Death of a close family member

Close family members do not usually need the death certificate when managing matters with the authorities.

You may need the death certificate if

• the deceased person had a life insurance policy and the insurance company wants to know the cause of death
• the employer of the deceased person is applying for compensation from the employee’s group life insurance policy
• the family members of the deceased person want to know more about the cause of death.

The death certificate is not required for such purposes as banking matters and funeral arrangements.

The death certificate is prepared by the doctor who treated the deceased person during the last illness or the doctor who determined the cause of death.

If the police determine that a forensic autopsy must be performed, the death certificate is signed by the forensic pathologist. In that case, the death certificate is submitted to the police, which will send a copy of the certificate to the deceased person’s family members on request.

The doctor must prepare the death certificate within three months after determining the death of the deceased person.

The burial permit is a document signed by a doctor. You do not need the burial permit before making the funeral arrangements and thus you can start planning the funeral as soon as you have been notified of the death of the deceased person. However, you should only determine the funeral date after the burial permit has been granted.

The hospital will send the burial permit to the funeral home selected by the deceased person’s family members or directly to the parish of the deceased person’s home municipality.

If a forensic autopsy is performed on the deceased person, the burial permit is signed by the forensic pathologist. You can continue with the funeral preparations even if the forensic investigation of the cause of death is still in progress. If the investigation of the cause of death is delayed because additional examinations are needed, the doctor must grant the burial permit as soon as the investigation has been completed.

The medical investigation of the cause of death is performed when the death was caused by an illness and the deceased person had received medical care during their last illness.

The following information can be used in the investigation of the cause of death:

• medical examinations performed on the deceased person when the person was still alive
• health information on the deceased person
• autopsy report.

A doctor is responsible for the medicasl investigation of the cause of death.

A forensic investigation of the cause of death is performed when

• the death was not caused by an illness or when the deceased person was not receiving medical care during their last illness
• the death was caused or is suspected to have been caused by an accident, suicide, criminal offence, poisoning, occupational disease or a treatment procedure
• the death was otherwise unexpected.

The police will decide whether a forensic investigation of the cause of death is required.

An autopsy may be performed if the authorities must carry out additional investigations to determine the cause of death.

The deceased person’s relatives or otherwise close person to the deceased must give their consent to an autopsy performed as part of the medical investigation of the cause of death. An autopsy may also be requested by a close family member.

The autopsy performed as part of the forensic forensic medical investigation of the cause of death is ordered by the police and the family members of the deceased person cannot prohibit it.

An autopsy may also be performed if the deceased person had not received medical care or the cause of death is otherwise unclear. The autopsy will not result in any costs to the estate or the close family members.

It will usually take several months before the results of the investigation and the required documents are ready.