We are sorry. Here is what happens next.

What the law says in Ireland

7 rules

Registering the death

Take the Death Notification Form from the doctor to any civil registration office, with photo ID. Registration is free. Register within 3 months of the death; the law’s outer limit is 12 months, and after that you must phone the civil registration service. If there is a coroner’s post-mortem or inquest, the coroner sends a certificate, the death is registered, and you collect the certificate. Citizens Information, Registering a death (edited 24 October 2023); gov.ie, Register a death in Ireland (updated 29 June 2026); HSE, Register a death

The coroner and post-mortems

A coroner investigates sudden, violent or unexplained deaths and does not need the family’s permission for a post-mortem. The body is normally released straight after it, even if an inquest will follow. Tell the coroner’s office early that the family needs a quick burial, and say before the post-mortem if you want tissue samples returned for burial. A hospital post-mortem outside the coroner’s process needs the next of kin’s permission. Citizens Information, Post-mortem examinations; When someone dies unexpectedly (edited 18 August 2026); Coroners Act 1962, s. 33

Release, timing and repatriation

We found no national minimum or maximum time for burial, so ask the cemetery the earliest time it can bury. To bury abroad, the coroner where the body lies must be told in every case. If satisfied about the cause of death, and with no reason to keep the body, the coroner can give the certificate that lets the body leave. The coffin must be lined with zinc or lead and sealed, and the Irish Government does not help with the cost. Citizens Information, Sending a body from Ireland (edited 11 August 2026); Coroners Act 1962, s. 48

Burial and graves

Burial grounds are run by local authorities under their own bye-laws. A coffin is the general rule, but since 2013 burial without a coffin may be permitted in an area of a burial ground set aside only for that, unless the health authority directs otherwise. Confirm with the cemetery whether it has such an area. Newcastle burial ground in South Dublin has a Muslim section, where more plots were being built in 2025. S.I. No. 144 of 2013; Citizens Information, Burials and burial grounds (edited 11 April 2023); South Dublin County Council, reply to Q17, 8 September 2025

Probate and the estate

The executor takes out probate, or an administrator takes out letters of administration if there is no will, through a solicitor or by a personal application. Even with a will, a husband or wife has a legal right to one third of the estate with children, or one half without, so following the Islamic shares exactly often needs the family to agree. A child can apply to court within 6 months of the grant. Citizens Information, What happens to a deceased person’s estate? (edited 15 April 2024); Dealing with a deceased person’s estate (edited 30 September 2026)

Small estates

There is no fixed small-estate limit on the pages we read. If the amount in a bank account is small, the bank may release it to the personal representative or next of kin without probate, and a joint account with a spouse can usually pass to the survivor; the bank needs the death certificate, so ask what else it needs. Many banks can also help pay funeral costs from the deceased’s account. Citizens Information, Access to money after a death (edited 28 February 2024)

Bereavement payments and help with costs

Tell the Department of Social Protection within the first few days if the deceased was getting a payment. A widow, widower, civil partner or cohabitant with dependent children may get the one-off Bereaved Parent Grant of €8,000. On a low income, a means-tested Additional Needs Payment can help with the funeral. Citizens Information, Benefits and entitlements following a death (edited 7 August 2025); Bereaved Parent Grant (edited 19 September 2025); Funeral arrangements and costs (edited 5 October 2026)

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

Where you are

Ireland has one national law for registering a death, the coroner and estates, and this guide describes that national framework. Burial grounds are run by local authorities, and each makes its own bye-laws, so ask the cemetery about graves, Muslim sections and shroud-only burial. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland; Northern Ireland is in the UK guide.

The steps

1. 1

   Have the death confirmed

   In the first hour · 0 of 4

   The death has to be confirmed, and the doctor who attended the person gives the family a Death Notification Form, which states the cause of death. You need it to register the death.

   • In a hospital or nursing home, ask the staff: they give the form to the family
   • At home, call the doctor who looked after the person
   • If the death was sudden, violent or unexplained, call the Gardaí on 112 or 999
   • 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 organisations help with the washing, the shroud, the prayer and the burial, and know which funeral director 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 coroner is involvedPaperwork

   If the death was sudden or violent · 0 of 5

   A coroner investigates sudden, violent or unexplained deaths. The coroner may order a post-mortem, and there can be no funeral until the body is released. The Gardaí often help the coroner. This does not mean the death is suspicious.

