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

1. 1

   Medical Verification and Certification of Death

   • Death in a hospital or health center: When a death occurs in a central hospital, regional hospital, or health delegation supervised by the Ministry of Health, the attending physician verifies the death and immediately issues the medical death certificate stating the identity of the deceased person, the date and time of death, and the clinical cause of death [1].
   • Death at home: If your family member died at home from known natural causes, the family must contact the municipal health delegate (delegado de saúde) or an attending doctor under the Ministry of Health to perform an in-person clinical verification and issue the medical declaration required for civil registration [1] [2].
   • Forensic and judicial intervention: In cases of sudden unattended death, accident, or suspected foul play, the authorities must notify the National Police or Judicial Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office, and the death certificate is issued only after a forensic examination or autopsy authorizes the release of the body [1] [3].
2. 2

   Official Death Registration and Death Certificates

   • 48-hour statutory deadline and place of registration: Under the Civil Registry Code of Cabo Verde, a death occurring in national territory must be declared within 48 hours at the Civil Registry and Notary Office (Conservatória dos Registos e Cartório Notarial) of the municipality where the death occurred (or where the body is located) [2] [3].
   • Documents required for the death record: The declarant (a close relative or authorized funeral agency representative) must present the medical death certificate, the National Identification Card (CNI) or Identity Card of the deceased person, and the declarant's valid identification document [2] [3].
   • Issuance of the Death Certificate (in person or online): Once the death entry is recorded, the registry issues the burial permit free of charge. Subsequent official death certificates can be requested in person or online through the Single Public Portal GOV.CV and the Porton di Nos Ilha platform (with a standard national fee of 150 CVE) [2] [3].
3. 3

   Funeral Arrangements, Burial, and International Repatriation

   • Municipal burial or cremation permit: No burial may take place in a municipal cemetery without the burial permit issued by the Civil Registry Office and compliance with public health rules enforced by the Health Delegation of the Ministry of Health and the competent Municipal Council (Câmara Municipal) [1] [2].
   • Inter-island transport: If the deceased person's remains must be transported between different islands of Cabo Verde, the family must obtain a sanitary transit permit from the health delegate of the Ministry of Health and comply with coffining standards for air or maritime transport [1].
   • International repatriation and Hague Apostille: Where the deceased person or heirs reside abroad, international repatriation requires a mortuary laissez-passer and a hermetically sealed coffin; furthermore, because Cabo Verde is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, civil registry certificates obtained via the registry or Porton di Nos Ilha can be apostilled for direct legal recognition abroad [2] [3].
4. 4

   Social Security (INPS / Public Administration), Banks, and Insurers

   • Funeral grant and death grant under the INPS: If the deceased person was an insured worker or pensioner under the general social security scheme, eligible family members should apply to the National Institute of Social Security for the funeral allowance (subsídio de funeral) and death grant (subsídio por morte), submitting the death certificate and funeral expense receipts [4].
   • Survivor pension (INPS and Civil Service): The surviving spouse or legally recognized de facto partner and minor or student children (up to age 25) may claim a survivor pension from the National Institute of Social Security (for private-sector workers) or from the National Directorate of Public Administration under the Ministry of Finance (for civil servants and public retirees) [4] [5].
   • Notifying banks and insurance companies: The family should notify Cabo Verdean banks and insurers by presenting the death certificate; individual bank accounts remain frozen until the official deed of heirship is submitted [2] [3].
5. 5

   Qualification of Heirs, Estate Partition, and Tax Obligations

   • Notarial deed of heirship (habilitação de herdeiros): To formally establish the statutory or testamentary heirs, the head of the estate (cabeça-de-casal) must execute a notarial deed of heirship before a Notary Office (within the registry and notary network linked to Porton di Nos Ilha), or file judicial inventory proceedings before the District Court if there are minor or incapacitated heirs or a dispute [3].
   • Tax obligations and Single Property Tax (IUP): Heirs must report gratuitous transfers of real estate and registrable assets to the Tax Office of the Ministry of Finance and the competent municipality for assessment or statutory exemption under the Single Property Tax (Imposto Único sobre o Património) applicable to transfers upon death [5].
   • Estate partition, land registry, and diaspora heirs: Once heirship is established and tax obligations with the Ministry of Finance are settled, the heirs execute the partition deed and update property titles at the Land Registry; heirs residing in the diaspora may be represented through a public power of attorney executed at a Cabo Verdean consulate or apostilled in their country of residence [3] [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Official Health Portal, Health Delegations, and Hospital Network — Ministério da Saúde de Cabo Verde
2. [2]
   Official Request and Issuance of the Death Certificate in Cabo Verde — Portal Único de Serviços Públicos (GOV.CV)
3. [3]
   Civil Registry, Certificate, and Notary Services — Porton di Nos Ilha (Governo de Cabo Verde)
4. [4]
   Social Security Benefits and Grants (Funeral, Death, and Survivor Entitlements) — Instituto Nacional de Previdência Social (INPS)
5. [5]
   Requirements and Application Procedure for the Survivor Pension — Ministério das Finanças (Direção Nacional da Administração Pública - DNAP)