Introduction
We know that you are going through a very hard time, and that the grief comes with a sense of urgency: in many Muslim families there is a wish to say goodbye to a loved one as soon as possible, while the paperwork, the time limits and the cemeteries depend on the law and on each ayuntamiento (town council). We would like to support you with clear information about the Muslim funeral in Spain, so that you can decide calmly.
This guide explains what the rite involves, what time limits the law sets, in which autonomous communities a burial without a coffin (féretro) is possible, where the plots are, and what to bear in mind if the family is considering repatriating the body. We do not describe a single "correct" way of doing things: the Muslim communities of Spain are diverse, and each family will know best how it wishes to say goodbye.
Every fact states its source and its date; anything we could not confirm in the text of a rule is marked as "not recorded". If you need to act today, go straight to "First 24-48 hours: what to do", inside "What the law says in Spain". For the general repatriation process, see the guide to repatriating a deceased person.
What a Muslim funeral in Spain involves: the steps of the rite
A Muslim funeral broadly follows four steps: the ritual washing of the body (ghusl), wrapping it in a plain white shroud (kafan), the collective funeral prayer (janazah) and burial in the earth, oriented towards Mecca. Each community and each family experiences it with its own nuances, which this section sets out without ranking them.
This is how it is described in the guide to cemeteries and funeral services of the Observatorio del Pluralismo Religioso (2013), reviewed and validated by the Comisión Islámica de España (Islamic Commission of Spain), which warns of the variety that exists within every faith, "according to degree of practice, national customs, and the objective possibilities of each municipality". The details of the prayer come from the guide published by the Generalitat de Catalunya and AUDIR in 2015.
| Step | What it is | Who | Where in Spain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ritual washing (ghusl) | A complete washing with water and soap, as purification | Usually a Muslim of the same sex as the deceased; a relative or someone close is preferred | The preparation room of a funeral home (tanatorio), if the centre allows it; the cemetery building where one exists |
| Shroud (kafan) | A simple white linen cloth | The same people | The same room; ask what material the funeral home accepts |
| Funeral prayer (janazah) | A collective prayer for the deceased | An imam or another person designated by the community; relatives and the community attend | A place of worship or, if that is not possible, the cemetery; the 2013 guide states that the prayer is not said among the graves |
| Burial | Oriented towards Mecca; on the right side according to the 2013 guide (practice varies); tradition calls for burial directly in the earth | People designated by the family or the community | A Muslim plot or a cemetery that allows the rite; the coffin depends on the autonomous community |
According to the Observatorio's 2013 guide, once the steps required by the regulations have been completed, "the faithful may carry out the ritual washing and purification"; none of the rules consulted sets that order. The 2025 Guía de consenso sobre sanidad mortuoria (consensus guide on mortuary health) provides that, in the preparation room, "the washing and dressing of the body may be carried out in accordance with religious prescriptions", although it only makes recommendations.
A diverse community
According to the estimate by UCIDE (Observatorio Andalusí) as at 31 December 2024, the Muslim population in Spain was around 2.5 million people (2,542,498): 45.1% held Spanish nationality, 36% were Moroccan nationals and the rest held other nationalities. It is an estimate by origin, not a religious census, and it is published by a federation of Islamic communities. That study notes that the Sunni Maliki and Hanafi schools are the most widespread, followed by the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools (also Sunni) and the Ja'fari school (Shia). There are people born in Spain or naturalised, people who have become Muslim, and families with very different degrees of practice, as both UCIDE's own study and the 2013 guide record.
Where communities differ
Some documented differences:
- Funeral prayer: the formula Allahu akbar ("God is the greatest") is pronounced four times in the Sunni sections of the guide published by the Generalitat de Catalunya and AUDIR in 2015 and five times in the compendium from the office of Ayatollah Sistani, of the Twelver Shia tradition.
- Washings and shroud: that Twelver compendium prescribes three washings and a shroud of three pieces, and accepts that spouses may wash one another (rule 547); the 2013 guide records three shrouds for men and five for women.
Cremation
Cremation is legal in Spain, and each autonomous community regulates its own time limits and authorisations. The Observatorio's 2013 guide, reviewed and validated by the Comisión Islámica de España, records it as "prohibited" for Islam. The only statement by the Commission that we have found, dated 31 March 2020, notes that burial, cremation or donation to science "remains a matter for the will of the deceased and their heirs". You can compare the two options in cremation vs burial.
What the law says in Spain: time limits, coffin and the right to a plot
In most autonomous communities the law requires a wait of 24 hours and, in general, no more than 48 (Galicia allows burial from 12 hours). The coffin also varies: in the texts consulted, only four autonomous communities provide for burial without one on religious grounds. Ley 26/1992 recognises the right to a plot for Islamic communities, not for each individual family.
