What to Do When a Citizen of Spain Dies in France: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Medical certification of death and forensic clearance in France

   • Death in a healthcare facility or nursing home (EHPAD): The physician in the hospital department or care facility certifies the death and issues the official medical certificate of death (certificat médical de décès, on a Cerfa form or electronically via CertDc), which is essential for declaring the death and authorizing any funeral operation [1].
   • Death at home, in a hotel, or in a public place: Immediately call SAMU on 15 or the European emergency number 112 so that a doctor can certify the death [1]. In the event of a sudden, accidental, or suspicious death, the doctor ticks the forensic hold box (obstacle médico-légal): the police or gendarmerie and the Public Prosecutor (procureur de la République) then intervene to order a transfer to a forensic medicine institute (institut médico-légal, for example in Paris, Lyon, or Marseille) before issuing the burial permit or authorization to seal the coffin [1].
2. 2

   Repatriation insurance, licensed funeral operators, and Spanish consular assistance

   • Checking insurance policies: Before making any independent financial commitment, check whether the deceased person held a Spanish funeral insurance policy (seguro de decesos), travel or repatriation insurance, or coverage linked to a bank card, as the assistance company generally appoints and directly pays the funeral operators [2].
   • Appointing funeral operators: The family or insurer appoints a prefecture-licensed funeral operator in France (opérateur funéraire habilité en préfecture), represented nationally by the Fédération Nationale du Funéraire (FNF), which coordinates with a licensed funeral company in Spain, a sector grouped within the Asociación Nacional de Servicios Funerarios (PANASEF) [3][4]. These professionals manage all technical and sanitary formalities between France and Spain without the family having to visit technical administrative offices in person.
   • Spanish consular contact: Contact the Consulado General de España en París (Consulate General of Spain in Paris, email [email protected] and [email protected] for the civil registry) or the Spanish consulate general territorially competent for the place of death in France (such as Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, or Bordeaux) [2][5]. The consulate guides the family on transfer and civil registry procedures, although the Spanish State does not cover funeral expenses or repatriation costs [2].
3. 3

   Declaration of death at the town hall in France and transcription in the Spanish civil registry

   • Declaration at the town hall in France: The death must be declared within 24 hours (excluding weekends and public holidays) at the town hall (mairie) of the municipality where the death occurred, following the official procedure set out on Service-Public.fr [1]. In practice, the hospital facility or the appointed funeral home often completes this step on behalf of the family [1]. Request several full copies of the death certificate (copie intégrale de l'acte de décès) as well as multilingual death certificate extracts (Form C of the 1976 Vienna Convention), which are accepted directly in Spain without an apostille or translation [1][5].
   • Consular registration and recording in Spain: For the death to take full legal effect in Spain, it must be registered in the consular civil registry at the Consulado General de España en París (or the competent Spanish consulate) upon presentation of the full copy of the French death certificate, the deceased person's Spanish identity card or passport, and the declaration form [5]. You will then be able to obtain the Spanish full death certificate (Certificado Literal de Defunción) through the Ministerio de Justicia (Ministry of Justice) [5][6].
4. 4

   International repatriation to Spain vs. local burial or cremation in France

   • Repatriation of the body or ashes to Spain: The international transfer of a body from France to Spain is governed by the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement and the 1937 Berlin Arrangement [2][7]. The French funeral operator applies for the prefectural mortuary laissez-passer order (arrêté préfectoral de laissez-passer mortuaire) from the prefecture of the relevant department, arranges preservation care (soins de conservation) and placement in a hermetically sealed coffin with a soldered zinc liner, and coordinates the entry sanitary inspection with the Foreign Health (Sanidad Exterior) service of the Ministerio de Sanidad (Ministry of Health) in Spain [2][7]. In the case of cremation in France followed by transport of the cinerary urn to Spain, the procedure is simplified and requires the death certificate, the cremation certificate, and a sealed urn [2][7].
   • Local burial or cremation in France: If the funeral takes place in France, the funeral operator obtains the burial or cremation authorization from the mayor of the municipality of death or coffin closure (generally between 24 hours and 6 working days after death) [1].
5. 5

   Survivor benefits, pensions, taxes, and estate settlement in Spain and France

   • Social security, pensions, and succession in Spain: Through the Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS), eligible beneficiaries can apply for the funeral expenses grant (auxilio por defunción) as well as survivor pensions (pensión de viudedad or orfandad), with aggregation of contribution periods completed in Europe under the coordinated rules explained by Cleiss [8][9]. After a waiting period of 15 working days following the death, request the Certificate of Last Will (Certificado de Actos de Última Voluntad, Form 790 / Modelo 790) from the Ministerio de Justicia to check whether a will exists in Spain, settle the estate before a notary, and file the Inheritance and Gift Tax (Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones) within the statutory 6-month deadline [10].
   • Benefits, pensions, and succession in France: If the deceased person worked, paid contributions, or held assets in France, report the death to the Caisse primaire d'assurance maladie (via the Ameli.fr portal) to claim, where applicable, the lump-sum death benefit (capital décès, form Cerfa S3180, with a 1-month priority period for dependents and a maximum time limit of 2 years) [11]. Also notify L'Assurance Retraite (on 3960 or +33 9 71 10 39 60 from abroad) as well as the supplementary pension fund Agirc-Arrco for any survivor's pension claim (pension de réversion) [12]. Finally, if the estate includes real property or requires a deed of heirship (acte de notoriété) in France, instruct a notarial office through Notaires de France; the inheritance tax declaration in France must be filed within 6 months when the death occurs in metropolitan France [13].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Declaration of death, obtaining the death certificate, and immediate steps — Service-Public.fr
2. [2]
   Transfer of mortal remains or ashes to Spain — Consulat général d'Espagne à Paris (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores)
3. [3]
   Missions of the Fédération Nationale du Funéraire in France — Fédération Nationale du Funéraire (FNF)
4. [4]
   Information and studies on funeral service companies in Spain — Asociación Nacional de Servicios Funerarios (PANASEF)
5. [5]
   Consular death registration of a Spanish national in France — Consulat général d'Espagne à Paris (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores)
6. [6]
   Application for a death certificate from the Spanish Civil Registry — Ministerio de Justicia (Espagne)
7. [7]
   Sanitary control and international transfer of human remains (Sanidad Exterior) — Ministerio de Sanidad (Espagne)
8. [8]
   Death and survivor benefits: funeral grant and pensions — Seguridad Social (Espagne)
9. [9]
   European coordination of death benefits and survivors' pensions — Centre des Liaisons Européennes et Internationales de Sécurité Sociale (Cleiss)
10. [10]
    Certificate of Last Will in Spain (Form 790 / Modelo 790) — Ministerio de Justicia (Espagne)
11. [11]
    Death of a relative: applying for the lump-sum death benefit (capital décès) from Health Insurance — Assurance Maladie (Ameli.fr)
12. [12]
    Administrative formalities after a death and applying for a survivor's pension (pension de réversion) — L'Assurance Retraite
13. [13]
    Settlement of estates by a notary in France — Notaires de France