The ins and outs of funeral paperwork in Spain

Although it is a subject we do not like to talk about, we should be aware that death is part of life and that, when the time comes, the most sensible thing to do is to have everything prepared beforehand. In this way, we avoid headaches and problems at such a painful and complicated time for the loved ones of the person who is dying. That's why, in this article, we're going to talk about funeral procedures in Spain and what cover a good death insurance policy should provide.

The first thing you should know is that death costs in Spain can be up to three times the average monthly salary in the country. This is due to the fact that, for this type of ceremony, several services are contracted, such as cremation, cemetery costs or the obligatory funeral paperwork. In addition, we must take into account the cost of the coffin, flowers, decoration, transport... So, if we stop to think about it, it can be understandable that a funeral has such a high cost.

Moreover, it is even more complicated in the case of expatriates, since, in addition to all these funeral arrangements, the costs of repatriating the body must sometimes be added.

Funeral repatriation process

When a person dies abroad, they can either be buried in the country where they were at the time of death, or their body can be repatriated to their country of origin, where the relevant funeral services will be carried out.

In order to carry out this second option, the first thing to do is to notify the local authorities so that they can register the death legally. Once this process has been completed, the death certificate needs to be presented, which will probably require a translation into the local language of the deceased's country of origin. You can request a death certificate by accessing the corresponding section of the official website of the Spanish Ministry of Justice. 

Once you have obtained the certificate, you will need to present the Permission to remove the body, which must be issued by a forensic doctor in the country where the death occurred. 

Finally, by adding the deceased person's passport to the funeral paperworks, the repatriation process can begin. This process usually takes between one or two weeks, provided that the causes of death are natural causes. If an investigation is necessary to establish the cause of death, repatriation may take up to three months or more. 

It should be noted that the time periods mentioned are not exact, as each insurer and each country have its own procedure for this type of circumstance. If you want to know more about this, we recommend you visit the following article: All about funeral repatriation with Caser Expat Insurance. 

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, all these funeral arrangements have to be made, unfortunately, at such a delicate time as the loss of a loved one. That is why we recommend taking out one of the funeral insurances offered by Caser Expat Insurance, we will tell you all the details in the following lines.

Coverage of the Caser Expat Insurance death insurance policy

Caser Expat Insurance comprehensive funeral insurance takes care of you and your loved ones when you are no longer able to do so. For this reason, it undertakes to pay the burial costs, as well as other types of expenses that may arise, such as the wake or cremation.

Below, we explain in detail each of the many advantages offered by Caser Expat Insurance:

1. Funeral services 

Caser Expat Insurance takes care of mortuary services and even the transfer of the body to any location, as long as this does not require leaving the country. In the event that repatriation is requested, the Insurance would take care of the costs incurred by the funeral services in Spain, adding also the international transfer of the body.
In addition, this policy would also cover the funeral services of the children of insured women who die during pregnancy or up to thirty days after childbirth, as long as it occurs within Spain.

2. Repatriation and/or transfer assistance

In the event of the body being transferred, either outside or inside Spanish territory, the relatives may opt for a return flight in economy class so that they can accompany their loved one.

3. Legal advice

Caser Expat Insurance has a legal team that will take care of all administrative, civil or criminal proceedings; and will involve the relatives at all times, as this team speaks a wide variety of languages, thus facilitating communication between both parties. 

At this point, and knowing all the advantages and facilities offered by the Caser Expat Insurance death insurance, it is normal that doubts arise about the price of all these services. If this is your case, we recommend that you read the article: Caser Insurance to cover funeral expenses, which discusses all these benefits in greater depth and explains the different types of rates that you can take out depending on your needs and financial possibilities.

Remember that you can take out any of these services to insure yourself, but you can also do so to insure a loved one.

This type of policy is usually taken out through an annual plan that is automatically renewed. In the event that you have taken out this insurance and wish to cancel it, you must request it at least one month before the renewal date. If you want to calculate the cost of your policy, you can do so by accessing our website, where you must fill in the required details and our price calculator will do the rest.

We hope that this article has been of interest to you and it has resolved your doubts regarding funeral arrangements in Spain. In a delicate situation such as these cases, it is always better to be able to count on the peace of mind of feeling protected by an Insurance that really cares about you and the wellbeing of your loved ones.