Time limits: the religious ideal and the legal minimum
Tradition calls for burial as soon as possible (as the Observatorio's 2013 guide records). The law, by contrast, sets a minimum: the Reglamento de Policía Sanitaria Mortuoria, which applies on a supplementary basis, establishes in its article 15 that the body remain at the domicilio mortuorio, the place where it lies, for a minimum of 24 hours "as a general rule" and a maximum of 48 — 72 with temporary preservation (conservación transitoria) and 96 with embalming. In practice, the burial cannot take place before that minimum has passed.
Most regional regulations repeat the minimum of 24 hours; Galicia sets it at 12, and the Canary Islands refer to the state rule. The regulations consulted allow it to be brought forward only in specified cases — after an autopsy or an organ retrieval and, in some autonomous communities, for public health reasons; none provides for a religious exception to the minimum.
In practice, the ideal and the minimum collide; what can be speeded up is the paperwork: the electronic medical death certificate, the registration, which may be initiated by the person the family authorises (Ley 20/2011, arts. 62.3, 63 and 66), and the burial licence (licencia de enterramiento) outside office hours, which, depending on the judicial district (partido judicial), is issued by the duty court or by the duty court registrar (Instrucción de 3 de junio de 2022). The 2025 Guía de consenso does not set a minimum — "a reasonable time and before 48 hours" — but it only makes recommendations.
First 24-48 hours: what to do
The order may vary depending on the judicial district, the cemetery and the community.
- A doctor certifies the death and issues the medical death certificate. Without it, the death cannot be registered at the Registro Civil (civil registry).
- Notify your local Islamic community or the imam you turn to, and contact a funeral director, or the insurer if there is a death insurance policy. Tell them whether you wish to have the ritual washing and burial in the earth, and whether the family is considering repatriation.
- Decide with the family, and in line with the wishes of the deceased if any were left, whether the burial will take place in Spain or in the country of origin: that decision determines the plot, the preservation of the body and the permits.
- Ask the funeral director to arrange the registration of the death and the burial licence as soon as possible, including at the weekend or on a public holiday: outside office hours this is handled by the duty court or by the duty court registrar, depending on the judicial district.
- Confirm with the town council and the Islamic community the cemetery or the plot, the time of the burial and the room for the ritual washing and the funeral prayer. Remember that the law sets a minimum period before burial.
Each document is explained in death certificate: how to obtain it and in mandatory procedures after a death.
Is a coffin compulsory? Community by community
The state regulation (art. 9) prohibits conveying, transferring and burying without a coffin, except in the event of an epidemic or a disaster. But mortuary health is a regional competence, and in the texts consulted four autonomous communities include an exception for the burial (not for transport) in ordinary deaths, those that pose no public health risk (group 2 in Andalusia, group III elsewhere), without naming Islam. For the rest, the table reads "not recorded".
| Territory | Rule consulted | Religious exception? | Who authorises it, and conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andalusia | Decreto 95/2001, art. 21.4 | Yes | Authorised by the town council; group 2; the burial only, not the conveyance |
| Asturias | Decreto 72/1998, art. 9, paragraph added by Decreto 69/2023 (since September 2023) | Yes | Authorised by the competent Directorate-General; group III; transport requires a coffin |
| Castile and León | Decreto 21/2025, art. 14.6 (since March 2026) | Yes | Group III; grave and hydrogeological study under art. 43; coffin for the transfer |
| Galicia | Decreto 129/2023, art. 22.4 | Yes | Prior consent of the cemetery owner; group III; coffin for the transfer |
| Aragon | Decreto 106/1996; state regulation applies on a supplementary basis | Not recorded | State art. 9 applies |
| Balearic Islands | Decreto 11/2018, art. 17.1 | Not recorded | Compulsory except in an epidemic or a disaster |
| Canary Islands | Decreto 132/2014, art. 11.2 | Not recorded | Provides for a shared coffin, with no religious exception |
| Cantabria | Decreto 1/1994, art. 30 | Not recorded | Coffin compulsory |
| Castile-La Mancha | Decreto 72/1999, art. 84 | Not recorded | Art. 84 prohibits interment without a coffin |
