The French government published the decree in the Journal Officiel on July 10th – bringing the law into effect immediately – which extends the deadlines for arranging a burial and cremation.

Previously, families and loved ones had to arrange for a burial or cremation between 24 hours and six days after death (not counting Sundays and bank holidays).

However authorities say that there had been an increase in the number of people requesting an extension to this time limit, so they have decided to extend the legally permitted burial or cremation period.

READ MORE: How to register a death and arrange a funeral in France

People now have a maximum of 14 days (including Sundays and bank holidays) after the death in which to arrange the burial or cremation.

There are also allowances for special circumstances, for example if there is an open investigation into death.

If the person died outside France and wishes to be repatriated, the 14-day limit begins once the body arrives in France.

Families can also make a request for an extension for other circumstances – for example if family members are travelling from abroad for the funeral, and this is done via the local préfecture. You can find the form to do so on your local préfecture’s website – for example, here is the link to the Oise page.

You can find full details to the process of registering a death and arranging a funeral in France in our guide HERE.