When someone dies in the Netherlands, call a doctor first: the family doctor (huisarts) during the day, or the out-of-hours GP service (huisartsenpost) at night and at weekends. The doctor confirms the death and issues the papers needed for the burial or cremation. The death is then registered with the municipality, which must happen before the burial or cremation. By law the burial or cremation takes place no earlier than 36 hours and no later than the sixth working day after death(article 16, Dutch Burial and Cremation Act). Weekends and public holidays do not count as working days, so the deadline is later than a count in calendar days suggests.
You are never legally obliged to use a funeral home in the Netherlands, and almost nothing has to be decided on the first night. Your loved one may stay at home until the funeral if you wish, as long as cooling is arranged. Registering the death with the municipality, choosing between burial and cremation, and every question about cost can wait until the next day. For questions, advice or to set the funeral in motion, call +31 85 004 8099. You are then automatically put through to the team of our regular funeral partner.
The rest of our website is in Dutch. Read the rest of the site in English (automatic translation by Google). The phone team of our regular funeral partner speaks English and Dutch.
Past the first hours already? Then read arranging a funeral in the Netherlands: what it costs, how the six-working-day deadline is counted, what a Dutch funeral insurance covers, and how repatriation abroad is arranged. This page is about the hours right after a death.
What a funeral costs in the Netherlands: do it yourself or six fixed options
Doing everything yourself costs from around €800; the six fixed options of our regular funeral partner range from €1,750 for a cremation without a service to €9,400 for an extended burial.
The do-it-yourself example (under the button Do it yourself) shows what you pay if you do everything yourself, based on publicly listed rates. The six other options have a fixed price and are carried out by a funeral director near you, through our regular funeral partner. Every option can be adjusted to your wishes; extras cost more, and you can ask the team for a quote first. Call and you are automatically put through to the team, which speaks English and Dutch.
For those who want to keep the farewell entirely in their own hands. Under article 16 of the Dutch Burial and Cremation Act the cremation takes place no earlier than 36 hours and no later than the sixth working day after death, unless the mayor, after hearing a doctor, decides otherwise; within 36 hours only in agreement with the public prosecutor (article 17).
What you pay- Solid wood coffin, ordered online €239
- Coffin delivered to your home €68.99
- Technical cremation, discount rate €430
- Fuel for your own van ± €50
- Death certificate (municipality) €17.80
- Register the death and collect the permit
- Place your loved one in the coffin yourself
- Lift the coffin and drive to the crematorium yourself
- Arrange a suitable van
Note: at this discount rate the crematorium chooses the time and you pay in advance. Want to do it yourself but have the laying out done? A complete laying out costs up to around €1,200.
Call: +31 85 004 8099A funeral director takes care of everything, without a ceremony and without family present. You can hold a remembrance later in your own circle.
What is included- Transfer to a mortuary or funeral centre
- Cooling there, based on three days
- Simple coffin
- Registration of the death and the cremation permit
- Transport to the crematorium
- The cremation itself, including crematorium costs
- Say what you want, nothing more
- Choose what happens with the ashes
Note: an extra cooling day costs €100. A transfer on Saturday or Sunday, or between 11 pm and 6 am, costs €125 extra. If someone dies in hospital, the hospital mortuary may charge separately.
Your loved one is cared for and laid out at home. Before the cremation you say goodbye with a small circle at the crematorium.
What is included- Telephone conversation about your wishes
- Registration of the death
- Last care of your loved one
- Laying out at home; a funeral centre is possible at extra cost
- Standard coffin and a funeral van
- A farewell of fifteen to thirty minutes for about ten people
- Guidance by the funeral director on the day, and the cremation
- Decide who attends and what is said
- Optionally arrange cards and flowers yourself
Note: a longer farewell or more guests is possible at extra cost. Ask in advance and have it included in the quote.
Call: +31 85 004 8099A full funeral with a ceremony in the crematorium auditorium, followed by time for condolences.
What is included- Personal conversation about your wishes
- Registration, care and laying out at home
- Coffin up to around €800
- A dignified hearse
- Ceremony in the auditorium of 45 minutes to an hour
- Condolences of 45 minutes to an hour, no maximum number of guests
- 30 funeral cards and the cremation
- The content: music, speakers, photos
- Optionally arrange the coffee reception yourself
Note: with a funeral service the number of guests determines much of the extra cost, especially catering. Agree in advance what is and is not included.
