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Reference · Glossary

Glossary of Dutch end-of-life terms

Sources verified — Rijksoverheid + KNB notaris + KNMG + NVVE + SVB + Belastingdienst

The Dutch system around death has its own vocabulary. Some words look like their English equivalents and mean something slightly different. Others have no clean English translation. This glossary defines the terms most likely to appear when you read about preparation, funerals, inheritance, or end-of-life care in the Netherlands. Each term gives the closest English equivalent and a short, factual definition. Sources for each group are listed at the end.

Testament (will)A formal document, drawn up and registered by a notaris (civil-law notary), that records how your assets are to be divided after your death. Without a testament, Dutch inheritance law (versterferfrecht) decides automatically. A testament can also appoint an executeur and a guardian for minor children.
Levenstestament (living will or lasting power of attorney)A notarised document that takes effect while you are alive but unable to act. It typically appoints a gevolmachtigde to manage finances and a separate person for medical and personal decisions. It is not the same as a testament and is not the same as a wilsverklaring.
CodicilA handwritten, dated, and signed document used to allocate specific personal items such as jewellery, furniture, books, or photographs. It does not require a notaris but cannot be used to allocate money, securities, or real estate, and cannot appoint an executor or guardian.
Wilsverklaring (advance directive)A written statement of your medical wishes for situations in which you can no longer speak for yourself. It can include a treatment refusal (behandelverbod), a non-resuscitation request, or a request for euthanasia (euthanasieverklaring). Recognised by KNMG guidelines and used by huisartsen and hospitals.
Akte van overlijden (death certificate)The official record of a death, drawn up by the gemeente (municipality) where the death took place, usually within a few working days. It is required for almost every other formal step that follows.
Verklaring van erfrecht (certificate of inheritance)A document issued by a notaris that states who the heirs are and who is authorised to act on behalf of the estate. Often required before banks will release funds.
Verklaring van executeleA more limited certificate that confirms only the executeur's authority to manage the estate, without listing all the heirs. Cheaper and faster than a full verklaring van erfrecht.

People and roles

Erfgenaam (heir)A person who inherits under the testament or under default Dutch inheritance law. Heirs decide whether to accept the estate fully (zuivere aanvaarding), accept it under reservation (beneficiair), or refuse it (verwerping).
Executeur (executor)The person named in the testament to settle the estate: identifying assets, paying debts, distributing what remains. Authority is confirmed by the verklaring van executele.
Gevolmachtigde (proxy or attorney-in-fact)The person appointed in a levenstestament to act on your behalf while you are alive but incapacitated. Scope can be narrow (a single bank account) or broad (all financial and medical matters).
Huisarts (general practitioner)The family doctor and the central figure in Dutch primary and end-of-life care. Confirms most natural deaths, holds the conversation about a wilsverklaring, and is usually the first physician asked about euthanasia.
Lijkschouwer (municipal coroner or forensic doctor)Called in when a death is not natural or when the huisarts cannot certify the cause. Issues the legal declaration that allows the death to be registered.
Notaris (civil-law notary)A legally trained official who drafts and registers a testament, a levenstestament, and a verklaring van erfrecht. Fees and procedures are regulated; KNB (notaris.nl) is the national association.
SCEN-artsAn independent physician trained to give a second opinion in euthanasia cases, as required by the law on due care. SCEN stands for Steun en Consultatie bij Euthanasie in Nederland.

Body and ceremony

OpbaringThe period in which the body is laid out for visits before the funeral, either at home (thuisopbaring) or in a uitvaartcentrum. Usually lasts one to five days and can be combined with cooling at home (koeling).
Uitvaartcentrum (funeral centre)A facility run by a funeral provider where the body can be laid out, where families can visit, and where the ceremony itself can take place. Most Dutch towns have at least one.
Rouwkamer (mourning room)A private room within a uitvaartcentrum reserved for family visits to the body. Bookable per visit or for the full opbaring period.
Crematie (cremation)Cremation of the body at a licensed crematorium. By law, ashes must remain at the crematorium for at least one month before being released to the family; an exemption from the storage period can be requested via the public prosecutor.
Begraafplaats (cemetery)Burial ground, usually run by a gemeente or a religious organisation. Most Dutch graves are not owned outright; the family pays grafrecht (burial right) for a fixed term, often 10, 20, or 30 years, with renewal possible. Eeuwige grafrust (perpetual rest) can also be arranged for an extra fee, often required for Jewish and Islamic burials.
Natuurbegraafplaats (natural burial ground)A cemetery managed as nature, where the body is buried in a biodegradable coffin or shroud and headstones are not allowed. Grafrecht is often granted for a much longer period than in standard cemeteries.
Columbarium (urnenmuur)A wall structure with niches for urns at a cemetery or crematorium.
Urnengraf (urn grave)A small grave designed to hold urns after cremation. One urnengraf can typically hold several urns, allowing a family to share a plot over time.

