Funeral and cemetery activities
With the exception of the provision of a 24-hour on-call service for the collection and transport of the deceased, funeral activities shall be implemented under free economic initiative as a commercial activity. Funeral activities shall also include the transport, preparation and cremation of the deceased and the preparation and performance of the funeral.
Implementation of funeral and cemetery activities
The conditions for the implementation of the funeral activities are harmonised and the legislation also directs towards the harmonised regulation of the cemetery activities at the local level. The key principles to be respected in the field of cemetery and funeral services are: ensuring respect for dignity, protection of health and observance of health and hygiene regulations, free choice of burial place (cemetery), free choice of funeral service provider, equal treatment of funeral service providers, free movement of services and effective supervision.
Any legal or natural person who fulfils the conditions and has obtained a licence to implement funeral activities issued by the Ministry responsible for the economy may be a funeral service provider. Exceptions are providers who only provide 24-hour on-call service, as this is regulated in accordance with the provisions of the Services of General Economic Interest Act.
A funeral and cemetery service provider may also be a company with its registered office outside Slovenia, which has been issued an authorisation by the Ministry responsible for the economy for the occasional implementation of funeral activities in Slovenia. The authorisation is issued for a period of one month.
Authorisation for the provision of funeral activities
| Title | Institution |
|---|---|
| Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport |
Authorisation for the occasional implementation of funeral activities
| Title | Institution |
|---|---|
| Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport |
Standards and norms for basic funerals
The basic funeral, which includes the registration of the burial, the preparation of the deceased, a minimum funeral ceremony and the burial, including the funeral equipment, is laid down in Article 12 of the Funeral and Cemetery Services Act. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia and the Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia, in agreement with the Ministry responsible for the economy, have laid down more detailed basic standards and norms for basic funerals.
The minimum standards and norms are set for three types of funerals: urn, coffin and scattering of ashes. In regard to the burial team, due to local cultural differences and customs across the country, only a flag bearer and a protocol leader are specified, the rest of the team being determined by local regulation.