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

1. 1

   Obtain the Medical Certificate of Death

   • Hospital or inpatient death: When a death occurs in a hospital or clinical facility overseen by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, the attending physician or pathology department issues the official medical certificate of death (Form 106u-10, vrachebnoe svidetelstvo o smerti) [4].
   • Death at home from natural causes: If your family member died at home under regular medical supervision, contact the local polyclinic or emergency medical service (skoraya pomoshch, 103) and the local district police officer (uchastkovy) so that the absence of violent or suspicious circumstances can be recorded and the territorial polyclinic under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus can issue the medical certificate of death [2] [4].
   • Unexpected, sudden, or unexplained death: Where the death occurred suddenly outside a medical facility or involves any external cause, police and forensic authorities transfer the deceased to the State Forensic Examination Committee for a medico-legal autopsy, after which the forensic examiner issues the medical death certificate required for civil registration [2] [4].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry (ZAGS)

   • Competent civil registry authority: Civil registration of death is carried out by the civil status registration offices (ZAGS) operating under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus and regional departments such as the Main Justice Department of the Minsk City Executive Committee [1] [2]. In rural areas, registration may also be completed by the local village or town executive committee [2].
   • Where and when to apply: Under the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Marriage and Family and Presidential Decree No. 200 (Administrative Procedure 5.5), the declaration of death may be filed at the ZAGS office covering the deceased's last registered residence, the place where death occurred, the place where the body was found, or the location of the burial or certifying medical institution [1] [2] [3].
   • Required documents and issuance: Present the applicant's passport, the medical certificate of death (or a final court ruling establishing the fact of death), the deceased's Belarusian passport or residence permit, and the deceased's military registration card if applicable [2] [3]. The ZAGS office registers the death free of charge on the day of application and issues both the official stamped state death certificate (svidetelstvo o smerti) and the dedicated certificate for claiming the statutory funeral allowance (spravka o smerti dlya polucheniya posobiya na pogrebenie) [2] [3]. Additional extracts can also be tracked via the Unified Portal of Electronic Services (E-Pasluga) [3].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Domestic burial or cremation: Using the official state death certificate and medical certificate, coordinate burial at an authorized municipal cemetery or cremation at the Minsk Crematorium through a licensed municipal or private funeral service provider under the Law of the Republic of Belarus on Burial and Funeral Business [2] [4]. Clarvia does not endorse or rank commercial funeral providers.
   • Sanitary and transport clearance for international repatriation: If your family member's remains or cremated ashes must be transported outside Belarus, a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin (for uncremated remains), an official certificate of absence of infectious disease and sanitary-epidemiological clearance from the hygiene and epidemiological authorities under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, and a customs solder seal certificate are required [4].
   • Apostille and consular legalization: If the Belarusian death certificate must be used in another country, obtain a Hague Apostille from the Main Justice Department of the Minsk City Executive Committee, the regional justice department under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with a notarized translation into the destination country's language [1] [2].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pension, Tax, and Banking Institutions

   • Statutory funeral allowance (posobie na pogrebenie): The person who assumes responsibility for the funeral expenses may claim the state funeral grant (equal to the average monthly national wage in the Republic of Belarus for the second month preceding the month of death) within six months of death by submitting the original ZAGS funeral certificate [2] [3] [5]. For employed persons, the grant is paid through the employer via the Social Protection Fund of the Republic of Belarus; for pensioners or unemployed individuals, it is paid through the local labour, employment, and social protection committee [5].
   • Survivor pensions and unpaid pension arrears: Eligible dependent family members (such as minor children, full-time students, or a surviving spouse of pensionable age or with a disability) may apply to the local department of labour, employment, and social protection and the Social Protection Fund of the Republic of Belarus for a survivor pension (pensiya po sluchayu poteri kormiltsa) and any unpaid monthly pension accrued up to the month of death [5].
   • Banks, tax authorities, and utilities: Present certified copies of the state death certificate to Belarusian commercial banks to freeze sole accounts and stop automatic debits, and notify housing and communal utility billing offices (RSU / ERIP) and district tax inspectorates regarding property and land tax obligations [2] [6].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Notarial Succession

   • Mandatory six-month inheritance deadline: Under the Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus, heirs must file a formal declaration of acceptance of inheritance or an application for a Certificate of Right to Inheritance (svidetelstvo o prave na nasledstvo) with a notary of the Belarusian Notary Chamber at the place where the inheritance opens (the deceased's last registered permanent residence in Belarus) within strictly six months from the date of death [6].
   • Required succession documents: Provide the notary of the Belarusian Notary Chamber with the official ZAGS death certificate, the will (if one was executed), civil status certificates proving kinship (for intestate succession or compulsory share claims), a certificate of the deceased's last place of residence, and title deeds or registry extracts for real estate, vehicles, and bank deposits [6].
   • Taxation and cross-border coordination: Belarus does not levy an inheritance tax on property inherited by either Belarusian citizens or foreign nationals, though statutory notarial tariffs apply for issuing the Certificate of Right to Inheritance [6]. Heirs residing abroad may act in person or grant a notarized, apostilled power of attorney (with a certified translation into Russian or Belarusian) to a representative in Belarus to complete the succession before the Belarusian Notary Chamber [1] [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Department on Notary and Registry Offices — Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus
2. [2]
   Documents Required for Registration of Death of a Citizen of the Republic of Belarus — Main Justice Department of the Minsk City Executive Committee
3. [3]
   Administrative Procedure 5.13: Issuance of Certificates of Birth and Death — Unified Portal of Electronic Services (E-Pasluga)
4. [4]
   Official Portal of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus — Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus
5. [5]
   Social Protection Fund of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection — Social Protection Fund of the Republic of Belarus
6. [6]
   Procedure for Processing Inheritance and Issuing Certificates of Right to Inheritance — Belarusian Notary Chamber