Dealing with a Death Abroad in France

Dealing with a death abroad when someone dies in France, also the death of a relative in France, what to do when someone dies in France, a French death certificate or the repatriation of remains, covers the first days after the death of a foreign national and the paperwork that follows. In French the key words are the acte de décès (the death record drawn up by the town hall, the mairie), the pompes funèbres (the funeral director) and the rapatriement du corps. Some older lists and lawyer pages call this service “Managing the Death Abroad of a Loved one”.

Who it is for

Families of a foreign resident, second-home owner or visitor who died in France; heirs and executors abroad who need French documents; and relatives who have to deal at the same time with a house, bank accounts or a car left in France.

The steps in France

1. Medical certificate. A doctor certifies the death. If it was violent, sudden or unexplained, the doctor can record a medico-legal obstacle (obstacle médico-légal); the public prosecutor then decides on any investigation or autopsy before the body is released.
2. Registration. The death is declared promptly at the mairie of the place of death, in practice usually by the funeral director, and the town hall draws up the acte de décès. Copies can be requested, including a multilingual extract for use abroad.
3. Funeral, cremation or repatriation. Burial and cremation in France need the town hall’s authorisation. Taking the body to another country needs an authorisation from the préfecture and the documents the country of destination asks for, often through its consulate; the funeral director prepares the file. Carrying ashes home is simpler.
4. The estate. A notary (notaire) opens the estate, checks whether there is a will, establishes who the heirs are and deals with the property and the bank accounts.

Things families often discover

• Travel, credit-card or funeral insurance may cover repatriation and appoint its own funeral director, so the policy is worth checking before a quote is signed.
• The consulate of the deceased’s country can record the death there and help with documents, but it does not normally pay the costs.
• Accounts in the deceased’s sole name are frozen once the bank is informed; joint accounts and direct debits for a French home follow other rules.
• French documents may need a translation, and outside the EU often an apostille, before they are accepted at home.

What a lawyer does

An English-speaking lawyer works with the funeral director, the town hall, the prefecture and the consulate, obtains the certificates, arranges translations and starts the French inheritance procedure with the notary. Relatives abroad can sign a power of attorney instead of travelling. Related: death certificates and other civil records and closing the bank account of the deceased.

Questions and answers

Who registers a death in France?

Any person able to give the details can declare it at the town hall; in practice the funeral director does it on the family’s behalf.

Can a foreigner be buried or cremated in France?

Yes. A funeral in France is an alternative to repatriation, and ashes can be taken home later.

Is a French death certificate accepted in other countries?

Usually, as a multilingual extract or with a translation; the receiving authority decides which form it accepts.

Does someone from the family have to come to France?

Not necessarily. With a power of attorney, a lawyer and the funeral director can handle the registration, the repatriation and the first estate steps.