End-of-life choices

Euthanasie (euthanasia)The act of a physician ending a patient's life on the patient's explicit and well-considered request, in cases of unbearable and hopeless suffering. Legal in the Netherlands since 2002 under strict due-care criteria reviewed by the Regionale Toetsingscommissies Euthanasie.
Palliatieve sedatie (palliative sedation)The medical lowering of consciousness in the final phase of life to relieve symptoms that cannot otherwise be controlled. It is medical treatment, not euthanasia, and follows separate KNMG guidelines.
Niet-reanimerenpenning (do-not-resuscitate medallion)A pendant worn around the neck that is recognised by emergency responders as a formal request not to be resuscitated. Currently issued by the NVVE (Nederlandse Vereniging voor een Vrijwillig Levenseinde) — €40 for members, €55 for non-members — after Patiëntenfederatie Nederland stopped distribution on 1 January 2025. Legally a written wilsverklaring carries the same weight, but in an emergency the medallion is what ambulance staff actually see in time.

Money and state

Uitvaartverzekering (funeral insurance)A policy that pays out a sum, or arranges services in kind, to cover the cost of a funeral. Two main forms: kapitaalverzekering (a fixed amount in cash) and naturaverzekering (services to a defined value).
Levensverzekering (life insurance)A broader policy that pays a lump sum on death to a named beneficiary. Often linked to a mortgage (overlijdensrisicoverzekering) or to family financial protection.
ANW (Algemene nabestaandenwet, general surviving relatives benefit)A state benefit administered by the SVB for certain surviving partners with a child under 18, or with at least 45 percent reduced earning capacity. Conditions are strict and many surviving partners do not qualify.
AOW (Algemene Ouderdomswet, state pension)The basic Dutch state pension. AOW payments stop at the end of the month of death, after which a one-off overlijdensuitkering of one month's AOW is usually paid to the surviving partner.
Nabestaandenpensioen (partner's pension)The portion of an occupational pension paid to a surviving partner. Reformed in 2023 (Wet toekomst pensioenen); the exact entitlement depends on the pension scheme.
Erfbelasting (inheritance tax)Tax owed on what each heir inherits, levied by the Belastingdienst. Rates and exemptions (vrijstellingen) depend on the relationship to the deceased; partners and children pay less than other heirs.
Vrijstelling (exemption)The tax-free portion of an inheritance for each heir. Updated annually by the Belastingdienst; partners receive the largest exemption, followed by children and grandchildren.

In the app

The Personal Portal has its own Encyclopedia — 30+ full articles drawn from the same Dutch sources, covering many of these terms in depth (lijkschouw, opbaring, levenstestament, euthanasie, erfrecht). When a term appears inside a stage form, the encyclopedia is a click away.

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Sources

  1. Rijksoverheid, glossary and information on overlijden, erfrecht, and donorregistratie. https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/erfenis and https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/overlijden
  2. KNB (Koninklijke Notariele Beroepsorganisatie), notaris.nl, on testament, levenstestament, codicil, verklaring van erfrecht, and verklaring van executele. https://www.notaris.nl/
  3. KNMG (Royal Dutch Medical Association), guidance on wilsverklaring, palliatieve sedatie, and euthanasie. https://www.knmg.nl/
  4. NVVE (Dutch right-to-die association), on wilsverklaring, euthanasie, and niet-reanimerenpenning. https://www.nvve.nl/
  5. SVB (Sociale Verzekeringsbank), on AOW and ANW. https://www.svb.nl/
  6. Belastingdienst, on erfbelasting and vrijstellingen. https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/nl/erfbelasting/erfbelasting