Do not wait for every document
Identification helps, but we can guide you first.
Practical guidance
You do not have to know what to do next.
The correct first step depends on where the death occurred. Call Serenity at any time and we will guide you before you make arrangements or sign documents elsewhere.
Has someone died? You can call before you have every answer.
Tell us where the person is and what has happened. Serenity will explain what must happen now and what can wait.
Give the exact location
The home, hospital, care facility or authority determines the next step.
Check Spanish funeral insurance first
When a decesos policy exists, contact the insurer before instructing a private service.
Death at home
- Call the emergency services or the attending doctor as appropriate.
- Do not move the person unless instructed by a medical professional.
- Call Serenity once the death has been medically confirmed so we can arrange transfer and explain the documentation.
Death in hospital or a care home
- Tell the staff that Serenity Funeral Services is your chosen funeral director.
- Ask the facility not to appoint another provider without the family’s authority.
- Call us so we can coordinate release, transfer and registration details.
Unexpected or judicial death
- Police, court or forensic procedures may apply.
- Do not be alarmed if transfer is delayed while the authorities complete their work.
- We will explain what is within our control and keep contact with the relevant offices.
Documents that may be requested
- Passport, DNI or NIE of the deceased
- Passport or identity document of the next of kin
- Marriage or family documents where relevant
- Funeral plan certificate or insurance details, if available
One call can replace several uncertain calls
Families often start by calling hospitals, insurers, consulates and several funeral homes in no particular order. A better first step is to establish the place and circumstances of death, whether insurance applies and who is authorised to make decisions. Serenity can then coordinate the agreed route.
Keep these points in mind
- For an expected home death, contact the appropriate medical professional so certification can be arranged.
- For an unexpected death, call the emergency services and follow police or judicial instructions.
- For a hospital or care-setting death, ask which department handles release and tell them which funeral director the family has chosen.
- Keep the deceased’s passport or identity document and the caller’s contact details nearby if available.
- Call Serenity before making separate bookings for transport, cremation, burial or repatriation.
Before arranging privately: if the deceased has a Spanish seguro de decesos policy, contact the insurer named on the policy first. The insurer normally has its own funeral-arrangement number.
What happens in practice
What Serenity does with the information from your first call
The first conversation is not a sales consultation. Its purpose is to establish the immediate position: where the person is, whether the death has been certified, whether an official investigation is involved and who in the family can give instructions. From that, Serenity can explain the next lawful and practical step.
Once the deceased can be brought into care, a funeral director can explain the available route. That may be a direct cremation, a ceremony followed by cremation, burial in Spain or international repatriation. The family can ask questions, involve relatives abroad and review the written arrangement before optional details are confirmed.
You are not expected to know Spanish terminology or have every certificate to hand. It is enough to call with the facts you know. If another organisation must act first, Serenity will say so clearly rather than asking you to guess.
24/7
Has someone died?
Call our 24-hour team before making arrangements elsewhere. We will explain the next step calmly and clearly.
Helpful guides
Helpful guides
Contact Serenity today
Call our 24-hour team before making arrangements elsewhere. We will explain the next step calmly and clearly.