Call: +31 85 004 8099The most modest way to bury: everything is arranged, without a ceremony and without family present.
What is included- Telephone conversation and registration of the death
- Simple coffin
- Transfer to a mortuary
- Stay there up to five days, without visits
- Transport to the cemetery
- A common grave, usually for ten years
- Say what you want, nothing more
- Hold your own remembrance later if you wish
Note: a common grave is not a private grave. You do not choose the place and the grave may be cleared after the term. For a private grave, choose another option or ask about the extra cost.
Call: +31 85 004 8099A burial with a ceremony in the auditorium, condolences and the grave included, with everything you need.
What is included- Telephone conversation and registration of the death
- Care and laying out in a funeral centre (one visit); laying out at home is possible at extra cost
- Coffin and a funeral van
- Ceremony in the auditorium and condolences, no maximum number of guests
- A common grave for ten years
- Floral tribute of around €150 with two ribbons
- 30 funeral cards and a condolence book
- The content of the ceremony
- Optionally arrange the coffee reception yourself
Note: the laying out included in the price is in a funeral centre, with one visit; laying out at home is possible at extra cost. Ask about that cost and have it included in the quote.
A burial with more personal attention: a personal conversation, laying out at home with cooling and a more luxurious finish.
What is included- Personal conversation about your wishes and registration
- Care and laying out at home with cooling
- Luxury coffin and a luxury hearse
- Ceremony in the auditorium and condolences, no maximum number of guests
- A common grave for ten years
- Floral tribute of around €150 with two ribbons
- 30 funeral cards and a condolence book
- A private grave instead of a common grave is possible; the grave rights of the cemetery are then extra
- Natural burial is an alternative; a natural burial ground can grant grave rights for an indefinite period
Note: grave rights for a private grave differ per municipality, around €500 to €3,000 for a single grave, depending on municipality and term.
Call: +31 85 004 8099The crematorium rates in these examples are those of one of the least expensive crematoria in the Netherlands, in Almere. Nationwide a technical cremation ranges from about €430 to €1,305 for exactly the same service. If you live far from Almere, use the rate of the crematorium in your own region.
A note on language: our wider website is in Dutch, but every page can be translated instantly (right-click → "Translate to English" in Chrome or Edge). When you call, you are automatically put through to the team of our regular funeral partner; for questions about repatriation you can reach that team day and night, and it can also set the repatriation in motion. The team speaks English.
What to do when someone dies in the Netherlands
Whether you call them a funeral director, an undertaker, an uitvaartverzorger or a begrafenisondernemer, the process below is the same.
These are the six steps, in order.
- First call: the family doctor (huisarts); if you are unsure whether someone is still alive, 112
- Second call: the team of our regular funeral partner, via +31 85 004 8099
- Legal deadline: burial or cremation between 36 hours and the sixth working day after death (art. 16 Wlb)
- Obligation: none, you are never required to use a funeral home in the Netherlands
- Cost: nationwide on average €7,000–€9,500 for a cremation with a service and €9,000–€12,000 for a fully arranged burial; with our regular funeral partner a cremation without a ceremony costs €1,750 and a simple burial €3,900 ( all fixed prices), see the full cost breakdown
- Repatriation: possible from the Netherlands; whether insurance covers it depends on the policy conditions, the documents you need
- Death certificate: €17.80 per copy, the same rate in every Dutch municipality
Call a doctor first
Contact the family doctor (huisarts) or the out-of-hours GP service (huisartsenpost). The doctor confirms the death and issues the certificate of death, plus a sealed envelope stating the cause of death, which stays closed. Without the certificate of death, the municipality in principle issues no permit for burial or cremation (art. 12 Wlb). If the death may not be natural, the doctor calls in the municipal coroner (gemeentelijke lijkschouwer). If you are unsure whether someone is still alive, dial 112.
Call, and arrange cooling
After the doctor's visit, cooling should begin soon: the law does not require it, but in practice it is almost always needed. A cooling plate or blanket allows you to keep your loved one at home: fully legal, and for many families a comforting choice. For questions, call the team of our regular funeral partner.