   • Ask the hospital or the Gardaí whether the death has gone to the coroner
   • Tell the coroner’s office early, in writing, that the family needs a quick burial for religious reasons
   • Do not fix the funeral time until you know when the body will be released
   • Say before the post-mortem if you want any tissue samples returned for burial
   • Ask the coroner’s office for an Interim Certificate of the Fact of Death for the bank
5. 4

   Register the deathPaperwork

   Within 3 months · 0 of 4

   Take the Death Notification Form to any civil registration office. It does not have to be in the area where the death happened. Normally a close relative registers the death.

   • The doctor fills in Part 1 of the Death Notification Form; you fill in Part 2 before the appointment
   • Take photo ID
   • Registration is free
   • If there is a coroner’s post-mortem or inquest, you do not register: the coroner sends a certificate and the death is registered
6. 5

   Choose the funeral director and the gravePaperwork

   Within the first day · 0 of 4

   A funeral director can deal with most of the funeral, and many can buy the grave for you. Burial grounds are run by the local authority, and each one makes its own bye-laws.

   • Ask the funeral director for the full costs before you agree
   • Ask in advance whether the mosque’s team or the family may wash the body at the funeral home
   • Ask for no embalming: it is not strictly necessary for a quick funeral
   • Ask the local authority whether the cemetery has a Muslim section, and whether it has an area for burial without a coffin
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 cemetery or Muslim section
   • Ask the cemetery the earliest time it can bury, including at weekends
   • Ask whether burial in the shroud alone is allowed in that cemetery

   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 5

   Some families bury their dead in another country. A funeral director can help with the formalities. The estate usually pays, or the family if there is no money in it. Ask the funeral company what it costs and who signs before you agree. Check any insurance too.

   • Tell the funeral director early that the burial will be abroad
   • The coroner must be told in every case, even after a natural death
   • Call the embassy of the country early: it sets its own documents and conditions
   • Ask the embassy whether embalming can be avoided for religious reasons
   • Check travel insurance and private medical cover
10. 7

    Get copies of the death certificatePaperwork

    In the first weeks · 0 of 2

    Ask each bank, insurer and pension provider whether it needs a death certificate.

    • Ask for copies when you register the death
    • Later, ask any civil registration office, or apply online, by email or by phone
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
    • Ask the bank whether it can pay the funeral bill from the deceased’s account
    • List loans, bills and money owed to family
    • Ask a scholar about any unpaid zakat
12. and

    Find the will, and tell Social ProtectionPaperwork

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

    The executor named in the will deals with the estate. If the deceased was getting a social welfare payment, tell the Department of Social Protection.

    • Check papers at home, email, and with any solicitor
    • Tell the Department of Social Protection within the first few days
    • A widow or widower with dependent children: ask about the Bereaved Parent Grant
    • 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

    To deal with the estate, the executor takes out probate, or an administrator takes out letters of administration if there is no will. Irish law gives a husband or wife a fixed share, so following the Islamic shares exactly often needs the family to agree. Ask a solicitor early.

    • Apply for the grant, through a solicitor or by a personal application
    • Close accounts and cancel subscriptions
    • 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 4

    Without a valid will, Irish law decides who inherits, not the fixed shares. An Islamic will in Ireland is an ordinary Irish will that directs the estate by the shares, within the husband’s or wife’s legal right share.

    • Sign it at the end in front of 2 witnesses, present together, who then sign in front of you
    • Do not leave anything to a witness or their husband or wife
    • Make a new will after marrying: marriage cancels an earlier will, unless it was clearly made with that marriage in mind
    • Ask a solicitor how the legal right share affects the Islamic shares

    Work out the Islamic shares to take to a solicitor

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. Irish law on registering a death, the coroner and estates is national, but each local authority makes its own burial-ground bye-laws, so grave rules differ by county; your funeral director and a solicitor can confirm them. All sources

Last reviewed October 2026. Something wrong? Tell us