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What the law says in Sweden

8 rules

Death certificate and Skatteverket

A doctor confirms the death and writes the death certificate (dödsbevis). A hospital or care home sends it to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket); otherwise the doctor does. The family does not declare the death. Skatteverket normally registers it within a day or so, and many agencies, banks and insurers are told automatically. Begravningslag (1990:1144), 4 kap. 2–3 §§; Skatteverket, SKV 459 (2025); 1177, När någon dör

Police and forensic autopsy

If a forensic examination may be needed, the doctor reports the death to the police, who decide whether to order a forensic autopsy. It can go ahead even against the wishes of the deceased or the family. There is no burial until the police give permission. A hospital autopsy for medical knowledge cannot go ahead, when the deceased’s view is unclear, if someone close to them objects. Lag (1995:832) om obduktion m.m., 7–10, 13, 17 and 18 §§; Begravningslag (1990:1144), 4 kap. 4 och 7 §§

Burial permit, timing and burial abroad

The body must be buried or cremated as soon as possible and at the latest one month after the death; the law sets no earliest time. Burial needs Skatteverket’s certificate, which the funeral company or cemetery office orders. Skatteverket can allow more time for special reasons. Begravningslag (1990:1144), 4 kap. 7 § and 5 kap. 10 §; Skatteverket, SKV 459 (2025)

Burial permit, timing and burial abroad

To take a body out of Sweden, Skatteverket issues a pass (passersedel) that travels with the coffin. The coffin must be moisture-proof, lined with zinc or another self-destroying material or with an inner coffin of such a material; for the Nordic countries this applies only if the carrier asks or the death was from an infectious disease. The destination country’s embassy or consulate sets its own conditions: call it early. Begravningsförordning (1990:1147), 36–40 §§; Stockholms stad, Ordna begravning

Burial and graves

Cemeteries are run by the local Church of Sweden parish, or in a few places such as Stockholm by the municipality. They must provide special graves for people who are not Christian, in their area or a nearby one, so ask the cemetery office about its Muslim section. The burial fee everyone pays covers the grave for 25 years. The City of Stockholm says burial is in a coffin; we found no official page allowing burial in the shroud alone. Begravningslag (1990:1144), 2 kap. 1–2 §§, 7 kap. 5–6 §§, 9 kap. 6 §; Stockholms stad, Ordna begravning; Göteborgs begravningssamfällighet, Kvibergs kyrkogård

The bouppteckning and the estate

Within 3 months the estate holds an inventory meeting (bouppteckningsförrättning), and the inventory must reach Skatteverket within 4 months of the death. A spouse usually inherits before the couple’s shared children, and half of each child’s legal share is reserved, so ask a lawyer how the heirs can agree to follow the Islamic shares. Skatteverket, SKV 459 (2025); Ärvdabalk (1958:637), 2 kap. 1 §, 3 kap. 1–2 §§, 7 kap. 1 och 3 §§

Small estates (dödsboanmälan)

When the assets cover no more than the funeral and costs caused by the death, the municipality’s social services can in some cases make a simpler estate notice (dödsboanmälan) instead of an inventory. It is not possible if the deceased owned a property or a tenant-owned flat. Ask the social services office where the deceased lived. Skatteverket, SKV 459 (2025)

Help with funeral costs

If the deceased did not leave enough money for the funeral, the home municipality can pay all or part of it: apply for financial assistance at its social services office. The burial fee already covers the grave, the burial itself and some transport for someone registered in the area. 1177, När någon dör; Stockholms stad, Ordna begravning; Begravningslag (1990:1144), 9 kap. 6 §

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

Where you are

Sweden has one national law for death certificates, burial and estates, and this guide describes that national framework. Cemeteries are run locally, in most places by the Church of Sweden parish and in a few, such as Stockholm, by the municipality, so Muslim sections, grave types and residence rules differ from place to place.

The steps

1. 1

   Have the death confirmed

   In the first hour · 0 of 5

   A doctor has to examine the body and confirm the death. The doctor writes the death certificate (dödsbevis) and a certificate of the cause of death, and sends the death certificate to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket).

