# Funeral Costs in Spain



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Not a pleasant subject but something that happens to all of us no matter where we live. My parents have just signed up to a funeral plan which covers both of them so that I don't have to worry in the event. My concern is that I have absolutely no idea how much it should cost them. Their current ages are 82 and 85 and the company they have chosen has told them, correctly I guess, that due to their ages they must sign up for the full plan now rather than pay in monthly instalments. I have no issues in that regard. They are not hideously wealthy so I worry about them being ripped off as they have been in many other areas since moving here. Their plan is the basic one and essentially covers anything that is required to be cremated. They are paying more than €8,000 for this service. Anyone have any ideas or experience regarding this tricky subject?? Thanks


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

thrax said:


> They are paying more than €8,000 for this service. Anyone have any ideas or experience regarding this tricky subject?? Thanks


8,000€ for both of them?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

if it's for them both that doesn't seem OTT at all

of course it depends exactly what they get for it


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Yes it is for both of them and apparently they get a hymn of their choice at the funeral...


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## GallineraGirl (Aug 13, 2011)

We paid under 2000€ for everything for my Mother-in-law's funeral -3 years ago - funeral director based in a small inland town.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

I would ask at several funeral directors and contact several companies that offer funeral insurance and see what they offer. 

I was caught out in the 'die today, buried tomorrow' rush, having not given it adequate thought beforehand, and was charged 3k by the funeral director and 3k by the crematorium. It was a dreadfully traumatic time, and with hindsight I'm sure I was taken advantage of.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

This is something I'm preparing for too, so that whenever the time comes, I don't burden anyone else with this. 

Here's a really good article from the Andalucía government about what happens if you die in Spain, especially re funerals: Funerals and death in Andalucia, paperworks and death related issues in Andalucia, southern Spain | Living in Andalucia | Andalucia.com

Here's a really good article about funerals for the whole of Spain, with comparisons to the UK as well as average costs saying 3,000 to 4,000 euros: ! Murcia Today - Understanding The Funeral Process In Spain

I hope that helps.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Madliz said:


> I would ask at several funeral directors and contact several companies that offer funeral insurance and see what they offer.
> 
> I was caught out in the 'die today, buried tomorrow' rush, having not given it adequate thought beforehand, and was charged 3k by the funeral director and 3k by the crematorium. It was a dreadfully traumatic time, and with hindsight I'm sure I was taken advantage of.


we paid something like 5000k for my dad's 'notafuneral' just over 3 years ago

the most expensive element was holding him refrigerated while my 'dear brother' in Australia decided to not bother to come 

I paid less for my husband's funeral including cars etc etc in the UK 5 months later

the most important advice I can give is that you should ensure that if the insured should die in another country they are still covered

my dad had a pre-paid funeral plan in the UK

it took us more than 6 months to recover the costs of his funeral in Spain


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Mapfre do a policy and you can pay tri monthly so worth checking out.
Someone I know had a simple cremation service with one car for just less than 1500 for his wife in the last year.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I'm sorry to hear of people's losses here - and imminent losses. 

Death and taxes... Here's an article that talks about both... This article is from 2013, saying that the VAT for funerals was raised in 2012, and that the average cost of funerals has risen from 4,000 euros in 2004, up to 6,000-7,000 euros in 2013.

Even Death Feels Weight of Crisis in Spain | Inter Press Service

Uh-oh. :confused2:


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## Guest (Nov 18, 2014)

After researching this we opted for plans, which were from memory about 3,500 euros each but they also provide for full cover when out of Spain and extra time to enable relatives to fly. As we will be travelling quite a lot we felt the cover when out of Spain was essential and the amount we paid was reasonable given the degree of cover we obtained from the policies.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

meetloaf said:


> After researching this we opted for plans, which were from memory about 3,500 euros each but they also provide for full cover when out of Spain and extra time to enable relatives to fly. As we will be travelling quite a lot we felt the cover when out of Spain was essential and the amount we paid was reasonable given the degree of cover we obtained from the policies.


Here's another funeral thread
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...in/519641-there-any-help-funeral-costs-7.html


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Thanks for that link, Pesky Wesky. That was helpful - especially the black humour! 

I talked to one of my cousins about this, and she gave me the info for organ donation, as that's the way she's going to take care of her body. She showed me the card she carries around. Here is the info for Andalucía, in case anyone is interested:

C?mo hacerse donante - Servicio Andaluz de Salud

Personally, I'm going to try to avoid donating my body for reasons in the article posted in the other thread... I've seen a university anatomy department in Canada with formaldehyde-filled jars with body parts.  Na-uh! Not if I can avoid it. I don't care if I'm dead....just in case I might feel it. I'd rather burn into smithereens. That's my insurance policy. 

