Declaration of Death - Death at home

Verified 26 avril 2025 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Your situation

Death at home

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It's a healthcare professional who records the death and establishes the death certificate.

The health care practitioner may be one of the following:

Doctor
Retired doctor
Student in class of 3^e cycle of medical studies in France
Foreigners diploma practitioner outside European Union authorized to pursue a journey of consolidation of medical skills
Qualified volunteer nurse, subject to conditions.

In case of violent death (e.g. accidental death, suicide), alert the police or the national gendarmerie.

Funerals can only take place after obtaining judicial authorization, called record for burial.

It shall be established by a judicial police officer, on the order of public prosecutor.

Who shall I contact

Office of the Commissioner

Police Department

Any person of age can declare death, preferably a relative. For example, a parent or person with vital statistics information.

Please note

If a funeral director declares the death (cost fixed by the contract), the funeral director must present a mandate.

To report a death, you must surrender to the town hall where the death occurred, irrespective of the nationality of the deceased.

You must present yourself with the following documents:

Your ID
If possible, the death certificate issued by the doctor, police station, or gendarmerie
Any document concerning the identity of the deceased (family record, identity document or birth certificate for example).

Who shall I contact

Town Hall

Following the declaration of death, the City Hall establishes a death certificate.

Death must be certain and established by examination of the body of the deceased.

In case of disappearance, you must go through a judicial declaration of death.

Who shall I contact

Judicial Tribunal

There's no reporting time.

You should do this as soon as possible to then perform the other death-related procedures.

Please note

The mortuary chamber of a health facility receives the deceased free of charge for 3 days (then at the daily rate). The reception in a private funeral room (or funeral home) is paid from the 1st^er day. In addition, admission must be made within 48 hours of death. Conservation care is not mandatory.