The funeral authorization is a legal act authorizing the return of the body to the family and the funeral arrangements. It is issued by the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office (le parquet de Paris). The body will be released to the funeral home selected by the family of the deceased.

If your loved one has travel insurance, all or part of the funeral and repatriation costs may be covered by that policy. If not, funeral costs and related expenses, such as coffin, cremation, ceremony, transport, etc. will be covered by the Compensation Fund for Victims of Acts of Terrorism and Other Offenses (FGTI).

The FGTI can pay a mortuary services company directly for funeral expenses within the limits of average cost. If you have paid such expenses yourself, make sure you keep all the invoices so you can send copies of them to the FGTI.

Insurance companies to which funeral, life or death insurance policies may have been contracted must be informed.

You also need to inform the various administrations, social welfare or insurance organizations and employers of your loved one's death. Depending on the provisions in force, some of these organizations can provide you with financial aid.