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• As of January 1, 2025, the neonatal certificate has been replaced by the infant certificate, which is to be used for deaths occurring up to 364 days of life (see Order of May 29, 2024)

Status in 2024

• Electronic certification of deaths: in 2024, 42% of deaths in the Centre-Val de Loire region were certified electronically (48% in France), with significant disparities between departments: ranging from 25% in Indre to 60% in Cher.

• Deployment in healthcare facilities: by the fourth quarter of 2024, electronic certification was well established in the region’s public facilities (68%), but remained less common in private facilities (54%), a rate significantly below the national average (77%).

• Low adoption outside healthcare facilities: electronic death certification remains limited in nursing homes (29%), at home (9%), and in public spaces (2%). Its expansion could be facilitated by connecting municipalities to the HuBEE portal (Q4 2024 data).

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