A death rarely comes at a convenient moment. The first week is a sequence of decisions and formalities while you are grieving. This checklist presents, in chronological order, what to do in the first seven days in Belgium, with the right contacts.
Day 1 (the day of death)
- Confirmation by a doctor: at home, you call the family doctor or on-call service; in a hospital or care home, the treating physician handles it. They issue a medical death certificate.
- Notify close ones: children, parents, siblings, life partner, closest friend.
- Contact a funeral director. You are free to choose; ask for a written quote.
Days 2 to 5
Declaration to the municipality
The death must be declared within five working days to the municipality of the place of death. The funeral director often does this with a power of attorney. You then request several extracts (5 to 10) of the death certificate: you will need them for banks, insurers, the employer, the health fund and the inheritance declaration.
Funeral arrangements
With the funeral director, discuss:
- burial or cremation;
- religious or secular ceremony;
- venue and date;
- death notice and printed announcements;
- transport and flowers.
Keep the invoice. Funeral costs are partly deductible from the estate's assets.
Employer, health fund and pension service
- Employer of the deceased: report the date of death and ask for the final salary statement and any group insurance.
- Your own employer: request bereavement leave (1 to 3 days depending on relationship and sector).
- Health insurance fund: to stop entitlements and claim any benefits. Some supplementary insurance has its own form.
- Pension service: the pension is automatically stopped via the Crossroads Bank, but a survivor's pension must be claimed.
Days 6 to 7
Notify the banks
Notify the banks where the deceased held an account. All accounts in the deceased's name are blocked, including joint accounts. For urgent payments (such as the funeral invoice), a limited release is possible to the surviving spouse, on production of the invoice. More on unblocking.
Contact insurers
- life, mortgage life, hospitalisation;
- car, fire, family liability;
- supplementary pension policies.
Build a folder
Set up a physical and digital folder with:
- death certificate (multiple copies);
- identity card of the deceased and each heir;
- marriage certificate if applicable;
- title deeds of real estate;
- account and investment statements as of the date of death;
- insurance policies and attestations;
- funeral invoice;
- correspondence with administrations.
This folder will be the basis for the inheritance declaration.
What is not urgent
Many people think everything must be wrapped up within the week. It does not. The inheritance declaration has 4 months, and the certificate of inheritance follows a few weeks later. Give yourself time.
Nalenta as a thread
Nalenta offers a dashboard that shows exactly what needs to happen in the first week and what can wait. With personalised deadlines and all your documents in one place.