When a relative dies, on top of the shock comes a list of tasks that can’t wait and that almost nobody has done before. You don’t need to know everything: you just need the order. I’ll explain, calmly and without jargon, what to do first, which papers you’ll be asked for, and how much of it funeral insurance takes care of for you.
The first hours: what cannot wait
The first step is always the same: a doctor has to certify the death. If it happens in a hospital or care home, the centre does it. If it happens at home, you call the emergency services (112) or the relevant doctor, who will certify the death and tell you what comes next.
Next, you need to contact a funeral director, who organises the transfer and the service. If the person who died had funeral insurance, that call goes to the policy’s assistance line, and the insurance team coordinates everything. That’s why it helps to know where the policy is before you need it.
In one sentence: the urgent part is two phone calls — to the doctor, and to the funeral director or the insurer — and everything else can be put in order afterwards, a little more calmly.
- ✓Medical certification of the death, at the centre or at home.
- ✓Contact the funeral director or the funeral insurance assistance line.
- ✓Keep to hand the policy and the ID of the person who died.
The paperwork of the first days
With the medical death certificate, the death is registered in the Civil Registry, and that is where the certificates you’ll be asked for in almost every later procedure come from. In practice the funeral director usually handles this first step; and with funeral insurance it is part of the administrative formalities that the insurance team takes care of.
The exact deadlines and requirements depend on each case and on the region, so I won’t give you fixed dates here: what matters is knowing they exist and that someone takes care of them from the very first moment.
- ✓Medical certificate of death.
- ✓Registration of the death in the Civil Registry.
- ✓Death certificates for the later procedures.
After the funeral: widow’s pension, banks and inheritance
Once the funeral is over comes the second round of tasks: less urgent but longer. If there was a spouse or partner, a widow’s pension from Social Security may apply, with its own requirements and deadlines: it’s worth checking them as soon as possible with Social Security itself or with a professional.
You also need to notify the banks, change the holder of or cancel utilities and contracts, tell the insurers and, if there are assets to share out, deal with the inheritance. Inheritance has its own legal and tax implications: for that, the sensible route is a notary or a tax adviser, and I don’t replace either of them.
What I can tell you is which part of this paperwork stays in the insurer’s hands: the Comprehensive Funeral Plan and the Senior Funeral Plan include support with processing the widow’s pension, and the exact scope is set out in the policy conditions.
- ✓Widow’s pension, where it applies, from Social Security.
- ✓Banks, utilities and contracts: notify the death and update the holders.
- ✓Inheritance: a notary or tax adviser, depending on your case.
What funeral insurance takes care of for you
Funeral insurance arranges and pays for the full funeral service — cremation or burial, as you choose — and takes care of the administrative formalities of the death, with a team that supports the family and assistance available 24 hours a day. The idea is that, at the worst moment, your only task is to be with your family.
How much it covers and on what terms depends on the plan: the Comprehensive Funeral Plan adds living benefits, and the Senior Funeral Plan is the single-premium option designed for older adults. You can see every plan on the Funeral Insurance page .
And one detail worth checking before you sign: the waiting period. If the death occurs within that initial period, the benefit may be limited. I explain what it is and how to avoid surprises
- ✓Full funeral service, with cremation or burial as you choose.
- ✓Administrative formalities handled by the insurance team.
- ✓Support for the family and 24-hour assistance, according to your policy.
What to have ready before you need it
Almost everything that weighs on you in those days is a lack of information: nobody knows whether there is a policy, where it is, or what the person would have wanted. A little order avoids a lot of confusion.
- ✓Where the policy is and what the assistance number is — it appears on the policy itself.
- ✓What each person prefers, cremation or burial, and that the family knows it.
- ✓Who to call first and who holds the important documents.
If you already have funeral insurance, take five minutes to check that your family knows it exists. If you don’t, or you’re unsure what yours covers, tell me about your situation and we’ll go through it with clear figures.