What happens when you die without funeral insurance? Who should bear the costs? Who pays for the burial if there is no insurance? As we have already pointed out on previous occasions, death insurance is one of the most sought-after in our country. It is no coincidence that more than half of the population has it. Today we will see what alternatives exist if this policy is not available.
The law and the obligation to assume the cost of funeral expenses
The The Spanish Civil Code is the one that regulates who must assume the cost of a burial, and leaves no room for doubt in its article 1894:
Funeral expenses commensurate with the quality of the person and the customs of the locality must be paid, even if the deceased had left no property, by those who in life would have had the obligation to feed him.
Who pays for the burial if there is no insurance?
The law establishes that they are “those who in life would have had the obligation to feed him/her”, therefore, it is the relatives who will have to assume these costs, even if the deceased had not left any assets. Although it is true that with the inheritance it is possible for them to recover it (as long as they wish to accept it).
Dying without death insurance, frequent or not?
More than 21 million people have a death insurance policy in Spain, being undoubtedly one of the most popular. That figure means that more than 40% of people in Spain have it.
In 2017, according to Unespa figures, insurance attended more than 250,000 deaths, representing 60% of the deaths in our country.
This means that when the family member dies, the company pays for the funeral home, the transfer of the deceased, the flowers, the coffin and the cremation or burial. Basically, you call a phone number and the funeral home and company take care of all the arrangements, without worrying about the costs and other formalities. And you, on the other hand, can focus on being with your family members during this difficult time.
For this, the person has had to take out a policy of this type, which is usually paid month by month. But if this is not the case, as we have seen, by law it is the family members who must cover the financial cost of the burial.
What if there is no money for a burial, can you be forced to pay?
At present, unless an altruistic person decides to pay for it, even if he or she is not entitled to it, we only know of two possible alternatives:
- If the relatives are people without resources or, we are talking about people who die alone, the City Councils of each locality usually offer what are known as “charity burials”. “charity burials”.. However, this must be endorsed by the Social Services of the municipality. In Zaragoza, where we come from, less than 100 such burials are granted annually.
- Donate the body to science: in this way the heirs do not assume the cost of burial (only the cost of transportation to the place where they want to perform the funeral). From then on, it is the entity receiving the body (which can be a University, a company…) who bears the transfer costs. As we can see, this would only be a partial solution to the economic issue, because we would still have to assume an important cost. However, we must know that this can only be said by the deceased person, before his death; the heirs cannot opt for this.
Cost of Funeral vs. Cost of Insurance
We must be aware that a funeral has a minimum cost of about 3,000 euros, and this cannot be assumed by everyone. This expense is higher if we have to pay for any kind of transfer from another location.
Let us remember that the funeral insurance is one of the most economical that can be subscribed. In addition, it protects us from having to assume the cost of the service, transfers, etc. Also, in order to adapt to each of the situations and life stages, there are several types of funeral insurance.
If you want to find out about the cost of a funeral insurance in Zaragoza or elsewhere, do not hesitate and contact us. You will be able to choose among the best funeral insurance companies in Spain.