| Catalonia | Decreto 297/1997, art. 9 | Not recorded | Epidemic or disaster only |
| Valencian Community | Decreto 39/2005, consolidated 2023 version, arts. 10, 15.1 and 50 | Not recorded in the text consulted; some sources state otherwise | Art. 50 regulates burial directly in the earth without citing religious grounds; check with the Conselleria de Sanidad |
| Extremadura | Decreto 161/2002, art. 54.1 | Not recorded | Coffin compulsory |
| La Rioja | Decreto 30/1998, art. 34 | Not recorded | Compulsory except in an epidemic or a disaster |
| Madrid | Decreto 124/1997 (amended in 2020) | Not recorded | Does not regulate direct burial in the earth |
| Murcia | Orden de 7 de junio de 1991; state regulation applies on a supplementary basis | Not recorded | State art. 9 applies |
| Navarre | Decreto Foral 297/2001, art. 8 | Not recorded | Art. 8.2 allows exceptions "in exceptional circumstances", without citing religious grounds |
| Basque Country | Decreto 202/2004, art. 13 | Not recorded | Art. 13.2 allows a case-by-case health ruling; no religious use of it is recorded |
| Ceuta | Reglamento de 2002 (BOCCE, 21 January 2003), art. 8.1 | Not recorded | Requires a coffin; the third additional provision refers to the cooperation agreements |
| Melilla | No regulation of its own recorded in the list in the 2025 Guía | Not recorded | No rule of its own located; the state rule (art. 9) is understood to apply |
"Not recorded" means that we have not found the exception in the text consulted, not that it is prohibited in every case. Where a coffin is compulsory, the 2013 guide records that families opt for plain wooden coffins, without religious symbols, and that placing earth inside the coffin has gradually come to be accepted.
The 2025 consensus guide and the Talavera case
The Guía de consenso sobre sanidad mortuoria, approved by the Consejo Interterritorial del Sistema Nacional de Salud on 4 July 2025, is, according to the Ministry of Health, "a document of a guiding, not a normative, nature". Its section 8.1 provides that, in ordinary deaths (group III), the body may be interred directly in the earth on religious grounds, in accordance with the requirements of each autonomous community. The Guide recommends; each autonomous community decides.
In Castile-La Mancha, article 84 of Decreto 72/1999 requires a coffin. In 2026 the press reported a court ruling on an application for a plot and for burial without a coffin in Talavera de la Reina; as we have not been able to consult the text of the judgment, we do not describe its content.
The right to a plot
The Cooperation Agreement with the Comisión Islámica de España (Ley 26/1992, art. 2.5) recognises the right of the Islamic communities within the Commission to be granted reserved plots in municipal cemeteries and to hold cemeteries of their own. The holder of that right is the community, not the family, and the text sets no procedure, time limit or fee: it is the town council that grants it. For every person, the Ley Orgánica de Libertad Religiosa (art. 2.1.b) recognises the right to "receive a dignified burial, without discrimination on religious grounds".
Autopsy and organ donation
Autopsy. A judicial autopsy is not a decision for the family: it is ordered by the court in violent deaths or deaths suspected of being criminal (Ley de Enjuiciamiento Criminal, arts. 340 and 343). A clinical autopsy, by contrast, may be objected to by the family (Ley 29/1980, art. 3.2). In expressly authorised hospitals, it is presumed that there is no objection if the spouse or the first-degree relatives do not state one within the four hours following delivery of the copy of the special medical certificate (Real Decreto 2230/1982, art. 5.2). According to the 2013 guide, Islam accepts it "only in a case of force majeure".
Donation. The law starts from the position that anyone who has not expressly recorded an objection is a donor (Ley 30/1979, art. 5.2; Real Decreto 1723/2012, art. 9.1), but in practice the hospital team always consults the family and asks for their signed consent. According to the guide on religious diversity and organ donation published by the Catalan Transplant Organisation (2023), there is no doctrinal position valid for Muslim communities as a whole.
Information updated to September 2026; check with your town council and your local Islamic community.
Where to bury: Muslim cemeteries and plots by autonomous community
There is no official register of Muslim cemeteries and plots. According to UCIDE, as at 31 December 2024 there were 42 almacabras (Muslim cemeteries or plots), unevenly distributed. The table records that count by territory; to find out which plot is open to you, ask your town council and your local Islamic community.
