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

1. 1

   Obtain the Medical Certificate of Death and Police or Forensic Clearance

   Every civil registration, public health permit, and funeral procedure in Argentina requires the official Medical Certificate of Death (Certificado Médico de Defunción) and Statistical Death Report signed by a licensed physician [1]:

   • Natural death in a hospital, clinic, or sanatorium: When a death occurs under medical care in a public or private healthcare facility (for example, in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province, Córdoba, Rosario, or Mendoza), the attending physician verifies the death and issues the Medical Certificate of Death after checking the deceased person's National Identity Document (DNI) or passport [1]. With that certificate, the body remains in the hospital mortuary until collected by an authorized funeral home [1].
   • Expected death at a private residence under regular medical care: If your family member was receiving home hospitalization or documented regular care for a diagnosed illness, the treating physician or home-care doctor who attended the patient may verify the death and sign the Medical Certificate of Death without requiring a judicial autopsy [1].
   • Sudden death, death in a public place, unattended death, or violent or suspicious circumstances: Call the police emergency number 911 and the public emergency medical service (SAME 107 in Buenos Aires City and participating municipalities) immediately [1]. In these cases, the local police precinct and the duty criminal prosecutor or judge intervene and order the transfer of the body to the Judicial Morgue (Morgue Judicial) of the Forensic Medical Corps for a mandatory forensic autopsy before issuing the forensic death certificate and the judicial release and burial order [1].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry and Obtain the Official Death Certificate

   Under the Argentine Civil and Commercial Code and National Civil Registry Law 26.413, every death occurring in Argentina must be declared within 48 business hours of verification [1]:

   • Registration with the Civil Registry (Registro del Estado Civil y Capacidad de las Personas): The death declaration is filed with the Civil Registry office having jurisdiction over the place of death (for example, the Civil Registry of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires or the provincial Civil Registries coordinated with the National Registry of Persons - RENAPER) [1]. In standard practice, the licensed funeral home appointed by the family submits the Medical Certificate of Death and the deceased's DNI to record the death entry and immediately obtain the Burial or Cremation Permit (Licencia de Inhumación o Cremación) [1].
   • Obtaining the Death Certificate (Acta o Partida de Defunción): Once the death is registered, the Civil Registry issues the official Death Certificate (Partida de Defunción) (which in most jurisdictions, including Buenos Aires City and Buenos Aires Province, is issued with a verified digital signature valid for pension, banking, and court filings) [1][3]. If the 48-business-hour statutory deadline expires before registration, a special administrative resolution or prior judicial order is required [1].
3. 3

   Appoint a Licensed Funeral Provider, Obtain Sanitary Permits, and Arrange Repatriation or Apostille

   The family must appoint a licensed funeral home (cochería or empresa de servicios fúnebres) to coordinate local burial, cremation, or domestic or international transport [1][2]:

   • Selecting a licensed funeral home and burial or cremation permits: Before signing a private contract, verify whether the deceased had funeral coverage through their health fund (obra social, such as PAMI), labor union, mutual association, life insurance, or travel insurance. To locate licensed funeral providers nationwide, families can consult the Federación Argentina de Entidades de Servicio Fúnebre y Afines (FADEDSFYA) [2]. Clarvia provides institutional directory references for informational orientation only and does not endorse, recommend, or rank commercial providers. Using the Civil Registry permit, the funeral home coordinates cemetery interment or cremation (note that whenever police or judicial intervention occurred, cremation requires explicit authorization from the presiding judge or prosecutor) [1].
   • International repatriation and Hague Apostille: If the deceased was a foreign citizen, if the casketed remains or cremated ashes must be transported abroad, or if the Argentine Death Certificate must be used in another country, legalize the certificate with an electronic Hague Apostille via the Distant Procedures platform (Trámites a Distancia - TAD) of the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto (Cancillería Argentina) [3]. For international casketed repatriation, the funeral home obtains the transfer permit from the local cemetery authority (such as the Directorate General of Cemeteries of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires) and Border Health (Sanidad de Fronteras), submitting the embalming (thanatopraxy) certificate, a medical certificate confirming the absence of contagious disease, a hermetically soldered zinc or metal liner inside the coffin, and the relevant consular clearance [1][3].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security (ANSES / PAMI), Banks, and Insurers