Register the death
The death is registered at the municipality where it occurred, and this must happen before the funeral takes place. In practice the funeral director does this for you. The municipality draws up the death certificate and issues the permit for burial, cremation or transport abroad. Copies of the certificate currently cost €17.80 each.
Choose burial, cremation or repatriation
The farewell must take place no earlier than 36 hours and no later than the sixth working day after death (art. 16 Wlb). Weekends and public holidays are not working days. Under art. 17, the mayor may, after hearing a doctor, set a different deadline, for example for religious reasons, or to let family travel from abroad; within 36 hours only in agreement with the public prosecutor.
Arrange the farewell
Notices, flowers, music, catering and the ceremony are arranged with the funeral director near you. Dutch law leaves a great deal of freedom here, including for religious and cultural rituals. Choose one of the fixed arrangements, and the director shapes it around your wishes.
Aftercare and paperwork
Notify banks, insurers, pension funds and the tax authorities. A notary issues the verklaring van erfrecht (certificate of inheritance), which banks often ask for before releasing accounts. The inheritance tax return is due within 20 months of the death.
Understand the deadlines: the 36-hour rule and the six-working-day count
The 36-hour rule, in practice
The 36-hour minimum exists so that a death is never rushed past a possible medical or legal check. It is counted from the moment of death, not from the doctor's visit. In practice it is rarely the constraint that matters: the six-working-day maximum is.
Where the 36 hours does matter is for an Islamic or Jewish farewell, where tradition asks for burial as soon as possible. A burial or cremation within 36 hours is allowed only with the mayor's permission, after hearing a doctor, and in agreement with the public prosecutor (art. 17 Wlb), a higher bar than a simple postponement. This is arranged by the funeral director.
Counting the six working days, a worked example
Someone dies on a Friday evening. Saturday and Sunday do not count. The count starts on Monday, so working days one to five run Monday to Friday, and the sixth working day is the following Monday. That is ten calendar days: considerably more room than a count in calendar days suggests. If a public holiday falls in that window, you gain another day. Need it the other way, sooner rather than later? See arranging a funeral over a weekend or public holiday(Dutch, translatable).
Where did the death happen?
The steps above are the same everywhere, but the first hour looks different depending on where your loved one died.
Open your situation below.
Find your situation: at home, in hospital, in care, or a sudden death
At home
You call the huisarts or huisartsenpost yourself. Nothing is urgent in the first hour: take your time. Your loved one may stay at home until the funeral, with cooling.
In hospital, hospice or a care home
The institution's doctor confirms the death. Ask the institution which costs it charges separately, for example for its mortuary.
Sudden or unnatural death
If the death may not be natural, the doctor calls in the municipal coroner (gemeentelijke lijkschouwer). If the coroner cannot confirm a natural death, the public prosecutor is informed, and burial or cremation can only go ahead once the prosecutor has no objection (art. 10 and 12 Wlb). This can extend the timeline. If you are unsure whether someone is still alive, dial 112.
Died abroad, but lived here?
If your loved one died outside the Netherlands and you want to bring them here, the process runs in reverse: the local authorities issue the death certificate and the laissez-passer or another transport document, and a Dutch permit for burial or cremation is still required. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Nederland Wereldwijd) can advise on the local formalities. Read more (Dutch, translatable) or call +31 85 004 8099.
What a funeral costs: the fixed options of our regular funeral partner
A cremation without a ceremony costs €1,750 and a simple burial €3,900; if you arrange everything yourself, without a viewing, you spend circa €800.
Below are all the fixed options of our regular funeral partner. The same prices apply in Belgian Limburg. Extra wishes are possible at an additional cost, and you can ask the team for a no-obligation quote before anything begins. The team speaks English.
| Option | Price | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Arranging everything yourself (no viewing) |
circa €800 | Our own calculation of the costs when the family arranges everything itself, without a viewing. |
| Cremation without a ceremony | €1,750 | Crematorium included. Transfer, three days of cooling, a simple coffin, registration of the death and transport, without relatives present. Extra cooling day €100; transfer at the weekend or between 23.00 and 06.00 €125. |
| Cremation with a small farewell | €4,000 | Laying out, viewing at home with cooling, a standard coffin, a funeral van and a farewell of 15 to 30 minutes for around ten people. |
| Cremation with a farewell service | €7,500 | Laying out, viewing at home, a coffin up to circa €800, a hearse, the auditorium for 45 minutes to an hour, a condolence reception and 30 funeral cards. |
| Simple burial | €3,900 | A simple coffin, the mortuary for up to five days without visits, and a general grave, usually for ten years. Without relatives present. |
| Burial with a farewell service | €6,000 | Care, laying out in a funeral centre with one visit, a coffin, a funeral van, the auditorium, a condolence reception, a general grave for ten years, a floral tribute, 30 cards and a condolence book. |
| Extended burial | €9,400 | A luxury coffin and hearse, viewing at home with cooling, the auditorium, a condolence reception, a general grave, a floral tribute, cards and a condolence book. |
- Laying out and viewing, complete: up to circa €1,200 at most; less with fewer cooling days or if the family does part of it
- Thanatopraxy: €750
- Post-mortem make-up: €50
- Airbrush: €200
The options above already include the laying out and viewing they mention. For comparison: the national average for a funeral is €7,000 to €12,000.
The first 24 hours: what must happen, and what can wait
Almost nothing about a Dutch funeral has to be decided today: two things do, and everything else can wait until you have slept.
The hours right after a death feel like an emergency, and families abroad often start making decisions in the middle of the night that they were never required to make. Here is the honest split.
Today, before anything else
- A doctor must confirm the death. The family doctor (huisarts) during office hours, the out-of-hours GP service (huisartsenpost) at night and at weekends. If you are unsure whether someone is still alive, or if there has been an accident, violence or suicide, dial 112. Until the doctor has been, nothing else can proceed.
- Cooling should begin soon. Once the doctor has been, your loved one should be cooled soon; the law does not require it, but in practice it is almost always needed. A cooling plate or blanket makes it possible to keep them at home, which is entirely legal in the Netherlands.
That really is the whole list. One call to a doctor, and one call to arrange cooling.
This can wait until tomorrow, or longer
- The coffin, the flowers, the music and the shape of the ceremony
- The notices, and deciding who to tell and when
- Registering the death with the municipality: the funeral director does this, and it only has to be done before the burial or cremation
- Banks, insurers, pension funds and the tax authorities
- The notary and the verklaring van erfrecht (certificate of inheritance)
- The inheritance tax return, which is due within 20 months of the death
None of this becomes harder for waiting a night.
Why the rush you feel is not in the law
Dutch law sets a minimum of 36 hours between the death and the burial or cremation, counted from the moment of death, and a maximum of the sixth working day (article 16, Dutch Burial and Cremation Act). Weekends and public holidays are not working days. A death on a Friday evening therefore often leaves ten calendar days, not five. The pressure is real, but it is not coming from the deadline.
If you need it the other way (sooner than 36 hours, as an Islamic or Jewish farewell may ask) the mayor can, after hearing a doctor, grant an exemption under article 17, in agreement with the public prosecutor. The funeral director arranges this.
One call, and you are put through to our funeral partner's team
We are not a funeral home and we do not carry out funerals ourselves: we inform you, and when you call you are automatically put through to the team of our regular funeral partner.
We are not a funeral home ourselves. RouwUitvaart.nl is a national information and referral platform: you call, and you are automatically put through to the team of our regular funeral partner, who answer your questions, give advice and, if you wish, set the funeral in motion with a funeral director near you.
Open about our role
We work with one regular funeral partner. The funeral itself is carried out by a funeral director near you, through our regular funeral partner.
Day and night
One call reaches the team of our regular funeral partner, day or night, weekend or holiday.
In English
This page is in English. On the phone, the team speaks English.
- The team of our regular funeral partner on the line, for questions and advice
- If you wish, a funeral director near you, across all 12 provinces and Belgian Limburg
- Laying out at home with cooling, in the options that include it
- Registration with the municipality handled for you
- Burial, cremation, natural burial or repatriation
- Religious and cultural farewells
- A no-obligation quote, if you ask for one
Common scenarios for international families
Every loss is unique, but these are situations international families regularly ask about.
If any feel familiar, you're in the right place.
See the common situations, and religious & cultural farewells
Your partner died and family is far away
You face the Dutch system alone. The team of our regular funeral partner answers your questions and, if you wish, sets the funeral in motion with a funeral director near you.
