If you don’t put your after death plans in writing before you die, someone will decide for you after you die.
We are grateful to the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Minnesota for creating a simple-to-use two-page form to record your after death arrangements and allowing us to use it. By signing the second side of the paper, you may turn it into a legal document to ensure your plans are carried out. Download either a PDF or Word.doc version: After-Death Arrangements Form.PDF After-Death Arrangements Form.Doc
Using the After-Death Arrangements Planning Form Use the After Death Arrangements form in whatever way is right for you:
Use it simply to review the many options that are available to you. The form may prompt you to think about and explore options you're not familiar with or haven't heard of before.
Use it to guide you as you create your own personalized after death plans and put them in writing.
Use it to begin a conversation with family members about your after death plans.
Use it as a form you'll fill out, copy, and give to the person or persons you've designated to be responsible for carrying out your wishes.
If you come across a term on the planning form you don't understand, go to our Terms & Definitions page for an alphabetical listing. Or, check out After-Death Choices to learn about everything from a Conventional Funeral to Natural/Green Burial.
Go to the Your Rights page to learn about your rights under the law to choose only those after death arrangements that are meaningful for you, and that reflect your wishes for what will happen after your death.
You'll also find information about Federal and Minnesota state laws that regulate the funeral industry - funeral homes, funeral directors, and crematories.
Make it legal Under Minnesota Statutes, you can designate someone to take charge of your body after you die. On the back of the After-Death Arrangements form, there's a place for you to designate a person to carry out your wishes. When the form is signed by you and either witnessed by two people or notarized, the form becomes a legal document.
What about other death planning forms? There are many free after death planning forms available online. Funeral homes also offer planning forms. Most of these forms run to several pages and allow you to check boxes for such specific funeral details as names of pall bearers (presuming you will be buried), and favorite hymns/songs and music (presuming you will have a ceremony of some kind). Long forms can be overwhelming. The important thing is to take the leap and put your basic plans and wishes in writing, and then share them with loved ones. You can change them or add to them anytime. after_death_planning_form_fca_mn.pdf Download File after_death_planning_form_fca_mn.docx Download File