Losing a loved one
When someone we care about dies, it leaves a mark on our lives. It is a deeply personal event where grief and other responses can be different depending on the individual.
When a death occurs
When a person dies at a healthcare facility and their loved ones are not present, a doctor or a nurse will contact them as soon as possible. In case of an accident, a priest or a police officer will contact the family.
If the death occurs outside of healthcare facilities, or the deceased has not been treated by healthcare professionals, the police is contacted along with EMTs and a doctor to confirm the death. The police investigates the premises and decides in consultation with a doctor if the cause of death can be determined. If they can not determine a cause of death, an autopsy will take place according to law.
When covering fatal accidents the media must consult with the attending priests or police officers before publishing the name of the deceased. The main rule in these cases is that the name of the deceased will not be published until most or all closest relatives have been notified.
Traumatic events like the death of a loved one can cause a lot of emotional distress. When this is caused by a fatal accident, crisis counselling is given to those in distress, but in other cases options are available to the bereaved. Emergency crisis counselling is available at Landspitali, the National University Hospital of Iceland, but priests, psychologists, and psychiatrists can also be of help. In addition, good advice, information and support can be found with The Red Cross helpline, 1717.
About grief on the Icelandic grief center’s website
What should I do next?
After someone has died the family can contact a funeral director, a priest or a representative of another religious or life stance affiliation for guidance regarding the next steps.
At first it must be checked if the deceased had any special wishes regarding their last journey. Those wishes are to be respected above the wishes of their loved ones. This especially applies to wishes regarding cremation.
If a priest or another professional treating the dying learns that they have changed their mind regarding the arrangements of their funeral, the professional shall make sure that the dying person's will is confirmed, either in writing or with witnesses present.
Organ donation, postmortem, and autopsy
Organ donation means that organs or other biological material is removed from a deceased person and transplanted into a patient in need of those organs or material.
Icelanders are automatically organ donors according to legislation on presumed consent for organ donation. Those who, for some reason, wish to opt out of being organ donors can do so by registering their position on Heilsuvera.is (My pages). A general practitioner will assist those who do not use computers or the internet.
Information regarding organ donation
A postmortem is an examination by a medical doctor to determine the cause of death. A forensic postmortem is a joint examination by the police and a medical doctor to determine cause of death.
There are two kinds of autopsies performed: an autopsy performed for medical purposes and a forensic autopsy. Following the postmortem, an autopsy may be performed on the body for medical purposes, if the deceased consented to the procedure before death.
The police may request a forensic autopsy in cases when the investigation indicates a death other than natural causes or if the cause of death cannot be determined. Consent from the next of kin or a court order is required for a forensic autopsy.
Certificate of death
On death, the family members of the deceased are provided with a death certificate. A medical doctor shall write the death certificate and inform the family members whether the certificate will be issued electronically or on paper.
The death certificate must be notified to the District commissioner as soon as possible after the certificate is issued.
A medical doctor shall write a death certificate.
An electronic death certificate will automatically be sent to the District commissioner, the National Registry and the Directorate of Health.
If the death certificate is on paper, a family member must obtain the certificate from the doctor who issued it.
A family member may either report the death electronically to the District commisioner or attend to the Disctrict commisioners office.
When the District commissioner has received an electronic death notice, a family member is sent a certificate of notification of death to the mailbox at Ísland.is or it is handed over on site.
The next of kin delivers the confirmation to the priest, director of a religious association or funeral director. Without it, a funeral cannot take place.
The District commisioner will send a death certificate on paper to the National Registry and the National Registry shall forward it to the The Directorate of Health where it is preserved.
If the deceased died abroad, the death certificate or similar foreign certificate is handed over to the District commisioner in whose district the estate of death is to be divided or in whose district the funeral will take place. If evidence of a death is issued abroad, the District commisioner may require the notifier to translate the document if necessary.
If a child is stillborn, a death certificate need not be written, the Directorate of Health notifies it on a special form to the National Registry.
If a person dies abroad
When a person dies abroad, issues that are usually not considered when a person dies in Iceland may arise, e.g. how to contact funeral directors abroad or how to transport the body back home to Iceland.
The ministry for foreign affairs provides assistance when a death occurs abroad. Note that funeral directors abroad usually have the latest and most precise information and can therefore provide you with detailed information and guide you through the next steps.
Transporting the deceased within Iceland and internationally
Funeral homes will be able to arrange transport from one part of the country to another for the next of kin.
If a deceased person is to be transported out of Iceland, the next of kin must provide the death certificate to the District commission in the jurisdiction where the person died. The District commissioner returns a certified copy of the death certificate to the party who will oversee the transportation of the deceased person, who must ensure that the certified copy of the death certificate accompanies the body while in transit.
Funeral homes can arrange, on behalf of the next of kin, for international transport of the deceased person as well as any other matters associated with transportation.
Obituaries
It is appropriate for the next of kin to notify other relatives and friends of the death before the deceased's obituary is released.
Deaths and funerals can be announced publicly through the State Broadcasting Service (RÚV), Morgunblaðið newspaper and at minningar.is. Next of kin should bear in mind that it is necessary to contact the media outlet(s) well in advance.
An obituary is typically published a few days after the death, and a funeral notice several days before the funeral. Some people choose to publish the death notice and funeral notice together.
If the deceased wished for a private funeral, the notice is not to be published until after the ceremony.
Funeral
A funeral cannot take place unless the district commissioner has issued a confirmation that the office has received the death certificate.
There are two kinds of funerals:
A burial/funeral. When the funeral ceremony has ended the casket is carried to the grave and placed in the ground in a cemetery or in an unconsecrated plot.
Cremation. Following the funeral ceremony, the casket is cremated and the ashes of the departed are placed in an urn, which is either buried in a burial plot for cremation urns, placed into a pre-existing grave, or the ashes are scattered.
When a private funeral takes place, only the closest relatives and friends are present. There is no announcement of death until after the funeral.
The estate of the deceased, rights and obligations of heirs
When death occurs the estate of the deceased must be settled pursuant to law. The estate of a deceased person is a legal entity, which assumes any financial obligations and rights that are attached to the person of the deceased.
The heirs must initiate a settlement of the estate within a period of four months from the death. There are four ways this may come about:
The estate has no assets or the assets will only cover funeral expenses.
The spouse obtains the right of beneficial enjoyment of the joint estate.
A private settlement of estate.
A court settlement of estate.
The right of succession is based on kinship, adoption, marriage and the testamentary disposition of the deceased. Those who have a spouse, children or other living descendants may only dispose of one-third of their property by testamentary disposition. Two-thirds shall be shared by forced heirs. If there are no forced heirs, i.e. a spouse, children or other living descendants, you may dispose of all your property by will.
When there is no will, legal heirs are those who are inheritors of the deceased's property. These are the children of the deceased and other descendants, the parents of the deceased and their siblings, the paternal grandparents and maternal grandparents of the deceased and their children, and the spouse of the deceased.
The property of the deceased accrue to the state treasury when there are no heirs.