Opbaring: care for the body before the funeral
In the Netherlands, the days between death and the funeral have a name: opbaring (care of the body, or laying-in-rest). It is the time when the body is prepared, kept cool, and made available for family and friends to visit. The Wet op de lijkbezorging (Burial and Cremation Act) gives families wide latitude here. Almost every choice, from where the body rests to who washes it, sits with the people closest to the person who died.
This explainer walks through what opbaring is, where it can take place, how cooling works, and which decisions families typically make.
What opbaring actually means
Opbaring is the period between death and burial or cremation in which the body is held in a defined place, kept at low temperature, and usually made visible to those who want to come. It can last from a single day to the legal maximum: under article 16 of the Wet op de lijkbezorging, burial or cremation must take place no sooner than 36 hours after death and no later than the sixth working day after death. Weekends and public holidays do not count as working days, so a death on a Friday afternoon often gives a family seven or eight calendar days. The burgemeester (mayor) can extend or shorten this window in specific situations.
In practice this means opbaring usually lasts three to six days. That is the window in which the funeral has to be planned, the coffin chosen, the announcement printed, and the people who matter given a chance to say goodbye.
Three places where opbaring can happen
Dutch law does not prescribe a location. The body can rest at home, in a uitvaartcentrum (funeral centre), in a rouwkamer (mourning room), in a church or community building, or in another suitable space. The three most common settings are these.
Thuisopbaring (at home). The body is brought back to the family home, often into a bedroom or living room, and laid in a coffin or on a low bed. Visitors come whenever the family invites them. Many families say being able to drink coffee next to the person they loved, sit through the night, or simply pass the room without crossing a threshold helps grief settle differently. A funeral provider arranges the cooling, the body care, and a daily check-in.
Uitvaartcentrum (funeral centre). The body rests in a private room within a building run by a funeral provider. Most centres now offer a 24-uurskamer (24-hour room): the family receives a key and can visit at any time, alone, without staff present. Standard rooms have set visiting hours. This option is common when the home is unsuitable, when other residents need their privacy, or when the family prefers a separate, quiet space.
Rouwkamer at a hospital, hospice or care home. A small room set aside in the institution where the person died, used in the first hours or days. Sometimes the body stays there until the funeral; sometimes it is moved to a uitvaartcentrum or home afterwards.
Other less common settings, a church, a community hall, the garden of a family farm, are all legal in principle, provided cooling and dignity can be maintained.
Koeling: how the body is kept cool
Cooling (koeling) is not legally required, but it is a practical near-necessity for any opbaring lasting more than a day. Several methods are used in the Netherlands.
- An electric koelplaat (cooling plate) placed under the body. Quiet, modern models are common; older units can hum.
- A koelmatras or cooling unit built into the coffin or bed.
- Graszoden (grass sods) or hay packed under and around the body, sprayed several times a day with water and essential oils. This is the method used in some natural and ecological opbaring practices, with no electricity involved.
- Professional refrigerated rooms in a uitvaartcentrum.
A family choosing thuisopbaring should also keep the room well ventilated and not too warm. The funeral provider supplies the equipment and explains daily care. Thanatopraxie (a light embalming technique used in the Netherlands) can also be chosen; it slows decomposition and makes longer or warmer-room opbaring possible without a cooling plate.
What families actually decide
Most opbaring decisions are not legal but personal. They tend to cluster in five areas.
Place. Home, funeral centre, or somewhere else. Whether visitors come freely or by appointment.
Body care. Who washes and dresses the body. A funeral provider does this by default, but family members can take part, or do it entirely themselves. Some cultural and religious traditions, including Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and some Christian practices, place body care firmly with the family or community.
Clothing and the coffin. What the person will wear. Whether they lie in a coffin or on an open bed during the visiting period. Whether the coffin remains open or closed.
Atmosphere. Music, candles, flowers, photographs, personal objects placed with the body. Whether the room feels like a vigil or a quiet visit.
Who comes, and when. Open visiting (often for thuisopbaring), set hours (more common in funeral centres), or a single farewell moment just before the funeral. Some families invite children; some explicitly do not. Both choices are valid; what matters is that the choice is made deliberately.
A note on time
The six-working-day window is generous compared to some countries, but it disappears fast. Most families find that by day three the practical decisions are largely made and the remaining days are for being present. If preferences are recorded in advance, place of opbaring, who is present, what music plays, who washes the body, the family spends those days together rather than in logistics.
In the app
In the Personal Portal you record where you would like to be cared for after you die: home, funeral centre, somewhere specific. You note who you want present, what kind of atmosphere matters, and any cultural or religious instructions for body care. The people you trust find this in one place, on the day they need it.
Closed beta, access by invitation.
Sources
- Rijksoverheid / Wetten.overheid.nl, Wet op de lijkbezorging, articles 16 and 17 on timing of burial and cremation. https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0005009/
- BGNU, Branchevereniging Gecertificeerde Nederlandse Uitvaartondernemingen, professional standards. https://www.bgnu.nl/
- BGNU consumer platform Hulp bij Uitvaart, practical guidance on opbaring options and care of the body. https://hulpbijuitvaart.nl/