Key Points

Latest Official Documents

• Electronic certification is mandatory for all deaths occurring in healthcare facilities as of June 1, 2022 (see Decree of February 28, 2022)

• Under certain conditions, a state-certified nurse may issue death certificates (see Article 56 of Law No. 2025-199 of February 28, 2025)

• As of January 1, 2025, the neonatal certificate has been replaced by the infant certificate, which is to be used for deaths occurring up to 364 days of life (see Order of May 29, 2024)

Current Status in 2024

• 46% of deaths certified electronically in Occitanie (49% in France) in 2024, ranging from less than 10% in Aveyron, Lot, and Lozère to over 60% in Hérault

• Electronic certification is well established in public (72%) and private (80%) healthcare facilities and is gaining ground in nursing homes (34%)

• Electronic death certification remains underutilized in home settings (14%) and on public roads (1%) and could be facilitated by connecting municipalities to the HuBEE portal

Use of Data

Electronic certification data can be used for surveillance:

• to measure the impact of epidemics such as COVID-19 or the flu

• to identify unusual trends in certain causes of death