I'll let you know here as I find out more on this topic.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

AllHeart said:


> Thanks for that link, Pesky Wesky. That was helpful - especially the black humour!
> 
> I talked to one of my cousins about this, and she gave me the info for organ donation, as that's the way she's going to take care of her body. She showed me the card she carries around. Here is the info for Andalucía, in case anyone is interested:
> 
> ...



The real problem with going this route, as I understand it, is that they are oversubscribed with donations. That is, too many people have elected to 'give their bodies to medical science'.

This means that they won't necessarily accept your body and you will be left having to find the funeral costs any way.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I posted the wrong information above in my last post. This information is for organ donation, which is different from donating your body. I called them at the number in the link, and they said after organ donation, you go about a normal funeral. Or you can also do a donation of your body to science. (I'll be calling my cousin so that she knows she has the wrong card!)



snikpoh said:


> The real problem with going this route, as I understand it, is that they are oversubscribed with donations. That is, too many people have elected to 'give their bodies to medical science'.
> 
> This means that they won't necessarily accept your body and you will be left having to find the funeral costs any way.


You're right, Snikpoh. There are eight reasons to deny your body, one being that there are too many donations. The organ donation peeps gave me the # for donating your body here in Malaga, which is the University of Malaga Anatomy Department (952.131.502). She said you're right, that if they reject the body, you're left with the regular funeral. She gave me the website link, which is really clear. I've translated it with Google, which is actually really good this time.  Here it is, for anyone who is interested.

_*FAQ*

*What use have their bodies donated to the department?*

Donated bodies have a teaching and research use only.

For each body system makes identification at all times support your particular monitor, until incineration, using an anonymous face to those outside the service is used.

*What bodies are used?*

Only bodies that have allowed "Body Donor Card" and medical certificate of death. 

*What does having a "body donor card" mean?*

Owning a donor card means the will of the holder to donate his body at the time of his death. Donation will be made, if at the time of death, a person close to the donor is contacted with any of the numbers listed on the card. 

This card does not require the holder to donate your body if you change your mind. 

*Supports donating body organs and tissue donor?*

It can be both donor body and organ and tissue donor, having priority donation of organs and tissues. Therefore, in this case it is effective only body donation provided the possibility of other donations were discarded.

*Does it make any cost to the donor?*

No, in no case the donor shall give, or receive, any compensation for their donation, which will be an entirely selfless act.
_
_*What is the fate of the bodies donated?*

Upon completion of the educational and research use of the body, it is then incinerated in funeral services Malaga Park Cemetery (PARCEMASA).

********************
*How to Become a Donor*

1. Request an appointment by phone 952 13 15 02 or email [email protected], Monday to Friday morning.

2. The date and time of the appointment in person at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Málaga, with address: 
School of Medicine, University of Málaga 
Theatines University Campus, Boulevard Louis Pasteur, 32 
29010 Malaga (Spain)

3. Only classroom donation will be possible and in no case by intermediaries whether individual or as associations.

4. Complete the " deed of gift of the body " ? in the presence of two witnesses of their own area. The donor must submit a document proving your identity (ID card, passport, Green Card, etc.) .

5. At that moment you will be given the "body donor card ? ". The donor must carry this card at all times, a fact that is convenient to know the people in their immediate environment .

***************
*Causes for rejection of a body*

1. If the death occurs outside the province of Malaga.

2. In case of accidental death or any other reason which requires your autopsy.

3. When death occurs after surgery and the wound has not healed yet and there is a deep lesion that affects the vascularization of tissues.

4. In cases of infectious disease (AIDS, Hepatitis B or C, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, viral hemorrhagic fevers, anthrax, cholera, rabies, plague, generalized sepsis, etc.)

5. In case of death due to contamination by radioactive materials.

6. In those cases in which the judgment of the professor of anatomy he could not ensure proper preparation of conservation, or could not, by seriously deteriorate the body, to be used for specified purposes and

7. State of morbid obesity or weight loss.

8. Acceptance of the deceased donor's body is subject to the availability of facilities for the preservation of the body, may be rejected if the maximum number to be covered by donors._

Link with more info: Donacion de Cuerpos

I hope that answers some people's questions.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

They're not getting mine; just in case I suddenly discover I'm not dead after all and most of my organs are gone...


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

thrax said:


> They're not getting mine; just in case I suddenly discover I'm not dead after all and most of my organs are gone...


 You had to bring Monty Python into this, eh? LOL!


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## tony rugby (Dec 19, 2017)

just finishing off the will of my late english friend passed away in august, the costs are different due to the deceased if he or she have assets. like houses etc. etc. for just a car, and few small assets, should be around 2-3k at least.

And having my ex wife being a barrister helped me a lot and i also speak spanish as well, for any advice drop me a note. 

/SNIP/
tony


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## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

thrax said:


> They're not getting mine; just in case I suddenly discover I'm not dead after all and most of my organs are gone...


If most of your organs are gone, you _are_ dead. 

