Death in Spain
When the enevitable happens you may feel lost and not sure how to proceed. As long as you follow the guidelines below the process will run as smoothly as possible:
If Death Occurs at a Hospital or Clinic
A local funeral director will be notified and asked to carry out the funeral by the hospital.
The funeral director will contact your family / next of kin and request an authorisation to proceed with the funeral.
Upon receiving the appropriate identification (Passport or Residencia Card) they will obtain a signed doctors certificate for the cause of death.
The deceased will then be taken to the funeral home.
The Burial will take place within 24 hours.
If Death Occurs Outside a Clinical Institution
- At home:
- The family should contact their doctor or the ambulance service to collect the deceased.
- The decease will then be taken to the local hospital mortuary.
- If the deceased had a medical history and his physician has been notified he would issue the cause of death certificate
- If the person has no medical history an autopsy is carried out by the Government coroner who ascertains the cause of death.
- The deceased is then taken to the hospital nominated funeral director.
- The Burial will take place within 24 hours
- Road accident or anywhere else:
- Notify the Police.
- The police will contact the hospital and the remains are taken to the government hospital (mortuary)
- An autopsy will then be carried out.
- A Burial order will be given.
- The hospital then nominate a funeral director to conduct the service.
Repatriation
Regardless of the circumstances a local funeral director will the family.
The family must then give a statement to the police requesting the repatriation of the remains to desired country for burial/cremation.
A court order is issued for this purpose (Without this order the funeral can not take place)
