Québec Portal

Unclaimed bodies

Responsibility : Agence de la santé et des services sociaux

The body of a deceased relative is considered to be unclaimed if :

• you state in writing that you do not intend to claim the bodystates; 
• through lack of interest, you take no steps to claim the body within 24 hours after being informed of the death;
• no relative, next of kin or friend is traced within 24 hours after a police search report has been filed.

Any unclaimed body may be transported to an institution for teaching or research purposes.

Note

If you are a friend of the deceased, you may legally claim the body, provided that you agree to have the body buried or incinerated as soon as possible.

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