New law for French funeral providers seeks to protect rights of bereaved families
Families are set to receive clearer information on their rights, costs and services
Published
From October 1, French funeral providers will have to give bereaved families a standardised information notice before they agree to services.
Known as a notice d’information, it will set out families’ rights and the rules funeral providers must follow.
This new measure will apply to all funeral service providers, including funeral homes, local authorities and associations. It follows a recommendation from France’s national consumer council (Conseil national de la consommation) to improve the information given to families before they agree to funeral services.
What will the new notice contain?
The notice will provide the same basic information regardless of which funeral provider a family contacts.
It will explain that families are free to choose their funeral provider and can ask several providers for quotes before making a decision. It will also note that a funeral quote is free and does not commit them to using that provider.
The document will then explain which funeral services are compulsory and which are only required in certain circumstances.
For example, a coffin must have an identification plate, a watertight interior and four handles. Other requirements can apply depending on the circumstances, including rules concerning the transport or preservation of the body.
The notice will also provide practical information about burials, cremations and the scattering of ashes. It will explain where a body can be kept before the funeral, including at home, in a mortuary or in a funeral chamber (chambre funéraire).
What if there is a dispute?
The notice will contain information on what relatives of the deceased can do if they have a disagreement with a funeral provider.
This includes the possibility of contacting the consumer mediator (médiateur de la consommation) that the provider belongs to.
The aim is to make it easier for families to understand their options before signing a contract or paying for services.
It is important to note that funeral homes cannot use the notice as advertising and the information must be neutral and cannot contain the name or logo of a funeral company.
Funeral establishments open to the public will have to display the notice clearly while funeral providers that have a website will also have to publish it online.
