ABSTRACT
Russian federalism is the basis of funeral regulation in contemporary Russia. There are four levels of regulation of the funeral industry: federal level frameworks general requirements; regional, at the level of federal districts; regional, at the level of entities; and municipal level. According to the federal law No. 8, ‘On burial and funeral affairs’, the private sector provides funeral services including coaching, casketing, selling funeral hardwares, and the burial service. Death registration is performed by private doctors, hospitals, and ambulances. If a person died at home or on the street, then the presence of the police is mandatory. A medical death certificate is required to obtain a state death certificate. The first funeral law in contemporary Russia appeared in 1996, five years after the collapse of the USSR. Documents for a funeral vary depending on the situation and method of disposal of the body. For example, paperwork relating to transportation in the morgue, crematorium, and cemetery is different.
