Bestattungswesen#

Funerary Services are regulated in Austria by provincial regulations. A death has to be reported immediately to the local or municipal authorities (registry offices). A post-mortem examination has to be made either by the local physician or by the responsible physician in a hospital, who issues a death certificate containing the results of the examination. An autopsy will be ordered by the court or the administrative authority in case of suspicion of death from unnatural causes or if it is necessary for determining the exact cause of death. The body will then be taken care of by a public or private undertaker (municipal undertakers). The body will either be buried in a grave or in a tomb or be cremated, with the urn containing the ashes being installed in a crematorium. Bodies have to be buried in a cemetery, although exceptions may be granted under certain conditions. The rights to use a grave or a tomb can be acquired for a 10-year or 30-year period respectively, and are renewable. Disposition over the body (e.g. for organ transplants) and the forms of burial are subject to the consent of the surviving family or the last will and testament of the deceased. Special regulations apply to the transportation of the body (from abroad or within Austria). There is a funeral museum in Vienna Bestattungsmuseum.