What is a funeral concession?
Verified 14 August 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
A burial concession is a location in a cemetery (cellar, grave). It can also be a place reserved for funeral ballot boxes in a columbarium. The contract signed with the municipality (concession agreement) specifies the beneficiaries and the duration of the concession. We present you with the information you need to know.
To be entitled to be buried in a commune, one must be in one of the following situations:
- To have died in the commune, regardless of the person's domicile
- Be resident in the municipality
- Be registered or meet the conditions to be registered on the electoral lists of the commune if you live abroad
- Benefit from a family concession
If you are not in one of these situations, you have the right to apply for a concession in the commune.
But the mayor may refuse, citing, for example, a lack of space in the cemetery.
Rules and regulations It is useful to consult the cemetery's doctor before filing your application.
You must apply for your purchase from the town hall on which the cemetery depends.
A hut (or niche) in a colombarium is also a burial concession. The rules are the same.
The concessions are distinguished by the persons to whom they are reserved.
You can find the following concessions:
- Individual, i.e. reserved for the person who acquired it
- Collective (or nominative), i.e. reserved for the persons designated in the concession agreement
- Family, i.e. reserved for the person (the founder) who acquired it and the members of his family
The concession is a simple right of use. The commune remains the owner of the land.
FYI
A concession does not sell with a certain number of seats. It gives only an indication of the volume of the concession. If necessary, the funeral directors check the space remaining available in the concession since the previous entrance.
The duration varies according to the following types of concession:
- Temporary: between 5 years and 15 years
- 30 years old
- Fiftieth anniversary: 50 years
- Perpetual: Unlimited duration (if maintained and there are heirs)
Warning
the municipalities do not always offer every type of concession.
The term of a funeral concession shall begin on the date of its acquisition.
The price of a concession is fixed by the city council.
It varies from municipality to municipality.
The price may also vary depending on the location of the concession.
The concession belongs to the person who acquired it or to its purchasers if there are several of them (the founders).
After the death of the person holding the concession, the concession shall be transmitted out of succession to its heirs (the rights-holders).
It belongs to them in division. There is no way out of this division.
The rights holders all have the same powers.
If one of them pays for the renewal of the concession, the payment applies to everyone.
FYI
in case of death of the owner of the concession, remember to give the address of the heirs to the manager of the cemetery.
You can apply for renewal if you are the heir of the concession.
In the absence of an heir, you can also apply for renewal if a member of your family has been buried in the concession. person having an interest in bringing proceedings).
You must submit your renewal application to the city hall on which the cemetery depends, within 2 years of the concession deadline.
The rate shall be that in force at the time of renewal.
Please note
a concession may be extended. It is converted into a longer term license (e.g. a 30-year license into a 50-year license). You have to go to the city hall that granted the concession.
The municipality may take over a concession in the following cases:
- Non-renewal of a fixed-term license
- Concession in a state of abandonment
Non-renewal of a fixed-term license
If you do not request the renewal of a limited-term concession, the municipality may take it back.
The City Hall must inform you of the termination of the concession and of your right to renew it, in particular by the following means:
- Panel at the foot of the grave
The takeover by the City Hall may take place after a two-year period depending on the term of the concession.
Please note
To use a concession for the 2-year grace period, you must apply for renewal.
Concession in a state of abandonment
If you allow a concession to deteriorate badly (a monument that collapses, for example), the municipality can see its state of abandonment.
This is the case, for example, if it makes one of the following findings:
- Indecent or dilapidated appearance
- Invasion by brambles or other parasitic plants
If the City Hall is aware of the state of abandonment, it shall notify the following persons:
- Descendants (or successors) of the founders of the concession
- Possibly persons responsible for maintaining the concession
FYI
The record of abandonment is posted at the town hall and at the cemetery gate.
The City Hall can begin a take-back procedure if the following 4 conditions are met:
- The concession is more than 30 years old
- The last burial was at least 10 years ago
- The family or person responsible for maintaining the concession shall be informed
- One 1-year waiting period from the abandonment finding is respected
Please note
If a person dead for France shall be buried in the concession, with a minimum of 50 years must be respected from the time of his burial.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
Telephone administrative information - Allo Public Service
For more information on this topic, you can contact Allô Service Public.
Attention: the service does not have access to users' personal files and cannot therefore provide information on their status.
- Lundi : de 08h30 à 17h30
- Mardi : de 08h30 à 12h15
- Mercredi : de 08h30 à 12h15
- Jeudi : de 08h30 à 17h30
- Vendredi : de 13h00 à 16h15
- Service free
The informants who answer you belong to the Ministry of the Interior.
Rules for the award of concessions