DIN EN 15017 2019-11 PDF

Full title and description

DIN EN 15017:2019-11 — Bestattungsdienstleistungen / Funeral services — Requirements. This is the German-language adoption of EN 15017:2019 and specifies minimum requirements, practices and organisational provisions for professional funeral-service providers, including facilities, equipment, transport, care of the deceased, ceremonies, cremation and quality management.

Abstract

EN 15017:2019 sets out comprehensive service, technical and organisational requirements for funeral directors, funeral homes, crematoria and related service providers. The standard addresses client information and pricing, premises and refrigeration, equipment and PPE, transport (including international repatriation), care and preparation of the deceased (dressing, embalming/thanatopraxy, cosmetology), burial and cremation practices, online services and quality management and privacy provisions. Autopsy and forensic handling are excluded from its scope. The document contains informative annexes on skills/knowledge requirements, laissez‑passer documentation and ethical guidance for cremation.

General information

• Status: Current European standard adopted as a German national standard (revises and replaces the EN 15017:2005 German version).
• Publication date: November 2019 (edition: 2019-11).
• Publisher: DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) / Beuth Verlag (German version of EN 15017:2019).
• ICS / categories: 03.080.30 (Services for consumers / Funeral services).
• Edition / version: EN 15017:2019 (German adoption published November 2019).
• Number of pages: Approximately 56–59 pages depending on publisher format (catalog listings show 56 pages in some listings and 59 pages in others).

Scope

EN 15017:2019 specifies requirements for the provision of funeral services and related activities by professional providers. It covers organisational responsibilities, consumer information and contracting, premises and facilities (including preparation rooms and refrigeration), required equipment and PPE, transport and repatriation of deceased persons and cremated remains (including international transport), practical procedures for initial care, dressing, embedding, embalming/thanatopraxy and cosmetology, conduct of ceremonies, burial and cremation operations, exhumation, online funeral services and quality- and privacy-management requirements. The standard explicitly excludes autopsy and forensic procedures.

Key topics and requirements

• Client information, transparent pricing and documented contracting.
• Facilities and premises: preparation areas, identification rooms, public viewing spaces and refrigeration/cooling requirements.
• Equipment and transport: vehicle requirements, moving equipment, repatriation and international transport procedures for deceased and cremated remains.
• Care of the deceased: initial care, dressing, embedding, embalming/thanatopraxy, cosmetology and viewing arrangements.
• Funeral ceremonies, burial (including grave management) and cremation requirements; disposal of ashes and exhumation rules.
• Online services: obligations for online brokers and funeral companies, pricing and documentation requirements for online offerings.
• Quality management, complaints handling and monitoring systems.
• Privacy and data-protection requirements for handling client and personal data.
• Personnel competence: recommended skills, theoretical knowledge and behavioural competencies for funeral directors and staff (informative annex).

Typical use and users

Primary users are funeral directors, funeral homes, crematoria and cemetery operators, mortuary managers, transport providers that handle human remains (including repatriation agents), online funeral brokers and businesses offering funeral-related services. Secondary users include national/regional regulators, consumer-protection bodies, accreditation and certification bodies, insurance companies, and training and education providers in mortuary and funeral services. The standard is used to define minimum service and safety expectations, to support procurement, to guide internal quality systems and to inform inspections and audits.

Related standards

Related documents and normative references typically include national public-health and transport regulations, other CEN standards referenced within EN 15017, and quality-management standards such as ISO 9001 where organisations choose to align their quality systems. The standard also references guidance from sector bodies (for example, the International Cremation Federation in an informative annex). For historical context, EN 15017:2019 replaces the earlier EN 15017:2005 national/adopted versions.

Keywords

Funeral services; funeral director; funeral home; mortuary; embalming; thanatopraxy; cremation; burial; repatriation; transport of deceased; refrigeration; mortuary equipment; client information; quality management; privacy; online funeral services.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: EN 15017:2019 (adopted nationally as DIN EN 15017:2019-11) is a European standard that defines requirements for the organisation and delivery of professional funeral services, including premises, equipment, transport, care of the deceased, ceremonies, cremation and related quality and privacy arrangements.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers administrative and contractual duties toward clients, facility and equipment requirements, procedures for initial care and preparation of the deceased (including dressing and embalming), transport and repatriation, burial and cremation processes, online funeral services, quality-management and privacy obligations, staff skills and informative guidance on ethics and documentation. Autopsy and forensic activity are excluded.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Funeral directors, funeral homes, crematoria and cemetery operators, repatriation/transport agents, online funeral service providers, accrediting bodies and regulators use the standard to set minimum service, safety and organisational requirements; training organisations use it to frame competence and skills curricula.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: EN 15017:2019 supersedes the earlier edition (EN 15017:2005 as adopted nationally) and is the current CEN/EN revision published in November 2019. Catalog and publisher listings identify the 2019 version as the valid revision; no later EN revision or amendment for EN 15017 was listed in standard catalogue entries consulted during this summary (searches current to 24 February 2026). Users with critical compliance needs should verify the standard status with national standards bodies or CEN before relying on it for regulatory conformity.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: EN 15017 is a standalone European standard addressing funeral services and references other normative and informative standards and sector guidance where appropriate; it was developed by CEN/TC 448 (Funeral services) and includes annexes and references to related normative documents rather than being part of a numbered multi-part series.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Funeral services, mortuary, funeral director, embalming/thanatopraxy, cremation, burial, repatriation, transport of deceased, refrigeration, quality management, privacy, online funeral services.