What to Do When a Citizen of United States Dies in Brazil: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Medical Verification of Death and Release by the SVO or IML in Brazil

   In Brazil, no body may be removed for funeral preparation, buried, cremated, or registered at a civil registry office without the prior issuance of the official medical declaration of death (Declaração de Óbito - DO), a three-copy medical form standardized by the Ministry of Health [2]:

   • Death in a hospital or healthcare facility: The attending or on-duty physician verifies the death and completes the Declaração de Óbito (DO) directly [2]. Present the deceased person's U.S. passport (and Brazilian National Migration Registry Card - CRNM or CPF tax number, if held) so that the spelling of the name and parentage matches the official documents exactly [1][2].
   • Natural death at a residence or hotel: If the deceased was under regular medical care at that location, the attending physician may issue the DO [2]. If the death occurred without prior medical attendance, call the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU, phone 192); the body is referred to the municipal or state Death Verification Service (Serviço de Verificação de Óbito - SVO, such as the SVO in São Paulo or state capitals) to determine the natural cause of death and issue the DO [2].
   • Death in a public place or sudden, accidental, violent, or suspicious death: Call the Military Police (190) immediately and do not disturb the scene [1][2]. A police report (Boletim de Ocorrência - BO) is filed at the Civil Police station (or Tourist Police precinct), which orders a mandatory forensic autopsy at the Forensic Medical Institute (Instituto Médico Legal - IML) of the state Scientific Police, the sole body legally authorized to issue the DO and release the remains in such cases [1][2]. Note that if the family chooses cremation in Brazil, Brazilian law requires the DO to be signed by two physicians or by one forensic pathologist, and in the case of a violent death handled by the IML, express judicial authorization is required [2].
2. 2

   Insurance Check, Appointing Funeral Homes in Brazil and the United States, and Consular Contact

   Before making private financial commitments for international air transport, check for insurance coverage and establish coordination between funeral providers in both countries [1][6]:

   • Travel or repatriation insurance: Verify whether your family member held international travel insurance, credit card medical assistance, or a corporate policy covering funerary repatriation, and contact the insurer's 24-hour assistance center immediately. The United States government has no public funds to pay for funeral, cremation, or international repatriation expenses [1][6].
   • Appointing funeral providers in Brazil and the United States: To carry out international repatriation (or a local funeral), appoint the municipal funeral service of the local city hall or a Brazilian funeral company licensed for international air transport (a sector represented nationally by the Associação Brasileira de Empresas e Diretores do Setor Funerário - ABREDIF), working in direct coordination with a licensed receiving funeral home in the destination state in the United States [1][7][8]. The Embaixada e Consulados dos EUA no Brasil (U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil) maintain informational lists of local funeral directors in each consular district [1], and in the United States you can locate licensed funeral homes through the directory of the National Funeral Directors Association (phone +1 262-789-1880 or 800-228-6332) [7]. Clarvia provides public directory references for informational guidance only and does not endorse or rank commercial providers. In the United States, the receiving funeral home is subject to the consumer protection requirements of the Funeral Rule enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (phone +1 877-382-4357), which guarantees the right to receive a written, itemized General Price List and to purchase only the services you select [8].
   • Notifying the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in Brazil: Report the death as soon as possible to the American Citizens Services unit of the Embaixada e Consulados dos EUA no Brasil (Embassy in Brasília at +55 61 3312-7000 or after-hours emergency duty officer at +55 61 3312-7400, or the Consulates General in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and Porto Alegre) [1]. If the legal next of kin is in the United States and cannot travel to Brazil, they must execute a notarized authorization or power of attorney (with a Hague Apostille if required by the Brazilian registry office) authorizing the Brazilian funeral home or a local representative to register the death, claim the body, and arrange repatriation or cremation [1][4].
3. 3

   Registration at the Civil Registry Office in Brazil, Hague Apostille, and Issuance of the CRDA (DS-2060)

   The death must be recorded in the Brazilian civil registry prior to burial, cremation, or international shipment, and then documented by the U.S. consular authorities [1][2][6]:

   • Death Certificate (Certidão de Óbito) at the Civil Registry Office (ARPEN Brasil): Using the medical Declaração de Óbito (DO), the deceased's passport, and the declarant's identification (or the funeral home's power of attorney), the death is registered at the Civil Registry Office of Natural Persons (Cartório de Registro Civil das Pessoas Naturais) having jurisdiction over the place of death, integrated nationally through the Portal Oficial do Registro Civil (ARPEN Brasil) [2]. Under the Brazilian Public Registries Law (Law No. 6,015/1973), registration must take place within the ordinary period of 24 hours after death or, where that is not possible, within 15 days (up to 3 months in locations more than 30 km from the registry office), and the first copy of the Certidão de Óbito is free of charge [2]. Request additional full-text certified copies (certidões em inteiro teor) if needed.
   • Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA, Form DS-2060) and Hague Apostille: Submit the original Brazilian Certidão de Óbito, the medical Declaração de Óbito stating the cause of death, and the deceased's U.S. passport to the U.S. consular office in Brazil (overseen by the U.S. Department of State, phone +1 888-407-4747 in the US/Canada or +1 202-501-4444 from abroad) [1][6]. The consulate cancels the passport and electronically issues the Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA, Form DS-2060) in English, an official document accepted by Probate Courts, banks, insurers, and federal agencies across all U.S. states (as well as state Vital Records offices listed on USA.gov) [1][6]. For additional Brazilian certificates needed for direct legal use in the United States, request a Hague Apostille (Apostila da Haia) at an authorized Brazilian notary or registry office regulated by the Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ) (National Council of Justice, or registration through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Itamaraty where applicable) [4][5].
4. 4

   Choosing Between International Repatriation to the United States and Local Burial or Cremation in Brazil

   International transport of human remains or cremated ashes between Brazil and the United States requires simultaneous compliance with Brazilian public health rules (ANVISA) and U.S. entry rules (CDC and CBP) [1][9][10]:

   • Repatriation of the body (embalmed in a zinc-lined coffin) from Brazil to the United States:

   1. Public health and police requirements in Brazil (ANVISA): Under the sanitary regulations of the Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency - ANVISA, phone 0800 642 9782, regulatory framework established under RDC No. 33/2011 and consolidated in RDC No. 662/2022 for ports, airports, and borders), international transport of a body requires: (a) the Certidão de Óbito and Declaração de Óbito stating the cause of death; (b) an Embalming / Preservation Record (Ata de Conservação / Embalsamamento) signed by a physician or licensed technician; (c) a Certificate of Non-Existence of Communicable Disease (Atestado de Inexistência de Doença Infectocontagiosa); (d) placement in an impermeable funerary casket with a hermetically sealed metal (zinc) liner; and (e) a Mortuary Transit Permit (Guia de Livre-Trânsito Mortuário) issued by the competent police/health authority and inspected by ANVISA at the international departure airport (such as Guarulhos in São Paulo or Galeão in Rio de Janeiro) [9]. 2. U.S. Consular Mortuary Certificate and entry (CDC 42 CFR 71.55): The funeral home presents the Brazilian documents (with English translations where required) to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate for issuance of the Consular Mortuary Certificate [1][10]. Under the federal regulations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 42 CFR 71.55, phone 800-232-4636), embalmed human remains in a hermetically sealed casket accompanied by the official death certificate stating the cause of death and the consular mortuary documentation may enter the United States without a separate prior CDC permit, provided the death did not result from a quarantinable communicable disease [10]. At the U.S. arrival airport, the receiving U.S. funeral home completes clearance with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and obtains the state burial-transit permit [7][10].

   • Transport of cremated ashes to the United States: If cremation takes place in Brazil, the ashes are placed in a sealed non-metallic urn (allowing X-ray security screening at airports), accompanied by the Certidão de Óbito, the Cremation Certificate (Certificado de Cremação), the CRDA (DS-2060), and the customs declaration, and are exempt from a CDC import permit [1][9][10].
   • Local burial or cremation in Brazil: If the family opts for final disposition in Brazil, burial normally takes place within 24 to 36 hours after death using the Burial Permit (Guia de Sepultamento) issued by the Civil Registry Office, while still requesting the CRDA (DS-2060) from the U.S. consulate to settle financial and legal matters in the United States [1][2][6].
5. 5