   • In a hospital or care home, ask the staff to confirm the death
   • At home, if the death was expected, call the care team that looked after them, for example home health care
   • If the death may have been an accident or a crime, 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 company (begravningsbyrå) 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

   If there may be reason for a forensic examination, for example after an accident or a possible crime, the doctor reports the death to the police. The police decide whether a forensic examination or autopsy (rättsmedicinsk undersökning) is needed. There can be no burial until the police give permission.

   • Ask the doctor or the police whether the death has been reported to the police
   • Ask the police, early, to release the body as soon as possible for religious reasons
   • Ask when the police expect to give permission for burial before fixing the funeral
5. 4

   The death is registered by SkatteverketPaperwork

   Usually within a day or two · 0 of 3

   You do not declare the death yourself. A hospital or care home sends the death certificate to Skatteverket; otherwise the doctor who wrote it does. Skatteverket then records the death in the population register (folkbokföringen), and many agencies and banks are told automatically.

   • If the death was in a hospital or care home, ask the staff to confirm they have sent the death certificate
   • If you have questions about the certificate, ask the doctor or the hospital
   • Ask the funeral company to get the burial certificate from Skatteverket
6. 5

   Choose the funeral company and the gravePaperwork

   Within the first day · 0 of 3

   Most families use a funeral company (begravningsbyrå) to buy the coffin, move the body and arrange the burial. You decide how much they do. The cemetery is run by the local Church of Sweden parish or, in a few places such as Stockholm, by the municipality. A coffin is used for burial.

   • Ask the funeral company in advance whether the mosque’s team or the family may wash the body
   • Ask the cemetery office whether it has a Muslim section and graves facing Mecca
   • Ask whether the grave is only for people registered as living in that municipality
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
   • Make sure the funeral company has Skatteverket’s burial certificate
   • Ask the cemetery office for the earliest burial time

   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 4

   Some families bury their dead in another country. Ask the funeral company which paperwork it will handle. 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, and check any insurance.

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

    Get a death certificate for the estatePaperwork

    In the first week · 0 of 2

    A death certificate with family details (dödsfallsintyg med släktutredning) shows when the person died and who the surviving relatives are. An insurer, for example, may ask for it; ask each bank or insurer what it needs.

    • Wait until Skatteverket has registered the death
    • Call Skatteverket’s information line, 0771-567 567, and say “Dödsfallsintyg”
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 estate inventory
    • 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

    Look for a will early. A child’s time to claim their reserved share runs from when they are formally told of the will.

    • Check papers at home, email, and with any lawyer or bank
    • Secure the house and car, and keep the phone line active for sign-in codes
    • See efterlevandeguiden.se, the joint site of Skatteverket, Försäkringskassan and Pensionsmyndigheten, for pensions and other support
13. 9

    Settle and divide the estatePaperwork

    In the months after · 0 of 4

    Swedish law decides who inherits, not the fixed shares. A spouse usually inherits before the couple’s shared children, and each child has a reserved share. Dividing by the Islamic shares therefore needs the heirs to agree. Ask a lawyer early how this can be done.

    • Hold the estate inventory meeting (bouppteckningsförrättning) within 3 months
    • Send the inventory to Skatteverket within one month of it
    • 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, Swedish law decides who inherits, not the fixed shares, and sons and daughters inherit equally. An Islamic will in Sweden is an ordinary Swedish will that directs the estate by the shares, as far as the children’s reserved share allows.

    • Write it down and sign it in front of two witnesses who are present together
    • Tell the witnesses it is a will; they need not read it
    • Keep it where your family will find it
    • Ask a lawyer how the reserved share and the spouse’s rights 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. Swedish law on death certificates, burial and estates is national, but cemeteries are run locally, so Muslim sections and grave rules differ from place to place; your funeral company and a lawyer can confirm them. All sources

Last reviewed October 2026. Something wrong? Tell us