   Once the Death Certificate is issued, notify social security bodies, financial institutions, and insurers in Argentina [4][5][6]:

   • Funeral grant (Subsidio de Contención Familiar) and survivor pension with ANSES: Report the death to the Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social (ANSES) (toll-free helpline 130 or the Mi ANSES portal) so ongoing retirement or pension payments stop immediately and overpayments after the date of death are avoided [4][5]. The person who paid the funeral expenses of an ANSES retiree or pensioner can apply to the Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social (ANSES) for the Family Containment Subsidy (Subsidio de Contención Familiar) within one year [4]. Eligible surviving spouses, registered cohabiting partners, and minor or disabled children can apply for the Derivative Survivor Pension (Pensión Derivada por Fallecimiento de un Jubilado) or Direct Survivor Pension of an active worker (including benefits under International Social Security Agreements when contributions were paid in more than one country) [5][6].
   • Banks, tax authority (AFIP/ARCA), and life insurance policies: Present the Death Certificate to all Argentine banks where the deceased held accounts, fixed-term deposits, or safe-deposit boxes (the Central Bank rules require freezing individual accounts until the probate judge issues a transfer order, whereas life insurance policies with a named beneficiary are paid directly outside the probate estate) and notify the health fund and national tax authority to update the tax ID (CUIT) as an undivided estate (sucesión indivisa) [4][5].
5. 5

   Complete Judicial Probate (Juicio Sucesorio) and Cross-Border Estate Coordination

   Under Argentine succession law (Book Five of the National Civil and Commercial Code), transferring registrable assets (real estate, motor vehicles) and bank balances requires completing judicial probate before the civil courts [1][3]:

   • Intestate or testamentary judicial probate in Argentina: Unlike jurisdictions where probate is handled solely by notaries, succession proceedings in Argentina are conducted before the competent Civil Court of the deceased's last domicile with mandatory legal representation by a licensed attorney [1]. The judge orders the publication of legal notices (edictos), checks the Register of Universal Proceedings and the Register of Last Wills of the local Notary Chamber, and issues the Declaration of Heirs (Declaratoria de Herederos) (or formal approval of a notarial or holographic will), which authorizes transferring title to real estate and releasing bank funds [1].
   • Court fees, inheritance taxes, and foreign heirs or assets: Argentina does not levy a federal inheritance tax, though court filing taxes (tasa de justicia) and professional fees apply (and Buenos Aires Province levies a provincial Tax on the Free Transmission of Assets through ARBA above statutory thresholds). Heirs residing outside Argentina can be represented in the Argentine probate court through a special judicial power of attorney signed before an Argentine consulate or before a foreign notary with a Hague Apostille, and Argentine court orders or certificates needed abroad can be apostilled online via TAD with the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto (Cancillería Argentina) [3][6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Human Remains Transfer Request, Sanitary and Judicial Requirements — Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires
2. [2]
   Argentine Federation of Funeral Service Entities (FADEDSFYA) — FADEDSFYA
3. [3]
   Legalize or Apostille a Document via Trámites a Distancia (TAD) — Argentina.gob.ar - Cancillería Argentina
4. [4]
   Apply for the Family Containment Subsidy (Subsidio de Contención Familiar) — ANSES - Argentina.gob.ar
5. [5]
   Apply for a Derivative Survivor Pension Following the Death of a Retiree — ANSES - Argentina.gob.ar
6. [6]
   Apply for Benefits Under an International Social Security Agreement — ANSES - Argentina.gob.ar