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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Hospital or health facility deaths: When your family member dies in a public referral hospital, health centre, or private clinic accredited by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, the attending physician completes the official Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and the health facility issues a formal Death Notification Slip [1][5]. Under Ethiopia's Registration of Vital Events and National Identity Card Proclamation (Proclamation No. 760/2012, as amended by Proclamation No. 1049/2017), health institutions are legally required to transmit death notifications to the local civil registration office [1][5].
   • Deaths at home or in the community: If a natural death occurs at home, the family or household head must obtain a supporting verification letter from the local Kebele (ward) administration or community health extension worker, along with witness statements from neighbours or the local traditional burial association (Iddir) confirming the date and place of death [1].
   • Unexpected, accidental, or medico-legal deaths: If the death is sudden, unnatural, or under investigation, the federal or regional police must be notified immediately before the body is moved [4][5]. The police refer the remains to a designated forensic pathology hospital (such as Menelik II Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa) for an autopsy, after which a medico-legal death report and burial release clearance are issued [4][5].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry

   • Issuing authority and statutory deadline: Deaths in Ethiopia must be registered with the lowest administrative level of the vital events registration office (Kebele or Woreda Vital Events Registration Office) where the death occurred or where the deceased resided [1]. In the capital, registration is administered by the Addis Ababa Civil Registration and Residency Service Agency (AACRRSA) through its sub-city and Woreda branch offices [1]. Under Proclamation No. 760/2012, a death must be declared within 30 days of occurrence [1].
   • Required documents for registration: The informant (surviving spouse, adult relative, or cohabitant) must present the hospital Medical Notification of Death (or Kebele and witness verification for a home death), the deceased's Kebele identity card, National Digital ID (Fayda), or passport, and the informant's valid identity document [1][2].
   • Obtaining the official Death Certificate: Upon registration, the civil status officer records the event in the civil register, cancels the deceased's local residency ID, and issues the official bilingual or Amharic/regional-language Death Certificate [1]. You can also track and request electronic civil and administrative verifications through the Ethiopian Government Electronic Services Portal (eServices) [2].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial or cremation: Municipal cemeteries and religious burial grounds across Ethiopia require the hospital death notification or Kebele burial permit before interment can proceed [1][5]. Many families also coordinate practical funeral arrangements and mourning support through their community mutual-aid society (Iddir) alongside licensed municipal or private funeral transport providers [1].
   • International repatriation of remains: If your family member's remains are to be repatriated abroad, a licensed funeral director and the family must obtain an official Death Certificate, an embalming and anatomical preparation certificate from an authorised hospital mortuary (such as Menelik II Hospital or St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College), a non-contagious disease clearance from the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, a hermetically sealed coffin certificate, and air cargo clearance through Ethiopian Airlines Cargo and customs authorities at Bole International Airport [1][2][5].
   • Document authentication (non-Apostille country): Because Ethiopia is not a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, Ethiopian Death Certificates and succession rulings intended for use abroad must follow a multi-step legalisation chain: first, verification by the regional vital events bureau or Addis Ababa Civil Registration and Residency Service Agency (AACRRSA); second, authentication by the Document Authentication and Registration Service (DARS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the Ethiopian Government Electronic Services Portal (eServices); and third, consular legalisation by the embassy of the destination country in Addis Ababa [1][2].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pension, Tax, and Banking Authorities

   • Public-sector survivor pensions: If the deceased was a civil servant, public enterprise worker, military member, or government pensioner, survivors should file a claim with the Public Employees Social Security Administration (PSSSA) under the Public Servants' Pension Proclamation No. 1267/2022 [3]. Eligible survivors (widow or widower, minor children under 18 or under 21 if in full-time education, and dependent parents) must submit the official Death Certificate, pension ID book, marriage or birth certificates, and a court-issued certificate of heirship [3].
   • Private-sector social security claims: If your family member worked for a formal private employer covered by the Private Organizations Employees' Pension Proclamation No. 1268/2022, survivor pension and lump-sum claims are submitted to the Private Organizations Employees' Social Security Administration (POESSA) using the same civil and judicial proof of survivorship [3][4].
   • Banking, insurance, and tax closure: Notify commercial banks (such as the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia or private banks) with the Death Certificate to freeze sole accounts and prevent unauthorized withdrawals [4]. Under Ethiopian banking practice, funds in a deceased person's account are only released upon presentation of a final court succession order [4]. If the deceased operated a registered business or held a Tax Identification Number (TIN), notify the Ministry of Revenues or regional revenue bureau to settle final tax obligations [2][4].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Succession (Probate)

   • Succession under the Ethiopian Civil Code: Estate administration is governed by Book II, Title V of the 1960 Ethiopian Civil Code and overseen by the federal or regional courts, with public legal guidance published by the Ministry of Justice of Ethiopia [4]. Ethiopian law recognises three distinct forms of wills: a Public Will (read and signed before a court registrar or notary and four or two witnesses), a Holographic Will (wholly handwritten, dated, and signed by the testator), and an Oral Will (strictly limited to imminent danger of death and restricted in scope) [4].
   • Obtaining a Judicial Certificate of Heirship: Whether the deceased died testate (with a will) or intestate (without a will), heirs or legatees must petition the Federal First Instance Court (or equivalent regional court) for a Certificate of Heirship (Ye-werashnet Maregaga'cha) and appointment of a liquidator [4]. The court publishes a notice summoning potential claimants or creditors; once the statutory notice period expires without objection, the court issues the Certificate of Heirship [4].
   • No separate inheritance tax and cross-border coordination: Ethiopia does not levy a standalone inheritance tax, though transfer fees and stamp duties apply when re-registering immovable property (urban land lease titles) or vehicles before the Document Authentication and Registration Service (DARS) and municipal land administration offices [2][4]. Heirs living abroad can appoint a representative in Ethiopia through a Special Power of Attorney legalised at an Ethiopian Embassy and registered via the Ethiopian Government Electronic Services Portal (eServices) [2][4].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Addis Ababa Civil Registration and Residency Service Agency - Vital Events Registration — Addis Ababa City Administration
2. [2]
   Ethiopian Government Electronic Services Portal - Document Authentication and Civil Services — Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
3. [3]
   Public Servants' Pension Proclamation No. 1267/2022 Implementation Directive — Public Employees Social Security Administration (PSSSA)
4. [4]
   Types of Wills and Probate in Ethiopia — Ministry of Justice of Ethiopia
5. [5]
   National Palliative Care and Clinical Services Strategic Document — Ministry of Health of Ethiopia