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

1. 1

   Medical Verification and Certification of Death

   • Death in a hospital: When a death occurs in a public hospital or private clinic supervised by the Ministry of Health, the attending physician immediately issues the medical declaration or certificate of death, stating the identity of the deceased person, the date and time of death, and the clinical cause of death [1].
   • Death at home: If your family member died at home from known natural causes under prior medical supervision, the family must contact the attending doctor or the local health unit under the Ministry of Health to verify the death and issue the medical death certificate [1] [2].
   • Forensic and judicial intervention: If the death occurred without prior medical attendance, in a public place, or under sudden or suspicious circumstances, it must be reported to the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) and the Public Prosecutor's Office, and the body is referred to the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences under the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights before a civil registration permit is issued [1] [3].
2. 2

   Official Death Registration and Death Certificates

   • Place of declaration and 72-hour statutory deadline: In Angola, a death must be declared within the statutory 72-hour period at the Civil Registry Office (Conservatória do Registo Civil) for the area where the death occurred or at an integrated counter of the Integrated Citizen Service System, overseen by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights [2] [3].
   • Documents required for the death record: The family declarant must submit the original and a copy of the medical death certificate, the Identity Card (Bilhete de Identidade, personal booklet, or birth certificate) of the deceased person, and the declarant's valid Identity Card [2].
   • Issuance of the burial permit and death certificates: Once the death entry (assento de óbito) is recorded, the registry office or the Integrated Citizen Service System issues the burial permit free of charge and provides full narrative death certificates, which are required for all social security, banking, and tax procedures [2] [3].
3. 3

   Funeral Arrangements, Burial, Cremation, and Repatriation

   • Burial or cremation permit: No burial or cremation may take place in a municipal cemetery without the burial permit issued by the Civil Registry Office and compliance with public health rules established by the Ministry of Health and the competent municipal administration [1] [2].
   • Sanitary timeframes and mortuary arrangements: Burial normally takes place after the statutory medical observation period in coordination with a licensed funeral agency and the municipal cemetery services [1] [2].
   • Inter-provincial transfer or international repatriation: Transporting human remains between provinces or abroad requires a special sanitary transit permit issued by the health authority of the Ministry of Health, placement in a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin, and, where documents are to be used abroad, consular legalization through the Ministry of External Relations [1] [3].
4. 4

   Social Security (INSS), Banks, and Insurance Companies

   • Funeral allowance and death grant: If the deceased person was an insured worker or pensioner under Compulsory Social Protection, eligible family members should apply to the National Institute of Social Security (or at counters of the Integrated Citizen Service System) for the funeral grant (subsídio de funeral) and death grant (subsídio por morte) under Decree No. 50/05 [2] [4].
   • Temporary or lifetime survivor pension: The surviving spouse (or recognized de facto partner), minor or student children, and dependent ascendants may apply for a survivor pension (pensão de sobrevivência) from the National Institute of Social Security in accordance with the regulations supervised by the Ministry of Public Administration, Labour and Social Security [4] [5].
   • Notifying banks and insurers: The family should notify Angolan banks and insurance companies by submitting the official death certificate; individual bank accounts remain frozen until the notarial deed of heirship and tax clearance certificate are presented [3] [6].
5. 5

   Qualification of Heirs, Estate Partition, and Tax Obligations

   • Notarial deed of heirship (habilitação de herdeiros): To establish legal standing as statutory or testamentary heirs, the head of the estate (cabeça-de-casal) must execute a notarial deed of heirship before a Notary Office under the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (or initiate judicial inventory proceedings before the District Court if there are minor or incapacitated heirs or a dispute) [3].
   • Inheritance and Donations Tax (AGT): The head of the estate or beneficiaries must report the gratuitous transfer of assets to the competent Tax Office of the General Tax Administration, where progressive rates apply (10% to 15% for spouses, descendants, and ascendants above the statutory exemption threshold in Fiscal Correction Units, or 20% to 30% for other transfers) [6].
   • Partition deed, land registry, and cross-border coordination: Following payment or issuance of an exemption certificate by the General Tax Administration, the heirs execute the deed of partition and update property titles at the Land Registry (Conservatória do Registo Predial) under the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, ensuring any foreign powers of attorney or documents are duly legalized [3] [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Official Portal and Public Hospital Network of Angola — Ministério da Saúde (MINSA)
2. [2]
   Civil Registry Services: Requirements and Deadlines for Death Registration — Sistema Integrado de Atendimento ao Cidadão (SIAC)
3. [3]
   Registry and Notary Services Portal — Ministério da Justiça e dos Direitos Humanos (MINJUSDH)
4. [4]
   Decree No. 50/05 - Legal Regime on Death Protection, Funeral Grant, and Survivor Pension — Instituto Nacional de Segurança Social (INSS)
5. [5]
   Eligible Dependent Family Members for the Survivor Pension — Ministério da Administração Pública, Trabalho e Segurança Social (MAPTSS)
6. [6]
   Inheritance and Donations Tax: Scope, Exemptions, and Rates — Ministério das Finanças / Administração Geral Tributária (AGT)