   Post-Death Notifications, Survivor Pensions, Taxes, and Probate in the United States and Brazil

   With the CRDA (Form DS-2060) and the apostilled Brazilian Certidão de Óbito in hand, complete the social security, tax, and estate procedures in both countries:

   • In the United States (SSA, VA, IRS, and State Probate Court):
     • Social Security Administration (SSA): Report the death immediately to stop monthly payments (any benefit paid for the month of death or later must be returned) and to claim survivor benefits or the USD 255 lump-sum death payment from the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (or through the Federal Benefits Unit - FBU covering Brazil if beneficiaries reside abroad) [11].
     • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): If your family member served in the U.S. Armed Forces, contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at +1 800-827-1000 to check eligibility for burial in a national cemetery, a government headstone, burial allowances (VA Form 21P-530EZ), and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) survivor benefits [12].
     • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state Probate Court: The estate representative must file the deceased person's final federal income tax return (IRS Form 1040) with the Internal Revenue Service (phone +1 800-829-1040) by April 15 of the year following death (and Form 1041 if the estate earns gross income of USD 600 or more after death) [13]. For U.S. bank accounts and assets without a direct payable-on-death beneficiary, open probate (or file a Small Estate Affidavit depending on state thresholds) in the Probate Court (or Surrogate's Court) of the county of U.S. domicile [6][13].
   • In Brazil (if the deceased held assets, bank accounts, or social security coverage in Brazil):
     • INSS and FGTS/PIS: If the deceased was insured under the Brazilian social security system, eligible dependents may apply for a Survivor Pension (Pensão por Morte) from the Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS) via the Meu INSS portal (gov.br) or by calling 135 (within 90 days of death to receive benefits retroactive to the date of death, or within 180 days for children under age 16) [3], as well as claim any remaining FGTS or PIS/PASEP balances.
     • Estate inventory within 2 months (ITCMD), Notary Office (Cartório de Notas), and Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal): If the deceased left real estate, vehicles, or bank accounts in Brazil, estate inventory proceedings (inventário) must be opened within the statutory deadline of 2 months (60 days) from the date of death to avoid state late-filing penalties on inheritance tax (ITCMD) [4]. Where all heirs agree and are assisted by a lawyer, an extrajudicial inventory may be executed by public deed at any Notary Office (Cartório de Notas, or online via the e-Notariado platform of the Colégio Notarial do Brasil - CNB), concluding Brazilian tax obligations with the Final Estate Tax Return (Declaração Final de Espólio) filed with the Receita Federal [4].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death of a U.S. Citizen in Brazil (CRDA Form DS-2060 and Repatriation of Remains) — Embaixada e Consulados dos EUA no Brasil
2. [2]
   CNJ Service: Legal Procedures Following a Person's Death (Civil Registration and Death Certificate) — Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ)
3. [3]
   Apply for Urban Survivor Pension (Pensão por Morte - INSS) — Portal Gov.br - Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS)
4. [4]
   Notarial Services: Extrajudicial Estate Inventory, Powers of Attorney, and Hague Apostille — Colégio Notarial do Brasil - Conselho Federal (CNB/CF)
5. [5]
   Hague Apostille: Regulations and Authorized Registry Offices in Brazil — Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ)
6. [6]
   Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (Consular Report of Death Abroad - DS-2060) — U.S. Department of State
7. [7]
   National Directory of Licensed Funeral Homes (NFDA) — National Funeral Directors Association
8. [8]
   Consumer Protection Rules in Funeral Services (The FTC Funeral Rule) — Federal Trade Commission
9. [9]
   Sanitary Control and Transport of Human Remains at Ports, Airports, and Borders — Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA - Gov.br)
10. [10]
    Requirements for Importing Human Remains and Cremated Ashes into the United States (42 CFR 71.55) — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
11. [11]
    Reporting a Death and U.S. Social Security Survivor Benefits — Social Security Administration (SSA)
12. [12]
    Burial and Survivor Benefits for U.S. Veterans — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
13. [13]
    Filing a Final Federal Income Tax Return (Form 1040) for Someone Who Has Died — Internal Revenue Service (IRS)