Short answer. Yes, if the relatives were legally obliged to support the deceased and were not aware of your payment at the time you made it. Under Article 2165 of the Civil Code, those relatives must reimburse you if you claim reimbursement — provided those two conditions are met.
What the law says
When funeral expenses are borne by a third person, without the knowledge of those relatives who were obliged to give support to the deceased, said relatives shall reimburse the third person, should the latter claim reimbursement.
Civil Code, Article 2165 — Funeral Expenses Paid by a Stranger. Read the full provision →
The conditions that trigger the reimbursement right
Article 2165 grants a reimbursement right to any third person who pays funeral expenses — but it sets two conditions. First, the funeral must have been paid without the knowledge of the relatives who were legally obliged to support the deceased. Second, those relatives must be people who were actually obliged to give support under the law. If the relatives knew about the funeral arrangements and simply refused to act, the 'without knowledge' condition may not be satisfied, which would complicate the recovery claim. The simpler case is one where the relatives were genuinely absent or unreachable.
Who are the relatives obliged to support
The reimbursement obligation falls on relatives who had a legal duty to support the deceased while alive. Under the Family Code, the obligation of support runs among spouses, ascendants and descendants, and siblings. These are the people the law considers primarily responsible for ensuring a family member's needs are met — including funeral expenses after death. If the deceased had no surviving relatives with a legal support obligation, Article 2165 does not provide a clear path for recovering funeral costs from distant relatives or non-obligors.
You must affirmatively claim reimbursement
Article 2165 makes reimbursement conditional on the third person actually claiming it — the relatives are not obliged to offer payment unprompted. If you paid for the funeral but never demanded reimbursement, you may be considered to have paid as a voluntary act of generosity. To protect your right, you should make the claim as soon as practical after the funeral. Document your expenses with receipts, and communicate your intention to seek reimbursement from the responsible relatives clearly and in writing, so that there is a record of the demand.
Practical considerations for recovery
If the relatives refuse to reimburse you despite a proper demand, you may need to pursue a civil action to recover the amounts you spent. The amount you can recover should correspond to reasonable funeral expenses — amounts that are appropriate given the deceased's circumstances and local custom. Extravagant expenditures beyond what was reasonably necessary may be harder to recover in full. Gathering your receipts, documenting the circumstances that led you to pay without the relatives' involvement, and showing that you made a proper demand are all important steps in building a recovery claim.