I have searched diligently in Survive France and other French discussion sites, but can find nothing about procedures upon death. Clearly, you have to call a doctor (if not already present) and contact your Mairie… but, what else?
I’m dealing with this at the moment , helping someone in our commune - long story. The doctor will provide a certificate of death, also certify that the body is safe to transport (or not) and can be cremated (or not). The maire does get very involved and will deal with most of the French bureaucracy. The local pompe funéraire sorts the body out and can arrange everything for the funeral (cremation is tomorrow). Not sure after that yet, still trying to get home help, social worker stuff sorted - she can’t drive either and is quite remote.
Here’s a list of things that may be useful. Condolences if this was someone close to you.
This may be of help too.
The funeral home will have a booklet that helps and this will include standard/draft letters and a list of everyone you need to inform.
An assistante sociale will help with the letters and offer practical advice. Get the name and number of your local one from the Mairie.
Make sure you get plenty of certified copies of the death certificate as everyone will want a copy of it. I think I got through at least 20.
Are you planning or has someone already passed away?
The maire is an elected representative of the state with the power a police officer (ie power of arrest etc) and a registrar by virtue of his or her job - so obviously it is his/her job to ‘get very involved’.
Thank you Jane,
Yes, it is a close friend of over 45 years. It has made us think about our own position, and ensuring that our family knows what to do.
Yes, there comes a point in life where this does seem like something it’s worth doing. I’m not quite finished, but I do now have a file with important stuff in it. And we have discussed funerals and the like. Realising you have so little time in france unless prepared to pay for embalming etc does make you get more organised.
But hindsight is no use for your friend’s partner so good that they have someone to lean on.
…very good thought, and coincidentally, thinking a lot about managing an “own” death, not only death of others.
Millions of people now, live a large chunk of their senior years, quite alone. And no one knows they are dead …sometimes for months or years later. What if I feel a bit feeble and guess I might not wake up? I don’t want to be scary for those peeps who eventually break in, and find only bits of me left. I’m thinking …good solid bodybag, could be made quite cosy. And very large sack of cat food. But the mice/ rats would almost certainly want to share it, and me too.
I have compiled a file for our daughters called “Our stuff and what to do on death” which contains details of bank accounts, insurance, investments, friends who can help and where to contact them and the official procedures which have to be followed. I update it about once a year.
Merci encore!
Chris
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Thanks Mark; you and several others have helped me put together a dossier for my family: I have compiled a file for our daughters called “Our stuff and what to do on death” which contains details of bank accounts, insurance, investments, friends who can help and where to contact them and the official procedures which have to be followed. I update it about once a year.
Merci encore!
Chris
I just wish these people had done this, their "paperwork " is a nightmare. Must be hundreds of unopened, important looking/official letters.
Also include your address book -electronic and paper - so people are told. News travels among close friends and family, but it’s horrible to lose touch with someone and then discover a while later that it’s because they died…
My FIL and MIL both had dementia. He liked to play the stock market. Only around hundred quid a time…not via a stockbroker or anything so we found share certificates stuffed in envelopes everywhere!
As someone struggling to buy a block of flats from a succession where all the paperwork has had to be excavated out of archaeological deposits… and is still not quite complete… I realise that not everyone gets their paperwork in any kind of order at all.
I didn’t know that my notaire’s clerk had such an expansive vocabulary of swear words!