Arranging a funeral in Spain quickly, with or without a plan

Terms used

• Funeraria — The funeraria is a funeral home that handles the body, paperwork, coffin, ceremony and burial or cremation bookings.
• Tanatorio — The tanatorio is a funeral complex with refrigerated storage, rooms for the wake and ceremony, and often a crematorium.
• Velatorio — The velatorio is the wake, when family and friends gather with the body before the funeral.
• Registro Civil — The Registro Civil is the civil registry where births, marriages and deaths are officially recorded.
• Presupuesto — The presupuesto is the written budget a funeral home gives you listing each item and price.
• Seguro de decesos — The seguro de decesos is a burial or cremation insurance policy that can pay for the funeral.
• OMIC — The OMIC is the municipal consumer office, where you can complain about prices or service.

Key rules

• Timing: Burial or cremation cannot normally happen until 24 hours after death, and should happen within 48 hours.
• Written quote: Ask for an itemised written budget before you sign any contract.
• Cost: Cremation is usually cheaper than burial, and big cities cost the most.
• Help with costs: If the family cannot pay, your town hall's social services can arrange a basic or reduced-price funeral.

The short version

Burial or cremation in Spain happens quickly. A funeral home (funeraria) handles most of the work, so you can often arrange everything in one or two phone calls. You do not need a plan in advance. You do need to ask for a written, itemised price before you sign.

What the funeral home does for you

Call a funeraria as soon as the doctor has confirmed the death. It usually takes care of:

• collecting the body and transport by hearse
• the sanitary paperwork and the medical certificate
• registering the death with the Registro Civil
• burial or cremation permits
• the coffin or urn
• the tanatorio room and the ceremony
• booking the cemetery niche, grave or crematorium
• notices and flowers

Many also help with insurance claims. Ask what is included in the price and what is extra.

The tanatorio

A tanatorio is a funeral complex where the body is kept in refrigerated storage and the wake (velatorio) is held. It has private rooms for family and friends, ceremony rooms and often a cafeteria. Many have their own crematorium. Most families hold the wake there for about a day, then go on to the cemetery or crematorium. Tanatorios can be run by private firms, by a town hall or by an insurer. The funeral home normally books the room for you.

How fast it moves

Burial or cremation cannot normally happen until 24 hours after death, and should happen within 48 hours. Regional rules vary, and refrigeration or a judicial autopsy can extend this. In practice, cremation can take 2 to 4 days, depending on the crematorium and the paperwork. A death abroad or relatives travelling from far away can also lengthen the wait. The timeline below shows the steps.

Burial or cremation

Cremation is usually cheaper than burial. Burial costs jump where you must buy or lease a niche or grave from the cemetery. Cremation needs the deceased's wishes in writing, such as a will or statement, or written consent from the family if there are no instructions. If the death was violent or suspicious, or an autopsy is pending, a judge must clear it first. The remains come back in an urn. The documents list below has the details.

What it costs

Prices vary a lot by city and by firm. Madrid and Barcelona are the most expensive. A full funeral normally runs to a few thousand euros. Common extras are:

• long-distance transport or repatriation
• embalming
• the tanatorio room
• flowers
• cemetery fees and niche rental or purchase
• cremation fees

Get an itemised quote

Ask for the written, itemised budget (presupuesto) before you sign. Consumer law requires clear prices, and most regions also require funeral homes to display price lists and give you this budget before the contract. Compare two or three firms if you can, and check what the tanatorio and cemetery charge separately. Municipal services, cemeteries and crematoria charge rates set by the town hall.

If you think you were overcharged, complain to the regional consumer authority (consumo) or your town hall's consumer office (OMIC).

If the family cannot pay

Town halls must provide a basic burial when someone dies without means or without family to pay. Some also offer a municipal funeral at a reduced price. Apply through your town hall's social services (servicios sociales) or its funeral service, with proof of income and of your relationship to the deceased. Eligibility differs by town, so ask the town hall of the place of death. Social security and some insurance policies may also pay a small death grant. If the deceased had a burial policy (seguro de decesos), call the insurer first, because it may cover the whole funeral.

Timeline and deadlines

• Hold the wake at the tanatorio: for about one day

• Burial or cremation takes place: within 48 hours of death, usually 24 to 72 hours after death

• Cremation in practice, depending on crematorium availability and paperwork: 2 to 4 days after death

• Delays from a judicial autopsy, a death abroad or relatives travelling from abroad: if any of these applies, the body can be kept refrigerated at the tanatorio

Documents you need

• Medical death certificate: it is issued by the doctor and the funeral home uses it for the sanitary paperwork and to register the death.

• Itemised written budget (presupuesto) from the funeral home: you should receive it before you sign the contract.

• Proof of the deceased's wishes for cremation, such as a will or written statement, or written consent from the family if there are no instructions.

• Judge's clearance for cremation, only if the death was violent or suspicious or an autopsy is pending.

• Proof of income and of your relationship to the deceased, only if you apply for a municipal social funeral through social services.

What to have ready when you call the funeral home

• Find the deceased's DNI, NIE or passport.

• Get the medical death certificate (certificado médico de defunción) from the doctor who attended or certified the death, or ask the hospital for it.

• Ask for the judicial licence if a judge is involved because the death was violent, suspicious or unexplained.

• Find the burial or cremation policy (seguro de decesos), and note the policy number and insurer.

• Note the deceased's health-card or social security number, and the family book or marriage details if they were married.

• Have the ID of the relative who will sign the funeral contract.

• Decide with the family between burial and cremation, and find any cemetery or niche title the deceased held.

• Find the will or a written statement of the deceased's wishes for cremation, or get written consent from the family if there are no instructions.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays for a funeral if the family cannot afford one?

Yes, your town hall must provide a basic burial when someone dies without means or with no family to pay. Apply through the municipal social services (servicios sociales) or the city council's funeral service, with proof of income and of your relationship to the person. Rules differ by town.

Is cremation cheaper than burial in Spain?

Yes, a basic cremation usually costs less than a basic burial in a plot. Burial gets much dearer where you must buy or lease a niche or grave, and Madrid and Barcelona are the most expensive cities.

Can I get an itemised price before I sign with a funeral home?

Yes, in most regions funeral homes must display price lists and give you an itemised written budget (presupuesto) before you sign the contract. If a firm refuses or overcharges, complain to the regional consumer authority or the OMIC, your town's consumer office.

What is a tanatorio and do I have to use one?

A tanatorio is a funeral complex where the body is kept refrigerated and the wake (velatorio) is held, usually for about a day. It has viewing and ceremony rooms, and many have a crematorium. Charges for the room are an extra on top of the funeral home's service.