CHOOSING A
FUNERAL HOME
 There are many funeral homes in
France to choose from, some are
owned privately by families and
some by large corporations.
Since January 1998 any funeral
home that has been certified by
the prefecture must have their
credentials and certification
displayed for public viewing at
town hall’s, mortuaries, funeral
homes, crematoriums, and
cemetery conservation rooms.
Funeral homes in France have to
abide by a code of practice
which is the same as in the UK.
Below are some useful tips to
help you when choosing a funeral
home:
-
Obtain an itemised cost of
their services and the
procedures required. An
estimate should be given
free of charge. Consider the
cost of coffins, the hearse,
pallbearers and bear in mind
that you may incur
additional expenses for
example for newspaper
notices, flowers, a
religious service,
preservation care, the urn
and monument. If you want
the deceased to be
repatriated to the UK or
another country it is
important to obtain a full
breakdown of costs and how
they are calculated.
- It is
important that all expenses
are itemised so you do not
take on more than you can
afford.
-
Ensure you understand
exactly what you have
requested for the funeral,
if in doubt ask, or ask
someone who is fluent in
French to help you. Ask for
any terminology you are not
familiar with to be
explained to you. It is
important not to leave
anything to chance when
mistakes could be extremely
distressing.
- Once
you accept the estimate you
are then contracting the
funeral home and you will
sign documents stating you
agree to pay the bill.
Other
useful information:
Normally an employee of the
funeral home will guide the
family with regards to
organisation and protocol. In
France, the funeral home will
usually register the death for
you. This is different to the UK
where you register the death and
take the paperwork to the
funeral home.
Embalming is not mandatory and
cannot be imposed on the family,
however if repatriation is
desired then embalming is
obligatory.The deceased can be
laid out in their home if you
wish.
VIEWING
Viewing of the deceased is not
obligatory, it is a personal
choice. Cosmetic care is
normally taken when a person
will be viewed.
Some funeral homes have ‘an open
door’ policy to viewing of the
deceased. The deceased will be
laid out in a private viewing
room and the family will be
given a swipe card to enter the
viewing room as often as they
wish within office hours.
FUNERAL
SERVICES IN A CREMATORIUM OR
CHURCH
A funeral should help family and
friends express and share their
sadness. It may be the last
opportunity to be together to
focus their thoughts on the
person who has died. The
ceremony deserves to be
remembered as an occasion that
uniquely and affectionately
honoured that person's life. It
should capture his or her
personality.
Religious funerals – Catholic
and Anglican
The religious funeral service
can be very short and quiet with
only a few members of the family
present or an occasion with
music, hymns and a packed
church.
CREMATORIUM
The service time is normally 1
hour minimum. This is arrival at
the crematorium to committal and
departure. It is important to
remember the committal time e.g.
if the funeral is booked for
10am this will be the committal
time the service will be from
9.15/9.30am and not the start of
the service.
You can have a service just the
same as you would in UK – music,
eulogy, prayers etc.
Coffin will be taken in by the
funeral director and his
attendants before you enter the
chapel, not carried in like the
UK.
Coffin will be placed on the
catafalque.
In a crematorium, at the
committal the coffin is moved
slowly out of sight downwards.
CHURCH
The service time is normally 1
hour followed by either burial
or cremation. Permission must be
sought from the Mairie in the
village/town the church will be.
The same applies for UK – hymns,
eulogy, prayers etc. The
committal is a particularly
solemn moment of the funeral
service. It takes place either
at the graveside or, in the case
of a cremation, in the
crematorium chapel or in church
before the hearse leaves for the
crematorium. In the cemetery or
churchyard, the family will
gather round the open grave into
which the coffin is lowered
COSTS &
FINANCING OF FUNERALS
An estimate of costs should
always be obtained from the
Funeral Director before any
final decision is made as to how
the family wishes to manage the
death.
The most economical would be
cremation in France and the
ashes scattered in the Garden of
Remembrance.
Average costs:
Cremation of an adult,
approximately = 3000€ (minimum)
Burials in France
The Funeral home should be
contacted regarding costs, as
grave purchase and re-opening
determined by cost. Advice
should always be sought first.
FINANCING FUNERALS
If you do not have a policy to
cover the deceased’s funeral
expenses it will mean paying the
costs with your resources.
BANK
The deceased’s assets may cover
funeral expenses. With
authorization from the family
and with the agreement of the
bank, an amount to a maximum of
3000€ may be withdrawn by the
funeral home from the account of
the deceased person. This amount
will be deducted from the estate
assets upon presentation of the
invoice.
BY THE NOTARY
A request of empowerment,
countersigned by all the senior
heirs can be made
FUNERAL ALLOWANCE
There exists a funeral
allowance. It is accessible if
the deceased has paid enough
social security contributions
within a qualifying period. It
is not subject to Inheritance
Tax. Claims should be made to
the Social Security to which the
deceased was affiliated within 1
month of the death and the
following documents are
required:
• A copy of the Acte de Décés
(death certificate)
• Evidence of the claimant’s
relationship to the deceased
• Any pay slips/company details.
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