When someone dies, certain people and organisations need to be informed of the death. Here is an overview of who you may need to contact and what is important to consider at first.
Notify the immediate family of the death without delay
The immediate family and others close to the deceased are the most important people to notify. Everyone named in the family record accompanying the death certificate needs to be informed of the death.
You should also inform others, such as relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbours. If this feels difficult, it may help to ask someone for assistance.
Order a death certificate with a family record (skatteverket.se, in Swedish) External link.
Government agencies are informed automatically
Government agencies and municipalities are automatically informed of the death when a doctor submits the death certificate to the Swedish Tax Agency's population register.
If the death occurs in another country, you need to contact the Swedish embassy or consulate in the country where the death occurred.
Managing social media when someone dies
Information about a death can spread quickly on social media. You should therefore consider how you want to manage the deceased's accounts. Accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn can be closed or converted into memorialised accounts if the service offers this option.
Different social media accounts
To close or make changes to an account, you will usually need a death certificate from the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). You do not have to do this yourself; you can ask someone else for help.
In English:
- Close or memorialise a Facebook account (facebook.com) External link.
- Close Google and YouTube accounts (support.google.com) External link.
- Close an Instagram account (help.instagram.com) External link.
- Close a LinkedIn profile (linkedin.com) External link.
- Close an X account (help.x.com) External link.
Notify others
This may sound obvious, but it is important to notify others of the death as soon as possible.
- Immediate family
- Relatives
- Friends
- The deceased’s employer and colleagues
- Fellow members of clubs or associations
- Immediate neighbours
Feel free to ask others to help notify people of the death. With the Efterlevandeguiden checklist, you can create separate lists and share the responsibility.
Contact companies
Some bills that arrive in the deceased's name do not need to be paid immediately. Instead, contact the companies that sent the bills and inform them of the death.
The estate's funds should primarily be used to cover funeral costs and the cost of engaging someone to prepare the estate inventory, if applicable.
Cancel or transfer subscriptions
Subscriptions in the deceased's name should either be cancelled or transferred to someone else. This also applies to agreements for services such as electricity, waste collection, TV, telephone and home insurance. You should also review memberships and subscriptions.
Checklist – after a death
Use the checklist to get an overview of what needs to be done after a death. Take one thing at a time, in the order that suits you, and adapt the list to your situation.
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