Municipal coverage of burial costs for people without means
The municipality (or, if it has no funds for it, the region) can pay the costs of burying, or moving the remains of, a person who lived without means. The relatives must declare that they cannot pay (or there must be no relatives), and the municipal council must approve it.
The burial or reburial costs; the municipality sets the amount each time (e.g. EUR 2,000 in Western Achaia in 2026, EUR 1,000 in Sitia in 2024)
Who can get it
Official evidence · Άρθρο 526 ν. 5314/2026 (Κώδικας Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης), όπως παρατίθεται στην απόφαση 73/2026 του Δημοτικού Συμβουλίου Δυτικής Αχαΐας: «Οι δαπάνες για ταφή και ανακομιδή των οστών προσώπων τα οποία εν ζωή βρίσκονταν σε οικονομική αδυναμία ή είχαν την ιδιότητα δικαιούχου διεθνούς προστασίας ή είχαν αιτηθεί την αναγνώριση της ιδιότητας αυτής μπορούν να καλυφθούν από τον δήμο» · Checked: 2026-09-28
Official evidence · Άρθρο 526 ν. 5314/2026 (Κώδικας Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης), όπως παρατίθεται στην απόφαση 73/2026 του Δημοτικού Συμβουλίου Δυτικής Αχαΐας: «εφόσον υποβληθεί δήλωση των οικείων του θανόντος περί αδυναμίας κάλυψης της σχετικής δαπάνης ή εφόσον διαπιστωθεί ότι δεν υφίστανται ή δεν ανευρίσκονται οικείοι του θανόντος που μπορούν να αναλάβουν τη δαπάνη» · Checked: 2026-09-28
Official evidence · Άρθρο 526 ν. 5314/2026 (Κώδικας Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης), όπως παρατίθεται στην απόφαση 73/2026 του Δημοτικού Συμβουλίου Δυτικής Αχαΐας: «από τον δήμο ή, σε περίπτωση μη ύπαρξης σχετικών πιστώσεων του δήμου, από την περιφέρεια εντός των διοικητικών ορίων των οποίων πραγματοποιείται η ταφή ή ανακομιδή, μετά από αιτιολογημένη απόφαση του οικείου δημοτικού ή περιφερειακού συμβουλίου» · Checked: 2026-09-28
Based on official sources. For the latest criteria, contact the relevant authority.
How to apply
The steps to apply yourself. Free: you don’t need to pay anyone.
Required Documents
Solemn declaration by the relatives that they cannot pay the costs
Get / More infoEvidence that the deceased was without means
For example a social-work report and tax records; usually gathered by the municipality's social service.
Get / More info
Step by step
- 1
Contact the municipality's social service
Go to the social service of the municipality where the burial takes place and ask whether it covers burial costs for people without means.
- 2
Declaration that you cannot pay
The relatives submit a solemn declaration that they cannot pay the costs. If there are no relatives, the municipality establishes this.
- 3
Social-work report and decision
The social service documents that the deceased was without means and the municipal council decides. The decision is posted on Diavgeia; in Sitia, for example, the money was paid directly to the funeral office.
Authority: Δήμος
Good to know
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- Fill in and submit the application. Enter your details, upload anything requested and submit. Keep the protocol number.
- Track your application. Progress and the final decision appear in your account on the authority / gov.gr.
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What it is
Under article 526 of the Local Government Code (Law 5314/2026), any municipality can pay the costs of burying, or moving the remains of, a person who during their life was without means, or was a beneficiary of or applicant for international protection. If the municipality has no funds for it, the region can cover the costs. The municipality (or region) where the burial or reburial takes place is the one responsible.
Two things are needed: the relatives of the deceased declare that they cannot pay (or it is established that there are no relatives, or none can be found, who could pay), and a reasoned decision of the municipal (or regional) council. Lack of means is usually shown by a social-work report and tax records.
The municipality sets the amount each time. Examples: the Municipality of Western Achaia approved EUR 2,000 in 2026; the Municipality of Sitia paid EUR 1,000 or EUR 500 to the funeral office in 2024, together with a free burial plot for three years.
This is not the e-EFKA funeral-expenses grant, which depends on the deceased person's insurance.
Lifecycle*
ActivePermanent/ongoing benefit
No fixed end date is currently recorded.
*Cycles, deadlines, and availability may change regularly. Always confirm with the official source before applying.
Benefit details
- Provider
- Δήμος
- Category
- Survivors
- Status
- Active
- Type of benefit
- One-off support
Details last verified: 28/09/2026