CREMATION COSTS

Hello does anyone have any idea of cremation costs in Spain?  Rather than going to the expense of flying a body home.  I am thinking ahead here as we're thinking of moving to Spain, and wanted to bear this in mind if this happens.  Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Most people in Spain, and virtually all Spaniards, have a funeral plan either paid over a period of time or as a one off. They carry a card showing who will deal with the funeral services. Some of the companies who deal with expats will arrange everything and will also carry the plan over to UK if you move back. They do not cover repatriation costs, though.

Now, having a quick cremation and taking the ashes back to UK would, I think, cost the same as a full funeral here.

One site says

Cremation

Cremation is widely practised in Spain due to the immigration population, normally with 24 hours.  Prices vary depending on location, but 4,500e would be a good average and is normally paid at the time of death and before or at the time of the cremation to the Funeral Director. A Funeral  Director has the power in Spain to freeze bank accounts and assets if his bill is not paid. Cremations costs in Spain are rising at an annual rate of 10% per year.

So not a cheap way of doing it.

Your question is like asking how long is a piece of string. It depends on so many things but as an average a figure of €3500 and €4,000 should cover most cremations including most of the paperwork, collection of the deceased, actual cremation with or without religious ceremony etc. etc.

There are policies (in English) that are either prepaid at a fixed price for the funeral, or monthly/annual policies that one pays for until death, whenever that is. With regards which type of policy you use depends on your view on your time remaining. There is even a policy where you fix the price now and pay now but will refund your money if you do not use their service. They also operate in several European countries so you do not have to stay just in Spain.

If you pm me I can give you the name of an English company that you can contact in either U.K. or Spain and their policy is available in both countries.

God i thought i was being ripped off ,with the bank wanting 900 euros for a bankers draft 0.5 % i thought it was joke, then they told me it was 0.3% to land the my money in my account, Now i know why Spanish banks have plenty of money.

Funerals like any other commodity vary in price.  Shopping around will always find a better price for whatever you want to buy. 

On the other hand it may be possible to donate the body to science, at no cost. Alicante is one such place which offers this service. It is required that all family members sign agreement to the decision at the time of registration.

I considered donating my mother in law's body to medical science, sadly they informed me that she needed to be dead, there's always a down side isn't there? 

A friend had a partner pass away in hospital, they expected him to have the body picked up within 3 hours, as there was no need for any investigation so the body needed picking up straight away, the whole thing coming at a time of grief was very upsetting for him, tHe need for insurance in Spain is the norm, that cost varies on cover required, I have one for me and the wife, we don't live in Spain all the time around 50/50 with the U.K., the policy I have covers all costs to return a body to Spain for cremation from anywhere in the world, it is with Mapfre, all others have them, you can use a English contact to do all the work for a small fee of 150e at a time of need, the policy does cover other things so costs depend on what you need covering.

If anyone would like an idea of costs, please PM me and I will put you in touch with my funeral provider.

We opted for a 'dual certificate' (Spain/UK) plan as we wanted peace of mind. 

Like someone mentioned, we carry a card and all that needs to be done is a phone call and the rest is done! (Once plan paid for in full of course.)
It is scary how much these plans/cost of a funeral rises each year! 

I just want to know which is the best Carpet Cleaning Services provider in town.

I want to clean my carpets.

if your carpets are so bad they need cremating then throw them away. If they would come back to life after cleaning then perhaps a new thread would be appropriate.

If anyone would like an idea of costs, please PM me and I will put you in touch with my funeral provider.

We opted for a 'dual certificate' (Spain/UK) plan as we wanted peace of mind. 

Like someone mentioned, we carry a card and all that needs to be done is a phone call and the rest is done! (Once plan paid for in full of course.)
It is scary how much these plans/cost of a funeral rises each year! 

Yes it was even scarier watching ITV TONIGHT last week. Completely unregulated cowboys now all under investigation. Just call the company you paid and get answer phone ‘’sorry we have gone bankrupt, now in Bahamas on a yacht’’.   

Funeral plans are not always the best method of providing funds, they tend to have a high expense ratio - if you're in good health a simple life assurance policy may be a better deal.

A couple of years ago I looked at several funeral plans and even went to a presentation by a well advertised company.   Having buried my murdered brother several years ago, I was advised by a pal who was a coroner’s officer, to shop around for a good deal.   I negotiated a deal with the third funeral directors I spoke to which was half that of the first quote

With that in mind I shopped around in Spain for quote for a funeral.   To cut the story short, I now have an arrangement with a local funeral director for a basic funeral with cremation, cost 3,100 euros all in. See below.   When I die my wife or son need only to call the company, give my name, and all will go ahead as planned.  The bill will be paid from my bank account.    I carry their card with their reference number

The quote was about half that of a funeral plan company who of course would have my money up front.  Even with great care any such company could go broke or run off with my money.  I also discovered that one of the funeral plan companies use the funeral directors I have my quote from.  Of course their plan is almost twice the cost of my quote, for the same funeral.

The ‘agreed cost’ will of course increase with inflation over the years but in the three years since it was arranged it has not actually increased.

If I die outside Spain then my wife and sons will not have any problems trying to get a refund on a paid up plan.

Good luck

My agreed deal:- 

24 Hour assistance
· Conveyance to the mortuary
· Three days mortuary
· Care of the deceased
· Wood coffin for the cremation
· Urn for the ashes
· Robe & fittings as required
· Use of chapel and priest
· Passport cancellation
· Notifying the consulate
· Death certificates Spanish & international
· Doctor´s death certificate
· Cremation fees 

3,100€  all in

That's interesting John.

You hit on a point of concern to me - the integrity of the plan company.  We Brits are far too trusting, but there is little or no regulation and I have not the slightest doubt that some plans will fail leaving the contributors without any protection.

I attended a function a while ago where there were lots of Brits and there was a sales man selling funeral plans - and people seemed to buying.  Why anyone in his right mind would buy the product, effectively "off the street" without any research beggars belief - no wonder the Spanish call us cows - as we're so easy to milk.

If you buy a life insurance policy in the UK you have massively more protection and won't suffer if the supplier becomes insolvent. If you are in good health the premium/contribution will usually be better too.

I should have added that I understand costs vary depending on the crematorium chosen