| Territory | Almacabras (UCIDE, Dec. 2024) | Fact with a current source, or note |
|---|---|---|
| Andalusia | 11 | Seville: enclosure belonging to the Comunidad Islámica, according to the municipal page |
| Aragon | 1 | Zaragoza, Torrero cemetery: a plot of 3,100 m² and a building for the ritual washing (2012); see "How a plot is requested in practice" |
| Asturias | 1 | UCIDE counts one; the other sources consulted record none |
| Balearic Islands | 1 | — |
| Canary Islands | 3 | — |
| Cantabria | 0 | — |
| Castile-La Mancha | 0 | — |
| Castile and León | 3 | — |
| Catalonia | 9 | — |
| Valencian Community | 4 | — |
| Extremadura | 0 | — |
| Galicia | 0 | — |
| La Rioja | 1 | Logroño: the municipal cemeteries regulation (2014) records a "Cementerio Musulmán", a Muslim cemetery |
| Madrid | 1 | — |
| Murcia | 1 | — |
| Navarre | 1 | — |
| Basque Country | 3 | — |
| Ceuta | 1 | Sidi Embarek cemetery; in January 2025 the Autonomous City authorised emergency works to extend it |
| Melilla | 1 | "Cementerio Musulmán", on the carretera Sidi Guariach, in the municipal directory (updated in 2019); BOME agreements of 2021 and 2023 with the Comisión Islámica de Melilla |
UCIDE's count is not official; the Comisión Islámica de España counted 35 "Muslim cemeteries or plots" in 2019, according to its reply to the Informe anual sobre la situación de la libertad religiosa en España 2018, the annual report on religious freedom published by the Ministry of Justice. We do not give further names without a current municipal or community source.
How a plot is requested in practice
As the right belongs to the community, the family approaches the town council and the local Islamic community, between which there is usually an agreement in place. In Zaragoza, for example, according to the municipal page for the Torrero cemetery and the agreement signed in 2013, the burial unit is requested from the town council with the usual documentation and a certification from the Islamic community, which is given 24 hours' notice; each municipality proceeds in its own way. The 1992 Agreement also recognises the right to transfer to the cemeteries of the Islamic communities the bodies of those who die where there is no Islamic cemetery, and those of people already interred in municipal cemeteries, subject to local and health legislation.
Concessions and earth
As a general rule, plots are granted for a limited period: the Reglamento de Bienes de las Entidades Locales (art. 79) prohibits indefinite concessions and sets a maximum of 99 years "unless special regulations set a shorter one". Each town council decides its own periods, and there are historic enclosures held in perpetuity, such as the one in Seville according to its municipal page.
According to the 2013 guide, Islam accepts exhumation only in order to move the remains to a Muslim cemetery, so it is worth asking what happens when the concession expires. That guide also points to burial in the earth rather than in a niche; you can see the alternatives in types of burial plots in Spain.
Burial in Spain or repatriation?
The decision rests with the family and, if any were left, with the last wishes of the deceased: some families repatriate and others bury in Spain. Here we summarise what changes in each case. Between 2014 and 2021 a total of 28,413 bodies were repatriated from Spain, 7,450 of them to Morocco (Sanidad Exterior, according to Moreras, 2023).
| Aspect | Burial in Spain | Repatriation to the country of origin |
|---|---|---|
| Paperwork | Medical certificate, registration at the Registro Civil, burial licence, and cemetery or plot | The same, plus the exit authorisation from Sanidad Exterior and, except in the countries covered by the Berlin or Strasbourg Agreement (Turkey and Egypt, among others), the entry authorisation from the destination consulate |
| Body | Coffin according to the autonomous community; religious exception provided for in four autonomous communities | Temporary preservation compulsory for transfer abroad, without prejudice to the international agreements in force (state regulation, art. 22), and a transfer coffin (art. 40.b) |
| Time limits | Those of the autonomous community (in general, 24-48 hours) | They depend on the consular permits and on the transport; no official time limit is recorded |
| Cost | Depends on the town council, the concession and the cemetery | There is no official tariff; ask for a written quotation |
| Insurance and assistance | Depends on the death insurance policy | Check whether the policy covers transfer to the country of origin, and its limits |
The route to Morocco and to other countries of origin
With Morocco, according to the Moroccan consular portals, the entry authorisation is obtained first, and is processed through the consulate for the place where the death occurred (ask there which documents are required today); afterwards comes the exit authorisation, which is applied for from Sanidad Exterior through SISAEX.
Each country of origin has its own procedure: the Embassy of Pakistan in Madrid issues a no-objection certificate, and the Consulate General of Senegal a mortuary laissez-passer. The documents and the regulation coffin are set out in the guide to repatriating a deceased person; the cost ranges given there are indicative and are not specific to Morocco.
Assistance from the Moroccan state, and insurance
According to the official Moroccan portals (consulat.ma, the Department of Moroccans Living Abroad and the Hassan II Foundation), the Moroccan state may meet, in whole or in part, the cost of repatriating Moroccan nationals without means who die abroad and who did not hold repatriation insurance.
The application is submitted to the consular services, which pass it to the Ministry responsible for Moroccans Living Abroad for a decision, or it is submitted directly to that Department. Ask at the consulate when the application has to be made. We have found no published amount or time limit; it is not a general entitlement.
