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What the law says in Denmark

8 rules

Death certificate and request for burial

A doctor examines the body and fills in the death certificate, usually online, which notifies the death within 2 working days. The family then asks for the burial on borger.dk with MitID, after agreeing the details with the cemetery. The burial authority is the parish priest where the deceased lived, and there can be no burial until the request is approved. borger.dk, Guide: Når livet slutter; Begravelse eller bisættelse; Lov om begravelse og ligbrænding (LBK nr. 766/2023) §§ 6 and 10

Police and forensic autopsy

The doctor must report a death to the police if it was not natural, if the person was found dead, or if it was sudden and unexpected. The police decide on a forensic autopsy. If the closest relatives object, the police must bring the question before a court within 24 hours. Unless the deceased gave written consent, a medical autopsy may not take place if the deceased or the closest relatives said no, or if it must be assumed to go against their beliefs. Styrelsen for Patientsikkerhed; Sundhedsloven (LBK nr. 275/2025) §§ 186–187

Timing and burial abroad

Burial should normally take place at the latest 8 days after the death, counting the day of death. The cemetery board can extend this to 14 days if the body is kept at no more than 4°C; longer needs the Danish Patient Safety Authority. No earliest time was found on an official page. Styrelsen for Patientsikkerhed, Udsættelse af begravelse; borger.dk, Guide: Når livet slutter

Timing and burial abroad

Taking a body to another country needs a body pass (ligpas) from the Danish Patient Safety Authority. A sealed zinc coffin needs a soldering certificate and air transport needs an embalming certificate, except to Finland, Iceland, Norway or Sweden unless the carrier asks. The destination country’s consulate sets its own conditions. Styrelsen for Patientsikkerhed, Udstedelse af ligpas

Burial and graves

Everyone has a right to burial in the Church of Denmark cemetery of the parish where they lived, and some cemeteries have Muslim sections (Copenhagen’s Vestre Kirkegård has four). A Muslim burial ground in Brøndby, run by the Danish Islamic Burial Fund, is open to all Muslims in Denmark. A coffin grave is paid for at least 20 years. Aarhus requires a coffin in its Muslim section; we could not confirm on an official page whether burial without a coffin is allowed anywhere. borger.dk, Begravelsespladser; Københavns Kirkegårde, Gravsteder Vestre Kirkegård; Aarhus Kommunes Kirkegårde, Muslimsk afdeling

The probate court and the estate

The probate court (Skifteretten) is always involved and decides how the estate is settled. Banks block the deceased’s accounts, including joint ones, until the court’s certificate (skifteretsattest) is issued. With children, a spouse inherits half; a quarter of each child’s and the spouse’s share is reserved, so ask a lawyer how the heirs can agree to follow the Islamic shares. borger.dk, Guide: Når livet slutter; Arveloven (LBK nr. 1347/2021) §§ 1, 5, 9, 10 and 50

Small estates (boudlæg)

If the deceased leaves only a small estate once the funeral is paid and the home is cleared, the probate court can hand it to the closest relatives (boudlæg), and the deceased’s debts do not have to be paid. borger.dk, Guide: Når livet slutter (boudlæg)

Funeral grant (begravelseshjælp)

If the probate court has handed you the estate and the deceased had Danish health insurance, Udbetaling Danmark pays a tax-free funeral grant (begravelseshjælp): at most 13,550 kr. for an adult in 2026, reduced according to the wealth of the deceased and any spouse, and a fixed 11,300 kr. for a child under 18. Most funeral directors can apply for you. borger.dk, Begravelseshjælp

From official sources, checked October 2026. Laws change; your funeral director and a lawyer can confirm them.

Where you are

Denmark has one national law for burial and estates, and this guide describes that national framework. Cemeteries are run by the Church of Denmark or the municipality, and each sets its own rules for its Muslim section, so ask the cemetery office where you live. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are not covered.

The steps

1. 1

   Have the death confirmed

   In the first hour · 0 of 5

   A doctor examines the body and fills in the death certificate (dødsattest), usually online. This also notifies the death, at the latest 2 working days after it.

   • In a hospital, a hospital doctor writes the certificate
   • At home, call the deceased’s own doctor or the out-of-hours doctor (lægevagt)
   • If the death was violent, such as an accident, call the police
   • In an emergency, call 112
   • Tell the staff early that the family needs a quick burial for religious reasons
2. and

   Close the eyes, cover the body, make duʿā

   In the first hour · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 4

   Gently and without hurry. Those present can do this while the calls are made.

   • Close the eyes and the mouth
   • Straighten the arms and legs
   • Cover the body with a clean sheet
   • Pray for them, and say only good
3. 2

   Call the mosque’s funeral service

   In the first few hours · 0 of 3

   Many mosques and Muslim associations help with the washing, the shroud, the prayer and the burial, and know which funeral director (bedemand) to use.

   • Call the mosque’s funeral service or the imam
   • Tell them where the body is and who the next of kin is
   • Agree a time for the ghusl and the janazah prayer
4. 3

   Ask whether the police are involvedPaperwork

   If the death was sudden or violent · 0 of 3

   The doctor must report the death to the police if it was not natural (a crime, a suicide or an accident), if the person was found dead, or if the death was sudden and unexpected. The police then hold a forensic inquest (retslægeligt ligsyn) with a doctor, and decide whether there will be a forensic autopsy.

