The honour goes to the cities of Leuven and Lier, where doctors and funeral directors submitted the first digital death declarations this week. This marks a historic milestone in the digitisation of one of Flanders’ most sensitive administrative processes.
First deaths reported digitally via eLys, symbolically on November 1
Today, November 1 — the day Flanders commemorates its deceased — the first deaths have been reported entirely online via eLys, the new platform that makes death registration simpler, faster and more secure.
"It is symbolic that eLys officially goes live today. On a day of remembrance, we also bring innovation: a digital solution that combines humanity with efficiency. Less paperwork means more peace, attention and time to say goodbye."
Björn De Vidts
CEO Athumi
Phased rollout: from Leuven and Lier to all of Flanders
eLys is an initiative of local authorities, the funeral sector, medical professionals, and the Flemish and federal governments. The platform was developed by Athumi, a public data utility company responsible for secure public-private data sharing.
Thanks to this collaboration, doctors, funeral directors and municipalities can now work together digitally when registering a death. The doctor completes the death certificate in eLys, after which the information automatically becomes available to the funeral director and the municipal administration. This eliminates duplicate entries and makes the process faster, more accurate and fully transparent.
Following the successful launch in Leuven and Lier, the first digital death registrations in the Antwerp district will follow on December 1. From January 1, 2026, the use of eLys will be mandatory for all Flemish municipalities.
"Thanks to eLys, doctors can submit death certificates quickly and accurately online. This makes the administrative process much simpler and more efficient for everyone."
dr. Lynn Vercauteren
Chair of the Pallieterland and Surroundings General Practitioners’ Association
Funeral directors are also enthusiastic:
"Our collaboration with the city was already going well, but with eLys everything moves even faster. We can support families more quickly and avoid administrative delays. It’s a major step forward for us and the families we serve."
Mario De Meuter
Uitvaartzorg Bosmans
A symbolic launch on November 1
The launch date of November 1 was deliberately chosen: a day that centres on remembrance and connection — values that eLys also seeks to embody in its digital services.
About eLys
eLys is the new digital platform for death registration in Flanders. It was developed by Athumi, Europe’s first data utility company, commissioned by the Flemish government and local authorities, in collaboration with the funeral sector, doctors and hospitals. Athumi ensures secure and ethical data exchange.
More information: eLys – platform for death registration | Athumi
The realisation of eLys was made possible thanks to the cooperation of the funeral sector (represented by Funebra, Uitvaartunie Vlaanderen and VNOC), the medical sector (with Domus Medica and Zorgnet-Icuro as umbrella organisations), the Flemish cities and municipalities (VVSG, City of Leuven and City of Lier), and the Flemish and federal governments (including the Department of Care, the Agency for Domestic Administration, Digital Flanders, Statbel, the Federal Public Service Health and eHealth) — in collaboration with Cronos Public Services, Kunlabora, CEVI and Remmicom.
The project was developed as part of the Town Hall of the Future programme — an initiative of Flemish Resilience, the Flemish government’s recovery policy, funded by the European Union through NextGenerationEU.