U.S. Department of State

U.S. Department of State
 
 

Death Notification

When an American dies abroad, the Bureau of Consular Affairs must locate and inform the next-of-kin. Sometimes discovering the next-of-kin is difficult. If the American’s name is known, the Bureau’s Office of Passport Services will search for his or her passport application. However, the information there may not be current.

We provide guidance to grieving family members on how to make arrangements for local burial or return of the remains to the U.S. The disposition of remains is affected by local laws, customs, and facilities, which are often vastly different from those in the U.S.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs relays the family's instructions and necessary private funds to cover the costs involved to the embassy or consulate. The Department of State has no funds to assist in the return of remains or ashes of American citizens who die abroad. Upon completion of all formalities, the consular officer abroad prepares an official Foreign Service Report of Death, based upon the local death certificate, and sends it to the next-of-kin or legal representative for use in U.S. courts to settle estate matters.

A U.S. consular officer overseas has statutory responsibility for the personal estate of an American who dies abroad if the deceased has no legal representative in the country where the death occurred. The consular officer takes possession of personal effects, such as convertible assets, apparel, jewelry, personal documents and papers. The officer prepares an inventory and then carries out instructions from members of the deceased’s family concerning the effects. A final statement of the account is then sent to the next-of-kin. The Diplomatic Pouch cannot be used to ship personal items, including valuables, but legal documents and correspondence relating to the estate can be transmitted by pouch. In Washington, the Bureau of Consular Affairs gives next-of-kin guidance on procedures to follow in preparing Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, and Affidavits of Next-of-Kin as acceptable evidence of legal claim of an estate.

If you need information what you need to do if a family member has passed on while traveling abroad, please click on the links below:

For information on Deaths Abroad of U.S. Citizens click here.
To read about the Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad, click here.
To read about the Return of Remains of Deceased American, click here.
To read about how to handle the Estates of Deceased Americans, click here.
To read about the Intercountry Transfer of the Proceeds of an Estate, click here.
To fill out the Affidavit of a Surviving Spouse of Next of Kin, click here.

For more information from other government websites, click on the links below: National Archives

When a Foreign National Dies in the U.S.
If federal, state, or local government officials become aware of the death of a foreign national in the United States, they must ensure that the nearest consulate of that national’s country is notified of the death. This will permit the foreign government to make an official record of the death for its own legal purposes. For example, such notice will help ensure that passports and other legal documentation issued by that country are canceled and not reissued to fraudulent claimants. In addition, it may help ensure that the foreign national’s family and legal heirs, if any, in the foreign country are aware of the death and that the death is known for estate purposes in the foreign national’s country.