What to Do When Someone Dies in Andorra: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtaining the Medical Certificate of Death

   • Death in a hospital or socio-health facility: If your family member died at the Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell or in a residential care center integrated within the Servei Andorrà d'Atenció Sanitària, the attending hospital physicians verify the death and directly issue the official medical death certificate required to begin civil and funeral formalities [1] [4].
   • Death at a private residence: When a death occurs at home in any of the parishes of Andorra, relatives must contact the primary care physician or the emergency medical services of the Servei Andorrà d'Atenció Sanitària so a doctor can attend the residence, confirm natural causes of death, and sign the corresponding medical certificate [1] [4].
   • Sudden, violent, or unexplained death requiring judicial involvement: Where a death occurs without prior medical attendance or where there are signs of non-natural causes, the police service intervenes alongside the forensic physician and the duty magistrate (batlle de guàrdia) of the Batllia d'Andorra, which must authorize removal of the body and issue a judicial burial or cremation clearance [1] [5].
2. 2

   Registering the Death with the Civil Registry and Obtaining Certificates

   • Mandatory declaration before the civil registry: Every death occurring in the Principality must be declared and registered with the Registre Civil d'Andorra (located in the Obac administrative building in Escaldes-Engordany / Andorra la Vella) prior to burial or cremation; in practice, the authorized funeral company usually files the initial declaration on the family's behalf [1] [2].
   • Documents required for civil registration: To register the death with the Registre Civil d'Andorra, you must submit the original medical certificate of death, the deceased person's passport or national identity document (together with their Andorran residence or social security card if resident in the country), and the identification details of the declarant [1] [2].
   • Requesting literal and multilingual death certificates: Once the registration is completed, relatives can request from the Registre Civil d'Andorra multiple copies of the full literal death certificate (certificat literal de defunció, required for domestic banks, insurers, and succession deeds) as well as international multilingual extracts when documents must be used abroad [1] [2].
3. 3

   Funeral Services, Burial or Cremation Permits, and International Repatriation

   • Engaging a funeral provider and public health permits: Following medical certification and civil registration, the funeral provider coordinates with public health and parish (Comú) authorities to transfer the deceased to the mortuary facility and obtain the burial permit for the relevant parish cemetery or the administrative authorization for cremation [1].
   • Requirements for cremation: If the wishes of the deceased person or next of kin are to proceed with cremation, the medical certificate must expressly confirm the absence of forensic impediments or incompatible implanted medical devices, supported by prior administrative clearance [1].
   • International repatriation of remains or ashes: When your family member resided outside the Principality or is to be transported to Spain, France, or another country for burial, the funeral company obtains the sanitary mortuary transit permit (salvoconducto mortuorio) from the authorities of the Govern d'Andorra and arranges for the Hague Apostille to be affixed to the death certificate issued by the Registre Civil d'Andorra, coordinating any consular paperwork required by the destination country [1] [2].
4. 4

   Notifying Social Security, Survivor Pensions, and Andorran Banks

   • De-registering the insured person and claiming survivor pensions: Relatives must notify the Caixa Andorrana de Seguretat Social to close the deceased person's direct insurance or pension record and apply for survivor benefits (pensions de reversió), which include temporary or lifetime widowhood pensions (depending on age and duration of the marriage or registered partnership) and orphan pensions for minor or student children [3].
   • Funeral expense reimbursements and supplementary benefits: If the deceased contributed to or received a contributory pension under the Andorran social security system, family members who paid the funeral invoice may check with the Caixa Andorrana de Seguretat Social regarding reimbursement entitlements or death grants based on the insured person's contribution history [3].
   • Protective account freezes and bank balance certificates: Upon presenting the literal death certificate to banks and insurance companies operating in the Principality, individual accounts held by the deceased are frozen pending estate settlement, and institutions issue official certificates of balances and financial holdings as of the date of death for the estate inventory [1] [2].
5. 5

   Administering the Estate and Succession in Andorra

   • Checking the wills registry and executing notarial deeds: After the funeral, family members should contact a notary chambered in the Principality to check the wills registry of the Chamber of Notaries (Cambra de Notaris) to determine whether the deceased executed a will in Andorra, and to prepare the public deed of acceptance and distribution of the estate [1] [5].
   • Intestate succession and declaration of heirs: If your family member died without leaving a valid will, legal heirs must complete a notarial declaration of intestate heirs before an Andorran notary or, where disputes arise regarding forced-heirship shares (legítima) or asset division, bring the matter before the civil division of the Batllia d'Andorra [5].
   • Tax framework and cross-border estate coordination: Although the Principality of Andorra does not levy a direct state inheritance tax on transfers to family members, heirs must settle applicable notarial fees and parish or property transfer charges; furthermore, if real estate, bank accounts, or heirs are located outside Andorra, it is essential to coordinate the apostilled Andorran notarial deeds with the tax and succession rules of the other jurisdictions involved [2] [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Civil Registry - Death of a Loved One (Defunció d'un ésser estimat) — Govern d'Andorra
2. [2]
   Application for a Death Certificate - Civil Registry of Andorra — Govern d'Andorra
3. [3]
   Reversionary Survivor Pensions (Widowhood and Orphanhood) — Caixa Andorrana de Seguretat Social (CASS)
4. [4]
   Healthcare Programs - Andorran Healthcare Service (SAAS) — Servei Andorrà d'Atenció Sanitària (SAAS)
5. [5]
   Administration of Justice of Andorra - The Batllia and Courts — Administració de Justícia d'Andorra (justicia.ad)