Check your death insurance: it may or may not cover transfer to the country of origin. According to Moreras (2023), Muslim groups give priority to solidarity funds to cover repatriation: ask in your community whether one exists.
Did you know? When a family is split between Spain and the country of origin, some families create a shared page of remembrance, with words, dates and memories and, if they wish, images as well. See what a digital memorial is. Discover the digital memorial on Kinmory →
Condolences and mourning
According to the guide published by the Generalitat de Catalunya and AUDIR in 2015, written in this part by representatives of Muslim communities, in many families the community comes to offer condolences, neighbours and relatives send food to the house for the first three days, and those closest observe a period of mourning of about three days.
Customs vary according to the community, the country of origin and the family, and condolences are not confined to those days. That guide considers it preferable to offer them just after the burial, and recommends not prolonging visits to the house unless one is a relative or a close friend. It cites verse 2:156 of the Qur'an, "to God we belong and to Him we shall return".
Some communities and families hold readings of the Qur'an or gatherings — on the third, the seventh or the fortieth day; others do not: according to that same 2015 guide, this is not a rule of Islamic jurisprudence but a custom. According to the religious texts, a widow observes a period of mourning of four months and ten days (idda; Qur'an 2:234); practice varies from family to family. If you are accompanying a family you are close to, ask how they would like you to be there for them. If you need support with your grief, you may find it helpful to read how to cope with grief.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Muslim be buried without a coffin in Spain?
It depends on the autonomous community. In the texts consulted (September 2026), only Andalusia, Asturias, Galicia and Castile and León provide for an exception on religious grounds, and only for the burial itself (not for transport) in ordinary deaths, those that pose no public health risk. Elsewhere, and in Ceuta and Melilla, no exception is recorded in the text consulted, which does not mean burial without a coffin is forbidden in every case. Ask your town council and local Islamic community.
How long does a Muslim burial take in Spain?
Tradition calls for burial as soon as possible, but the law sets a minimum. In most autonomous communities at least 24 hours must pass from the death and, as a general rule, no more than 48; in Galicia the minimum is 12 hours. What can be speeded up is the paperwork: the medical certificate, registration at the Registro Civil and the burial licence.
Where are there Muslim cemeteries in Spain?
There is no official register. According to UCIDE, as at 31 December 2024 there were 42 almacabras, most of them plots inside municipal cemeteries: 11 in Andalusia and 9 in Catalonia, and none in Cantabria, Castile-La Mancha, Extremadura or Galicia. Ask your town council and your local Islamic community about the nearest plot.
How much does it cost to repatriate a body to Morocco?
There is no official tariff: the cost depends on the journey, the preparation of the body, the coffin, the documents and the transport. Always ask for a written quotation and check whether your death insurance covers the transfer to the country of origin. Morocco only helps to pay for the repatriation of Moroccan nationals without means and without repatriation insurance, and it is applied for through the consular services.
Who performs the ritual washing?
It is usually carried out by a Muslim of the same sex as the deceased; a relative or someone close to the family is preferred. In Spain it can be done in the preparation room of a funeral home, if the centre allows it, or in the cemetery building where one exists. Customs vary: ask your local Islamic community.
Summary
- The rite brings together the ritual washing (ghusl), the shroud (kafan), the funeral prayer (janazah) and burial oriented towards Mecca, with nuances between communities.
- Tradition calls for burial as soon as possible; the law sets, in general, a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of 48 (in Galicia, a minimum of 12).
- In the texts consulted, only Andalusia, Asturias, Galicia and Castile and León provide for burial without a coffin on religious grounds; elsewhere no exception is recorded (in the Valencian Community, some sources state otherwise).
- Ley 26/1992 recognises the right to a plot for Islamic communities; there is no official register, and UCIDE counts 42 almacabras as at 31 December 2024.
- Burying in Spain or repatriating is a decision for the family; Morocco helps only with the repatriation of Moroccan nationals without means and without repatriation insurance.
- Condolences and mourning vary according to the community and the family.
Related Articles
- Repatriation of a Deceased Person from Spain — The general repatriation process.
- What to Do When a Family Member Dies — The first steps after any death.
- Mandatory Procedures After a Death — What to deal with, and in what order.
- Death Certificate: How to Obtain It — The key document for the paperwork.
- Types of Burial Plots in Spain — Earth, niche and columbarium.
A place of remembrance for the family, here and back home
A digital memorial on Kinmory brings together in one place, accessible from Spain and from the country of origin, the words, the dates and the memories of the person who has died and, only if the family wishes, images as well. Each family decides what it includes.
Create a digital memorial on Kinmory →