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

1. 1

   Medical Verification of Death and Issuance of the Medical Death Certificate

   • Death in a public hospital or private clinic: When a death occurs from natural causes in a facility under the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene (Ministère de la Santé et de l'Hygiène Publique, such as the Yalgado Ouédraogo University Hospital Centre or the Tengandogo University Hospital Centre in Ouagadougou, the Souro Sanou University Hospital Centre in Bobo-Dioulasso, or a Regional Hospital Centre) or in an approved private clinic, the attending or on-duty physician issues the official medical certificate of death (certificat médical de décès) stating the identity of the deceased person, the date, the time, and the cause of death, before the body is transferred to the hospital morgue [4] [5].
   • Natural death at home: If the death occurs at the family home, relatives must call a physician or go to the nearest Health and Social Promotion Centre (CSPS) or Medical Centre with Surgical Unit (CMA) of the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene so that a practitioner can medically verify the death and issue the medical certificate required for civil registration [2] [4].
   • Suspicious, violent, or public-place death: In the event of an accidental, violent, or sudden death without a known medical record or occurring in a public place, the body must not be moved without the intervention of the National Police or National Gendarmerie and the State Prosecutor (Procureur du Faso) at the competent High Court (Tribunal de Grande Instance, supervised by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights). A judicial requisition then orders a medico-legal examination or autopsy prior to the issuance of the judicial burial permit [1] [2].
2. 2

   Declaring the Death with the Civil Status Officer in Burkina Faso

   • Competent authority (Municipality or municipal civil status centre): Under the Personal and Family Code of Burkina Faso (Code des personnes et de la famille - Zatu AN VII 0013), every death occurring on national territory must be declared to the civil status officer at the main civil status centre (municipality or district hall, for example in Ouagadougou or Bobo-Dioulasso) or the secondary civil status centre of the place where the death occurred [1] [2].
   • Statutory declaration deadline: The death declaration must be submitted within the statutory period of 15 days (or up to two months under the applicable provisions of the Personal and Family Code before a court judgment is required) from the date of death, and in practice immediately in order to obtain the burial permit; once the statutory deadline has expired, registration may only take place pursuant to a declaratory judgment of death (jugement déclaratif de décès) issued by the competent court under the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights [1] [2].
   • Supporting documents and obtaining the Death Certificate: The declarant (surviving spouse, ascendant, descendant, or close relative) presents the medical certificate of death or judicial requisition, the Burkinabè National Identity Card (Carte Nationale d'Identité Burkinabè - CNIB) or passport and birth certificate extract of the deceased person, and their own CNIB [2]. The civil status officer records the entry in the register and issues the full copies and extracts of the death certificate (acte de décès) required for social security and inheritance procedures [2].
3. 3

   Funeral Arrangements, Sanitary Permits, and International Repatriation

   • Burial permit and burial in a municipal cemetery: Upon presentation of the medical certificate of death and registration of the declaration with the civil registry, the municipality issues the burial permit (permis d'inhumer) authorising burial in a municipal cemetery in compliance with the public hygiene rules issued by the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene [2] [4].
   • Authorisations for cremation: Any request for cremation or international transfer for incineration requires the written expression of the wishes of the deceased person or next of kin, a medical certificate confirming natural death and the absence of a pacemaker, administrative authorisation, and, where a preliminary investigation took place, approval from the State Prosecutor [1] [4].
   • International repatriation and consular legalisation: When a Burkinabè national dies abroad or a body must be transferred outside Burkina Faso, the process requires a medical certificate of non-contagion, an embalming certificate (certificat de soins de conservation), placement in a hermetically sealed metal-lined coffin, and a mortuary laissez-passer, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso (Ministère des Affaires Étrangères du Burkina Faso) and the territorially competent consulate [2] [4]. Because Burkina Faso is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, civil status records and public documents intended for use abroad (or executed abroad) are subject to diplomatic and consular legalisation through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso and diplomatic missions [2].
4. 4

   Procedures with the CNSS, CARFO, Banks, and Insurance Companies

   • Survivor pension or survivor grant at the CNSS: If your family member was an insured private-sector employee or retiree affiliated with the National Social Security Fund (Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale - CNSS), eligible survivors may apply for a survivor pension (pension de survivants, if the insured person held an old-age or disability pension or had completed at least 180 months of insurance) or, failing that, a single lump-sum survivor grant (allocation de survivants) [3]. Under the regulations of the National Social Security Fund (Law No. 004-2021/AN on the social security scheme), the survivor pension is apportioned at 50% for the surviving spouse (divided equally and definitively where there are multiple widows) and 50% for dependent orphans (or 25% per dependent direct ascendant where the insured person dies unmarried and without children) [3].
   • Civil servants and public employees (CARFO): When the deceased person was a civil servant, magistrate, or military officer affiliated with the Autonomous Pension Fund for Civil Servants (Caisse Autonome de Retraite des Fonctionnaires - CARFO), survivors file a claim for the death lump sum (capital décès) and survivor pension with CARFO, enclosing the death certificate, the certificate of heirship, and the family council minutes [1] [3].
   • Bank accounts and insurance policies: Burkinabè banks and insurance companies should be notified of the death by submitting an extract of the death certificate; individual bank accounts are frozen until presentation of the certificate of heirship and the partition deed or power of attorney of the heirs, while life insurance proceeds are paid to the named beneficiaries [1] [3].
5. 5

   Opening and Settling the Estate in Burkina Faso

   • Succession rules under the Personal and Family Code: In Burkina Faso, the Personal and Family Code mandatorily governs intestate succession by protecting the rights of the surviving spouse and children (without discrimination), while regulating the compulsory reserve share and disposable portion when a will exists [1].
   • Family council, certificate of heirship, and court or notary involvement: Following the death, relatives convene the family council (notably to appoint the guardian of minor children and the estate administrator) and petition the Departmental Court, District Court, or High Court (Tribunal de Grande Instance) under the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to homologate the family council minutes and obtain the certificate of heirship (certificat d'hérédité, or a deed of notoriety before a Burkinabè notary), which is mandatory for the CNSS, CARFO, and banks [1] [3].
   • Inheritance tax, land title transfer (PUH / land title), and heirs abroad: The heirs file the inheritance declaration with the Directorate General of Taxes (DGI) and complete the transfer of real estate rights (Urban Habitation Permit - Permis Urbain d'Habiter - PUH or land title) with the domain and land registry office; if an heir resides outside Burkina Faso, they may execute a power of attorney legalised by the embassy or consulate under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso [1] [2].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Judicial Services and Court Procedures - Ministry of Justice of Burkina Faso — Ministère de la Justice et des Droits Humains, chargé des Relations avec les Institutions
2. [2]
   Civil Status Records - Death Declaration, Required Documents, and Statutory Deadlines in Burkina Faso — Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, de la Coopération Régionale et des Burkinabè de l'Extérieur
3. [3]
   Official Portal of the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) - Pensions and Survivors Branch — Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale du Burkina Faso (CNSS)
4. [4]
   Official Portal of the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene of Burkina Faso — Ministère de la Santé et de l'Hygiène Publique
5. [5]
   Burkina Faso Health and Institutional Country Profile — Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS)