In the event of a death
You have just lost someone.
There are dozens of steps to take, some within twenty-four hours, and no one to tell you which ones or in what order. Milele takes care of that part, so you can keep yours.
The essentials, in six steps
- 1.Have the death certified. A doctor certifies the death and issues the death certificate.
- 2.Inform close family. Close relatives first, then those who can help with the formalities.
- 3.Contact a funeral director. They take charge of the body and often handle the registration of the death.
- 4.Declare the death to the civil registry. In France, at the town hall of the place of death, within 24 hours.
- 5.Look for the deceased's wishes. Their wishes for the funeral, a funeral insurance policy, a will.
- 6.Notify the organisations. In the following weeks: bank, employer, insurers, pension, then a notary or lawyer for the estate.
The steps, deadline by deadline
Deadlines count from the date of death. They vary by country: Milele gives you the ones for yours.
In the first hours
- Have a doctor certify the death and issue the death certificate.
- Inform close family.
- Contact a funeral home.
Within 24 hours to a few days
- Register the death: in France, at the town hall of the place of death within 24 hours; in Switzerland, within two days; in England and Wales, within five days.
- Gather the deceased's identity documents (in France, the family record book).
- Check whether there was a funeral insurance policy and written wishes.
Within the week
- Arrange the ceremony.
- Inform the deceased's employer.
- Publish a death notice, if the family wishes.
Within the month
- Notify the bank, insurers, the pension fund and health insurance.
- Consult a notary or an estate lawyer (in the UK, apply for probate).
- Cancel subscriptions and settle the car and housing.
Within six months
- In France, file the estate declaration with the tax office.
- Apply, if applicable, for a survivor's pension.
How Milele supports you
The first 48 hours
A list of the steps, in order, with deadlines counted from the date of death. Some are legal and short: you see how much time is left, not just what is left to do.
For your country
Offices don't have the same name everywhere. Depending on the country of death, Milele names the town hall, the municipal registry or the Register Office. Where we don't know, we name nothing rather than send you to the wrong door.
Together, not alone
Invite your loved ones to share the file. Everyone sees the progress and can take on steps — so that three people don't tackle the same one while nobody does the others.
If the body must travel
When the death and the burial don't take place in the same country, nine steps are added: consulate, mortuary pass, approved coffin, transport, reception on arrival. It's the heaviest part, and the least documented elsewhere.
What the person had planned
If they had recorded their wishes on Milele — funeral, medical, legal — these open to the two people they had chosen while alive. And the letters they had left reach those they were addressed to.
A place that remains
A memorial, filled with what you have already entered. Loved ones leave a word, a photo, a light there. It stays open long after the arrangements are over.
What Milele doesn't do
We don't organise funerals and don't replace funeral directors, the notary or the consulate. We don't give legal advice. We tell you which doors to knock on, in what order, and we keep track of what has been done.
Beforehand, if you can
None of this can be improvised at the right moment. While alive, anyone can record their wishes, write letters to be opened later, and choose two people who will be able to declare their death and access what they leave behind. Two, not one: that's what prevents a single person from deciding alone.
Prepare my spaceDetailed guides
- The first 48 hours after a deathWhat to do in the first two days after a death, at home or in hospital: the doctor, the declaration, the funeral home, the deceased's wishes and the deadline for the funeral.
- Announcing a death: to whom, how, and what to writeIn what order to inform family, friends and the employer, message templates to announce a death, and what a death notice contains.
- Repatriating a body: the steps in orderWhen the death and the burial do not take place in the same country: the funeral director, the consulate, the transport authorisation, the airtight coffin, the flight and the reception on arrival.
- A deceased person's online accounts: Facebook, Google, AppleWhat to do with a deceased loved one's online accounts: turn a Facebook profile into a memorialised account, close a Google account, access Apple data through the Legacy Contact.
Frequently asked questions
Who registers the death?
A relative or the funeral home, which usually takes care of it. In France, the death is registered at the town hall of the place of death; it is free and needs no appointment.
What if the death occurs abroad?
The death is registered with the local authorities, and the consulate or embassy of the home country is informed. If the body must be repatriated, more steps follow: a mortuary laissez-passer, an approved coffin, transport and reception on arrival.
Do you need a notary?
In France, it is essential as soon as real estate is passed on, and advisable in most other cases. Elsewhere, the procedure has other names: probate in the UK, grant of representation in Kenya.
Is Milele free?
Following the formalities is free. The only paid option is the permanent memorial.
A place to remember, starting today
Create their memorial in a few minutes, then invite loved ones to leave a word, a photo, a light. The formalities are tracked in the same place.
Create the memorial for freeOfficial sources
- France : service-public.gouv.fr — Un proche est décédé
- France, death abroad : service-public.gouv.fr — Décès d'un proche à l'étranger
- Belgium : belgium.be — Décès
- Switzerland : ch.ch — Décès
- Quebec : quebec.ca — Décès
- United Kingdom : gov.uk — What to do when someone dies
Updated on October 23, 2026. This guide summarises the usual steps; it does not replace advice from a notary, a lawyer or your country's authorities. How we write our guides