As I have absolutely no family and even the ex's were not 'official', I think I will instruct my friends to deny all knowledge of me so the hospital where my bits end up just chucks me away with all the bits they have cut out of live patients.

I believe that in UK you can go DIY as long as a burial is 6ft down or more, a bit like laying a mains water pipe. I don't know if one can do a DIY cremation but it might make for a jolly extra 'Bonfire Night'. I shall look into it. 

A friend of mine had the honour to put his motor cruiser at the disposal of the party attending the consignment of the mortal remains of the wonderful actor Claus Kinski to D. Jones's Locker in San Fransisco Bay.

As a bit of a yottie, I would quite like to be heaved over the side wearing a concrete overcoat, off Cawsand in Plymouth Sound. Great pubs in Cawsand. Used to anchor off just where I'd end up.


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## John S Adamson (Nov 6, 2020)

thrax said:


> Not a pleasant subject but something that happens to all of us no matter where we live. My parents have just signed up to a funeral plan which covers both of them so that I don't have to worry in the event. My concern is that I have absolutely no idea how much it should cost them. Their current ages are 82 and 85 and the company they have chosen has told them, correctly I guess, that due to their ages they must sign up for the full plan now rather than pay in monthly instalments. I have no issues in that regard. They are not hideously wealthy so I worry about them being ripped off as they have been in many other areas since moving here. Their plan is the basic one and essentially covers anything that is required to be cremated. They are paying more than €8,000 for this service. Anyone have any ideas or experience regarding this tricky subject?? Thanks


I took out prepaid insurance with Banco Santander.....big mistake! They ignore my requests for information, contact telephone numbers etc. has anyone else had a similar experience?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

After attending my daughter-in-law's funeral in the UK which was elaborate, expensive and imo a waste of money my partner and I decided that we would ask a close Spanish friend to do three things for the survivor:1) call an ambulance 2) call the cheapest Spanish undertaker and 3) call my son. Step 3 wasn't necessary as he was by chance already in his house five minutes away when my partner died on a Thursday in late June 2018
The ambulance came with a doctor who signed a death certificate and when the undertaker came he was able to remove4 the body and go straight to the crematorium. On Saturday morning he brought the ashes and brought the bill, just under 2000 euros.
I thanked him and said 'Next time you see me I'll be dead'. We laughed.

I have never seen the point of elaborate send-offs, brass handled posh coffins, marble headstones. Just my point of view, perhaps not shared by many. Memories don't need monuments, not for me anyway. Spend money on the living, not the dead. I donated to ADANA in my partner's memory and her ashes were scattered in the stream by the kennels where she used to walk the dogs.


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## blondebob (Aug 16, 2019)

This is a very good site and you can tailor it to what you want and area.......ie a very simple basic no frills in say for example Marbella comes up as €1,220 inc IVA






Cofune - The funeral services comparator - España


The comparator for funeral services. Compare prices and features for funeral services in España, read ratings from other users and request online




www.cofune.com


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## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> After attending my daughter-in-law's funeral in the UK which was elaborate, expensive and imo a waste of money my partner and I decided that we would ask a close Spanish friend to do three things for the survivor:1) call an ambulance 2) call the cheapest Spanish undertaker and 3) call my son. Step 3 wasn't necessary as he was by chance already in his house five minutes away when my partner died on a Thursday in late June 2018
> The ambulance came with a doctor who signed a death certificate and when the undertaker came he was able to remove4 the body and go straight to the crematorium. On Saturday morning he brought the ashes and brought the bill, just under 2000 euros.
> I thanked him and said 'Next time you see me I'll be dead'. We laughed.
> 
> I have never seen the point of elaborate send-offs, brass handled posh coffins, marble headstones. Just my point of view, perhaps not shared by many. Memories don't need monuments, not for me anyway. Spend money on the living, not the dead. I donated to ADANA in my partner's memory and her ashes were scattered in the stream by the kennels where she used to walk the dogs.



What a lovely spot to scatter her ashes. I was just looking at a picture of a couple of dogs I had walked at the very stream.


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## Beach buddy (Jul 7, 2018)

Roy C said:


> What a lovely spot to scatter her ashes. I was just looking at a picture of a couple of dogs I had walked at the very stream.





thrax said:


> Not a pleasant subject but something that happens to all of us no matter where we live. My parents have just signed up to a funeral plan which covers both of them so that I don't have to worry in the event. My concern is that I have absolutely no idea how much it should cost them. Their current ages are 82 and 85 and the company they have chosen has told them, correctly I guess, that due to their ages they must sign up for the full plan now rather than pay in monthly instalments. I have no issues in that regard. They are not hideously wealthy so I worry about them being ripped off as they have been in many other areas since moving here. Their plan is the basic one and essentially covers anything that is required to be cremated. They are paying more than €8,000 for this service. Anyone have any ideas or experience regarding this tricky subject?? Thanks


sounds a lot to me I have a quote for my hubby for €1360 no frills cremation


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