As stated in Article L. 2223-43 of the French General Code for Local Authorities, reproduced below:
“Public or private health establishments that transport a body before committal and transfer a body to a funeral home must hold the authorisation provided for in article L. 2223-23 , solely on the basis of the professional competence of the staff and the compliance of the vehicles with the requirements laid down by the decrees referred to in 2° and 5° of the same article.
This authorisation may be withdrawn under the conditions set out in article L. 2223-25.
The provisions of the first two paragraphs of the same article do not apply either to health establishments which transport the bodies of deceased persons, with a view to taking samples for therapeutic purposes, or to health establishments which transport children who have died of a medically unexplained cause, with a view to taking samples for diagnostic and scientific purposes, to the health establishment called upon to take the samples.
These establishments may not carry out any other task relating to the external funeral service. “