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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Hospital or clinical deaths: When a death occurs in a public or private hospital operating under the clinical standards of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB), the attending physician or hospital pathology unit records the death in the electronic health information system and issues the official Medical Certificate of Death (Ölüm haqqında tibbi şəhadətnamə) [1] [2].
   • Deaths at home (natural causes): If your family member dies at home from a documented natural illness, immediately contact the emergency medical service (103 or 113) and the local territorial polyclinic overseen by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan so a physician can examine the body, verify natural causes, and register the electronic and paper Medical Certificate of Death [1] [2].
   • Unexpected, accidental, or unexplained deaths: If the death is sudden, occurs outside medical supervision, or involves any suspicion of external causes, the police and prosecutor's office must be notified immediately to inspect the scene and refer the body to the Public Legal Entity "Forensic Medical Expertise and Pathological Anatomy Association" under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan for a mandatory forensic autopsy before the medical death certificate is issued [2].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Status Registry

   • Competent authority and statutory deadline: Under the Family Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Cabinet of Ministers regulations, state registration of death is carried out by Civil Status Acts Registration (VVADQ) offices under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including desks inside regional ASAN Service (ASAN xidmət) centers and via the Electronic Government Portal [1] [3]. In practice, families register the death promptly once the medical certificate is issued so burial or transit permits can be completed without delay [1].
   • Required documents for registration: A family member or authorized representative must present: (a) the electronic or original Medical Certificate of Death issued by the medical facility, (b) the deceased person's national identity card (Şəxsiyyət vəsiqəsi) or passport (which is surrendered for official cancellation), and (c) the informant's own identity document [1] [3].
   • Official State Death Certificate: State registration of death and issuance of the official State Death Certificate (Ölüm haqqında şəhadətnamə) by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan are exempt from state duty [1] [3].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial arrangements: Once the Civil Status Acts Registration office under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan issues the State Death Certificate (or the medical death certificate is verified in the electronic registry), the family presents it to the municipal cemetery administration (Bələdiyyə) to obtain a burial plot allocation and register the interment [1] [5].
   • International repatriation of human remains: If your family member was a foreign national or if the remains must be transported outside Azerbaijan, a licensed international funeral provider must obtain: (a) the official State Death Certificate from the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan [1] [3], (b) a sanitary-epidemiological and non-infectious disease permit and embalming certificate under the oversight of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan confirming that the body is hermetically sealed in a zinc-lined coffin [2], and (c) customs clearance plus consular transit documents from the destination country's embassy.
   • Apostille and consular legalization: Because Azerbaijan is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, public documents - look first at civil status certificates and notarial records issued under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan, or documents authenticated through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan depending on document category - must bear an official Apostille for recognition in other Convention states, or consular legalization for non-party states [3].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pension, Tax, and Financial Authorities

   • Funeral allowance (Dəfn müavinəti): If the deceased was an insured employee, old-age or disability pensioner, or recipient of targeted social allowances, the person who undertook the funeral expenses may claim a statutory lump-sum funeral benefit from the State Social Protection Fund (Dövlət Sosial Müdafiə Fondu - DSMF) through any DOST (Dayanıqlı və Operativ Sosial Təminat) Center or ASAN Service center [1] [4].
   • Survivor pension for loss of breadwinner (Ailə başçısını itirməyə görə əmək pensiyası): Eligible surviving dependents - including minor children under age 18 (or up to age 23 if enrolled in full-time education), disabled dependents, and qualifying surviving spouses or parents of retirement age - can apply to the State Social Protection Fund for a survivor labor pension or social allowance [4] [5]. Since electronic civil death registration transmits data via the national e-government platform, many funeral grant and survivor benefit entitlements are initiated proactively, though families should verify bank payout details at a DOST Center [1] [4].
   • Commercial banks and tax obligations: Present the State Death Certificate to commercial banks in Azerbaijan so individual accounts and credit obligations are frozen pending notarial succession, and notify the State Tax Service if the deceased operated as an individual entrepreneur (Fərdi sahibkar) or held rental/business tax obligations [1] [5].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Notarial Succession

   • Strict 6-month deadline to accept inheritance: Under the Civil Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, succession proceedings are administered by a licensed notary office (Notariat ofisi) operating under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the place where the inheritance opened (the deceased person's last permanent residence in Azerbaijan) [1] [3]. Heirs by will (Vəsiyyətnamə) or by law must formally accept the inheritance within 6 months from the date of death by filing a notarized declaration or taking actual possession of estate property [1] [3].
   • Certificate of Right to Inheritance: After the 6-month statutory period closes, the notary verifies kinship documents, checks the unified electronic register of wills, obtains real estate extracts from the State Service on Property Issues, and issues the official Certificate of Right to Inheritance (Miras hüququ haqqında şəhadətnamə) [1] [3]. Under the Tax Code of Azerbaijan, direct inheritance transfers to family members are exempt from personal income or inheritance tax, though statutory state duties and notarial fees apply when issuing the inheritance certificate and re-registering property titles [3] [5].
   • Cross-border heirs and foreign powers of attorney: If an heir resides outside Azerbaijan, they can execute a special Power of Attorney (Etibarnamə) before the 6-month deadline expires - either via the Electronic Notary (Mobil Notariat) system if they hold a valid Azerbaijani ID, at an Azerbaijani embassy or consulate under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, or before a foreign notary with a Hague Apostille and certified Azerbaijani translation - authorizing a representative in Azerbaijan to open the succession file [1] [3].

   Step	Deadline	Authority
   1. Medical Certificate of Death	Immediately after death	Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan / TABIB
   2. Civil Death Registration	Promptly before burial / repatriation	Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASAN Service)
   3. Burial or International Repatriation	Upon issuance of Death Certificate	Municipal Cemetery / Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan
   4. Funeral Grant & Survivor Pension	Promptly after civil registration	State Social Protection Fund (DOST Center)
   5. Notarial Inheritance Acceptance	Within 6 months of date of death	Notary Office under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Electronic Government Portal of the Republic of Azerbaijan - Civil Status, Notary, and Social Services — State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations (ASAN Service)
2. [2]
   Republic of Azerbaijan - Public Health System and Ministry of Health Country Profile — World Health Organization (WHO)
3. [3]
   Republic of Azerbaijan - Competent Authorities for the 1961 Apostille Convention (Ministry of Justice & Ministry of Foreign Affairs) — Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)
4. [4]
   Social Security Programs Throughout the World: Asia and the Pacific - Azerbaijan (Survivor Pensions and Funeral Grants) — International Social Security Association / U.S. Social Security Administration
5. [5]
   Republic of Azerbaijan - Governance, Public Services, and Institutional Overview — The World Bank