We are here to help you.
This is the undertakers Bjørgvin Begravelsesbyrå in Bergen. We have more than 20 years experience. This page in English contains a summary of the most important issues dealt with on this web page.
One of the greatest challenges we face, is when someone we love or know passes away. Most people die after a long life full of experiences, while others die almost before their life has begun.
There are many issues to deal with when someone passes away. It is our job to help you. You can decide wether to leave almost everything to us, or to participate and make decisions along the way. We will manage this together.
Death can be difficult to grasp, and loss difficult to process.
When someone dies at home.
When someone passes away, a death certificate must be issued by a doctor.
If the death is unexpected and its cause in unclear, you must contact the hospital's emergency room on telephone number 116 117. Please note that this is not the phone number for medical emergencies (which is 113). The hospital will usually contact the police in order to decide wether an autopsy is necessary. Then, please call us. We will arrange for the deceased to be collected.
If the death is expected, please call us. We will arrange for the deceased to be collected and taken to the hospital's emergency room. Here, a doctor will issue the death certificate.
The death certificate needs to be submitted to the district court. We will assist you in doing so.
When someone dies in a hospital, a care home etc.
When someone dies at an institution, the staff will contact the person's next of kin, and arrange for a doctor to issue the death certificate. Often, the deceased's family or friends would like to say goodbye in his og her room. If the institution has a morgue, the deceased will be taken there. If they do not have a morgue, it is necessary that we collect the person without reasonable delay.
The death certificate needs to be submitted to the district court. We will assist you in doing so.
What to do next.
Besides planning and making preparations for the funeral, there are some issues you -- as next of kin -- should take care of. Decide who will be in charge of the funeral arrangements, and have that person call us. We will help you every step of the way.
First, inform people who need to know about the death. Then take of care pets, if there are any.
You will need the deceased person's social security number for many of these taks. You may the social security number on the person's passport, driver's licence, tax returns or ATM cards.
Remember to terminate memberships in associations, religious XXX, sports clubs, unions, charities etc. Subscriptions for newspapers, magazines etc. should be ended. Many people today have accounts and contact details on various web based services. For the bereaved, it may be difficult to get an overview as to which services the deceased used or was listed on. There are several providers today who offer assistance in this respect, e.g. www.slettmeg.no Listings on online directories are normally deleted automatically (after some time) after the telephone subscription has been terminated.
Water plants, turn down radiators, take steps to prevent brak- ins from burglars and collect deceased person's belongings form hospital (if applicable).
Identification papers, passports, driver's licence etc. should be destroyed. Collect spare house and car keys. Make arrangements for any private car(s) or other belongings.
Funeral in Norway.
We will guide and help you with every matter concerning the funeral and ceremony. Normally, burial or cremation takes place no later than ten days after the death. For cremation, the ashes must be buried or scattered within six months of the death. This is the letter for the law.
The funeral is arranged by the relative with the right to arrange the funeral (gravferdsrett). If nobody arranges the funeral, the municipality in which the deceased lived arranges it. If the deceased did not live in Norway, it is the municipality in which the death occurred that arranges the funeral. The municipality may demand that funeral expenses be covered by the estate.
Expenses in connection with a death abroad are either covered by the deceased’s insurance, if applicable, or paid by the estate or the relatives. Expenses may include storage, transportation, coffin, urn, flowers and decorations, notices in newspapers and/or online and other costs. On the basis of a death certificate issued by local authorities abroad, the Norwegian diplomatic mission will send a formal notification of death to the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten, Folkeregisteret) for Norwegian citizens and for foreign citizens registered in the National Registry in Norway. It often takes longer than relatives expect for all the formalities to be completed when a person dies in a different country to the one in which they lived.
The Norwegian national insurance authority, NAV, may award a funeral grant in some situations. This is needs-tested and, in order to apply for this, the deceased must have been a member of the Norwegian national insurance scheme. Special regulations apply when the death occurs outside Norway. There are also special regulations when the death is the result of an occupational injury. We will be happy to help you apply for this grant. You may ask us or NAV for further
Hva kan du gjøre selv?
De etterlatte med gravferdsrett står fritt til selv å ivareta de oppgaver som følger ved gravferden. Siden det er mange formaliteter og praktiske gjøremål som skal ordnes ved en gravferd, samt ønske om en verdig behandling av den avdøde i forbindelse med stell og transport, velger de aller fleste å be om bistand fra et gravferdsbyrå.
Uavhengig av om man benytter seg av et gravferdsbyrå eller ikke, kan det bety mye for de etterlatte å sette et personlig preg på gravferden. Det finnes mange alternative måter dette kan gjøres på. For noen vil det kunne oppleves som fint å få stelle og vaske den avdøde selv. Andre vil kunne ha et ønske om å velge ut klær den avdøde skal gravlegges i. Seremonien kan også gjøres mer personlig gjennom valg av musikk, salmer og sanger som er i tråd med den avdødes interesser. For mange vil det også kunne bety mye å få være med og pynte seremonirommet og velge hvem som skal bære kisten.
Benyttes gravferdsbyrå, vil de etterlatte kunne avtale med byrået hva de selv ønsker å bidra med.
Det er viktig at de etterlatte tenker igjennom hva de synes er en verdig avskjed med den avdøde, og gjerne tar dette opp med oss. Ved barns gravferd vil det kunne være en god sorgterapi for de etterlatte selv å kunne få legge det avdøde barnet i kisten og/ eller delta i transporten til gravstedet eller krematoriet.
Dødsfall i utlandet.
Det kan bli kostbart med hjemsendelse av personer som dør i utlandet. Dette kan skyldes krav i lovgivningen i de forskjellige land, og det kan skyldes høye transportomkostninger. Har man ikke en reiseforsikring som dekker hjemtransport, kan økonomiske grunner noen ganger tale for å foreta kremasjon i utlandet og siden få urnen sendt hjem til Norge. Hver og en må finne ut hva dette innebærer for en selv, og undersøke muligheter, formalia og kostnader i utgangsland og inngangsland. Kontakt oss eller offentlig myndighet v/Utenriksdepartementet eller politi. SOS International vil også kunne bistå i slike tilfeller.
Hvis det er tegnet reiseforsikring som inkluderer hjemtransport, vil hjemsendelsen av den avdøde normalt bli dekket.
Vær også oppmerksom på at både lovgivning og lokale skikker for behandling av den avdøde kan avvike sterkt fra norske forhold. Det er for eksempel ikke uvanlig med krav om at den avdøde skal balsameres før hjemsendelse. Dersom den avdøde blir transportert i kiste fra utlandet, er det som regel nødvendig å bytte kiste i henhold til norske krav når denne er ankommet til Norge.