   • Ask the doctor or the police whether the death has been reported to the police
   • If you object to an autopsy, tell the police at once, so that a court can decide
   • Ask the police, early, to release the body as soon as possible for religious reasons
5. 4

   Request the burial on borger.dkPaperwork

   In the first days · 0 of 4

   The family asks for the burial online, using MitID, on borger.dk. The burial authority is the Church of Denmark parish priest where the deceased lived. First agree the practical details with the cemetery, then send the request.

   • Contact the cemetery or Muslim burial ground and agree the details first
   • Send the request for burial (anmodning om begravelse) on borger.dk with MitID
   • Or give the funeral director a power of attorney to send it for you
   • Ask the parish office for a paper form if you cannot use MitID
6. 5

   Choose the funeral director and the gravePaperwork

   Within the first day · 0 of 3

   You do not have to use a funeral director (bedemand). A funeral director usually sends the request for burial, books the grave, supplies the coffin, dresses the body and lays it in the coffin. Burial must be in a Church of Denmark cemetery or another approved burial ground.

   • Ask the funeral director in advance whether the mosque’s team or the family may wash the body
   • Ask the cemetery whether it has a Muslim section, and its rules there
   • Ask about the Muslim burial ground in Brøndby, which is open to all Muslims in Denmark
7. and

   Wash and shroud the body

   Within the first day · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 2

   Done by trained Muslims of the same sex, or by the spouse. The funeral service usually provides the cloth.

   • Confirm who will wash
   • Confirm the kafan is ready

   How the washing and shroud are done

8. 6

   The janazah prayer and the burial

   As soon as possible · 0 of 4

   The prayer is often held after one of the daily prayers, and the burial follows straight after.

   • Tell family and community the time of the prayer
   • Confirm the grave in a Muslim section or the Muslim burial ground
   • Make sure the request for burial has been approved
   • Ask the cemetery for the earliest time it can give

   How to pray the janazah prayer

9. and

   If the burial will be abroadPaperwork

   Before the coffin is closed · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 3

   Some families bury their dead in another country. Ask the funeral director which paperwork it will handle. The estate usually pays, or the family if there is no money in it. Ask the funeral director what it costs and who signs before you agree, and check any insurance.

   • Tell the funeral director early that the burial will be abroad
   • Call the embassy or consulate of the country early: it sets its own documents and conditions
   • Check any insurance and any repatriation fund you belong to
10. 7

    Get the probate court certificatePaperwork

    In the first weeks · 0 of 2

    When a person dies, the bank blocks their accounts and cards, including joint accounts. You get access again once the first meeting with the probate court (Skifteretten) has been held and you have its certificate (skifteretsattest).

    • Attend the first meeting with the probate court
    • Keep copies of the certificate for the bank, Udbetaling Danmark and insurers
11. 8

    Pay the funeral costs and list every debt

    In the first weeks · 0 of 4

    The funeral is paid from the estate first, then the debts. Nothing is inherited until both are settled.

    • Pay the funeral costs from the estate
    • Keep every receipt for the probate court
    • List loans, bills and money owed to family
    • Ask a scholar about any unpaid zakat
12. and

    Find the willPaperwork

    In the first weeks · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 3

    The probate court uses the will when it decides how the estate is settled. If the will was made before witnesses, the family must find it; a will made before a notary is found by the court itself.

    • Check papers at home, email, and with any lawyer
    • Give the probate court any will you find
    • Secure the house and car, and keep the phone line active for sign-in codes
13. 9

    Settle and divide the estatePaperwork

    In the months after · 0 of 4

    The probate court is always involved. It decides how the estate is settled, for example privately by heirs who agree, or by a professional administrator. Danish law reserves part of the estate to the children and the spouse, so dividing by the Islamic shares needs the heirs to agree. Ask a lawyer early.

    • Attend the first meeting with the probate court
    • Agree with the other heirs how the estate will be settled
    • Pay any bequest, up to one third, to people who are not heirs
    • Divide the rest by the fixed shares

    See how the estate divides

14. 10

    Look after the family

    Four months and ten days · 0 of 3

    A woman keeps the prescribed mourning (iḥdād: setting aside adornment and perfume) for no more than three days for any death, except for her husband: then four months and ten days, the length of her ʿiddah, or until she gives birth if she is pregnant.

    • Bring food and help with the household
    • Help the widow with errands and appointments
    • Make duʿā for the one who has died

    What to say and do when you visit

15. 11

    Write your own Islamic will

    For those left behind · 0 of 3

    Without a valid will, Danish law decides who inherits, not the fixed shares, and sons and daughters inherit equally. An Islamic will in Denmark is an ordinary Danish will that directs the estate by the shares, within the part the law leaves free.

    • Make it in writing and sign it before a notary, or before two witnesses who are present together
    • Keep it where your family will find it
    • Ask a lawyer how the reserved shares affect the Islamic shares

    Work out the Islamic shares to take to a lawyer

Settling things after the funeral? Keep track of every task, and who is doing it. Sharing the steps with family? Make a family checklist you send as a link.

General guidance, not a fatwa or legal advice. Danish law on burial and estates is national, but each cemetery sets its own rules for its Muslim section; your funeral director and a lawyer can confirm them. All sources

Last reviewed October 2026. Something wrong? Tell us