French Civil Code

The death record will be drawn up by the civil registrar of the commune where the death occurred, on the declaration of a relative of the deceased or on that of a person possessing the most accurate and complete information on his or her civil status as is possible. To ensure the accuracy of the information declared, the civil registrar may request verification of the deceased’s personal data from the…

The death certificate will state: 1° The day, time and place of death; 2° The first names, surname, date and place of birth, occupation and domicile of the deceased; 3° The first names, surnames, occupations and domiciles of his or her father and mother; 4° The first names and surname of the other spouse, if the deceased was married, widowed or divorced;

When a child dies before its birth has been declared to the civil registry, the civil registrar draws up a birth record and a death record on production of a medical certificate stating that the child was born alive and viable and specifying the days and times of its birth and death. Failing the medical certificate provided for in the previous paragraph, the civil registrar draws up a stillbirth record….

When a death occurs elsewhere than in the commune where the deceased was domiciled, the civil registrar who drew up the death record will send, as soon as possible, to the civil registrar of the deceased’s last domicile, a copy of this record, which will be immediately transcribed into the registers. This provision does not apply to towns divided into arrondissements, where the death occurred in an arrondissement other than…

When there are signs or indications of violent death, or other circumstances giving reason to suspect it, burial may only be carried out after a police officer, assisted by a doctor of medicine or surgery, has drawn up a report on the state of the corpse and the circumstances relating thereto, as well as any information he may have gathered on the first names, surname, age, occupation, place of birth…

The police officer will be required to forward immediately to the registrar of the place where the person died, all the information set out in his report, on the basis of which the death certificate will be drawn up. The registrar will send a copy to the registrar of the domicile of the deceased person, if known: this copy will be entered in the registers.

In the event of death in prisons or houses of confinement or detention, notice thereof shall be given immediately, by the caretakers or guards, to the civil registrar, who shall go there as stated in article 80, and will draw up the death certificate.

In all cases of violent death or death occurring in a penal establishment, no mention shall be made in the registers of these circumstances, and death certificates shall simply be drawn up in the forms prescribed by Article 79.

In the event of death during a sea voyage and in the circumstances provided for in Article 59, it will be recorded within twenty-four hours by the instrumental officers designated in this article and in the forms prescribed therein.