You want a ceremony that honours your culture
Dutch rules are flexible and leave room for ritual washing, an open or closed coffin, and a farewell shaped around your tradition. The team of our regular funeral partner can discuss the farewell with you.
Language is a barrier at official appointments
Municipality and hospital conversations can be overwhelming. The funeral director near you, arranged through our regular funeral partner's team, handles the registration for you.
Religious and cultural farewells in the Netherlands
Dutch law leaves room for ritual washing, an open or closed coffin, and a burial or cremation shaped entirely around your tradition. Where speed is required (as in an Islamic or Jewish farewell) the mayor can, after hearing a doctor, grant an exemption from the 36-hour minimum under article 17, in agreement with the public prosecutor.
Islamic
· Jewish
· Hindu
· Buddhist
· Christian
· Humanist
(Dutch pages: right-click to translate.)
The questions families ask in the first hours
First, stay with your loved one, then call the family doctor (huisarts) or, at night and weekends, the out-of-hours GP service (huisartsenpost). The doctor confirms the death and issues the papers needed for the burial or cremation. If the death may not be natural, the doctor calls in the municipal coroner. Then call our regular funeral partner's team.
You are never legally obliged to use a funeral company in the Netherlands. You may organise the funeral yourself, or engage a funeral director only for specific tasks such as transport or paperwork. This is often less expensive than a fully arranged funeral. Questions? Call +31 85 004 8099.
With our regular funeral partner the fixed prices are: cremation without a ceremony €1,750, cremation with a small farewell €4,000, cremation with a farewell service €7,500, simple burial €3,900, burial with a farewell service €6,000 and extended burial €9,400. Arranging everything yourself, without a viewing, costs circa €800. You can ask the team for a no-obligation quote first.
Only with permission, and the bar is higher than for a postponement. Under article 17 the mayor may, after hearing a doctor, set a different deadline, but a burial or cremation within 36 hours needs the public prosecutor's agreement. This route is used for Islamic and Jewish farewells. The funeral director can apply for it.
Call the out-of-hours GP service (huisartsenpost), which is open outside office hours. A death at night or the weekend does not need to be handled instantly, and nothing is lost by taking an hour to gather yourself. Weekend days and public holidays do not count towards the six-working-day deadline, so you have more calendar time than you might expect.
No. When you call, you are automatically put through to our regular funeral partner's team, who speak English; the funeral director handles the municipal registration. Our wider website is in Dutch because most of our visitors live in the Netherlands, but any page can be translated instantly with a right-click in Chrome or Edge, or through Google Translate.
The death is still registered with the municipality where it occurred, whether or not the person was in the Dutch population register. Dutch law does not restrict burial or cremation to residents, so a farewell here is possible either way. Bring the passport and, if available, the residence permit. Questions? Call +31 85 004 8099.
Yes. Keeping the deceased at home is legal in the Netherlands and is a common choice. Cooling should start soon after the doctor has confirmed the death, using a cooling plate or blanket. If home is not practical, a funeral centre or mortuary is the alternative. Questions? Call +31 85 004 8099.
With good cooling, in practice usually four to six days. A cooling plate under the body, or a blanket over it, slows the natural process. The funeral director delivers, installs and collects the equipment. Warm weather and the room affect what is realistic, so ask the director to assess it on the spot.
Where to read on
These pages are in Dutch: right-click and translate, or call +31 85 004 8099.
Browse related topics: costs, home viewing, weekends and aftercare
This information has been compiled with care, but it is not personal legal advice. For an inheritance, debts or a deadline, you can consult a notary or lawyer; for an insurance policy, an AFM-registered adviser.
Call now, or call in an hour: the line is open either way
There is no rush to decide everything at once. The team of our regular funeral partner answers your questions, gives advice and, if you wish, sets the funeral in motion with a funeral director near you. The call commits you to nothing; you only pay your normal call rate.
- No pressure, no commitment
- A funeral director near you, if you wish
- Put through to the team, day or night
- All 12 provinces and Belgian Limburg
Call the team, or write to us
Call at any hour: the team speaks English. Prefer to write first? Use our contact form.
Call: +31 85 004 8099 Contact form (Dutch, translatable)
