What to Do When a Citizen of Turkey Dies in France: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Medical Certification of Death and Medico-Legal Clearance in France

   Before any declaration at the town hall, funeral operation, or repatriation procedure can proceed, a physician must officially verify the death in France and issue the medical death certificate (certificat médical de décès, on a paper Cerfa form or electronically via the CertDc application) [1]:

   • Death in a healthcare or care facility (hospital, clinic, EHPAD): The attending ward physician verifies the death and completes the medical death certificate directly [1]. The facility arranges temporary preservation in the hospital mortuary and returns personal effects; prepare the deceased person's Turkish passport, Turkish identity card (T.C. Kimlik Kartı or Mavi Kart), and, where applicable, French residence permit (titre de séjour) [1][6].
   • Death at home, in a hotel, or in a public place: Immediately call SAMU (15), the European emergency number (112), or an on-call doctor so that a physician can attend to verify the death and issue the medical certificate [1]. If transporting the body to a funeral home prior to coffining is desired, the funeral operator submits the prior declaration to the town hall and the transfer must take place within 48 hours of death [3].
   • Medico-legal obstacle (sudden, accidental, or suspicious death): If the cause of death is unknown, sudden, or suspicious, the physician ticks the "medico-legal obstacle" (obstacle médico-légal) box on the certificate [1]. The police or gendarmerie and the public prosecutor (procureur de la République) then take charge of the investigation (forensic examination or judicial autopsy): no coffining, burial, cremation, or repatriation to Turkey may take place until the burial permit or judicial authorization is issued by the prosecutor's office [1][3].
2. 2

   Checking Insurance or Mutual Aid Funds, Appointing Funeral Operators, and Turkish Consular Contact

   Before signing an individual funeral estimate, check whether the deceased person held coverage that directly arranges and pays for repatriation or funeral expenses [3][6]:

   • Travel/repatriation insurance or Turkish funeral mutual aid fund (Cenaze Fonu): If the deceased person held travel or repatriation insurance, bank-card assistance coverage, a pre-paid funeral contract, or membership in a Turkish funeral mutual aid fund (Cenaze Fonu / community foundations such as DİTİB, Millî Görüş / UKBA, or other organizations cited as publicly known orientation examples), contact their 24/7 helpline immediately so that they can directly appoint their partner funeral operator.
   • Licensed funeral operator in France and receiving provider in Turkey: In the absence of prior coverage, appoint a prefecture-licensed funeral operator (opérateur funéraire habilité en préfecture) in France [1][3]. Clarvia provides these official and associative directories solely for informational guidance and does not recommend, endorse, or rank any commercial provider. You can consult official guidance via Service-Public.fr (telephone 3939 from within France or +33 1 73 60 39 39 from abroad) [1] as well as the national professional federations: the Fédération Nationale du Funéraire (National Funeral Federation - FNF, telephone +33 1 55 43 30 00, email [email protected]) [4] and the Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres (French Federation of Funeral Directors - FFPF, telephone +33 1 46 60 24 24) [5]. In Turkey, the French company or international funeral transport provider (uluslararası cenaze nakil firması) coordinates with the municipal funeral services of the destination city (belediye cenaze hizmetleri, reachable nationwide across Turkey via the official number ALO 188, for example at the metropolitan municipalities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, or Antalya) [6][7].
   • Contacting the Embassy or Consulate General of Turkey in France: The appointed funeral operator or the family contacts the Consulate General of Turkey territorially responsible for the place of death in France (Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, or Nantes) or the Embassy of Turkey in Paris, operating under the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı, Consular Call Center Dışişleri Bakanlığı Konsolosluk Çağrı Merkezi reachable 24/7 at +90 312 292 29 29 or from France at +33 1 80 14 63 35) [6].
3. 3

   Declaring the Death at the Town Hall in France (Within 24 Hours) and Registration for Turkey

   • Town hall of the place of death in France (24-hour timeframe): In accordance with civil status rules detailed on Service-Public.fr, the death must be declared within 24 hours of medical verification (excluding weekends and public holidays) before the civil status officer at the town hall of the place of death (mairie du lieu de décès) [1]. In practice, the appointed funeral operator most often completes this step upon presentation of the medical death certificate and identity documents (T.C. Kimlik Kartı, passport, birth or marriage certificate / livret de famille) [1].
   • Full death certificate and multilingual Form C extract (1976 Vienna Convention): Request from the French town hall several copies of the full death certificate (acte de décès intégral) as well as several multilingual death extracts on Form C (extrait d'acte de décès plurilingue Formule C / Çok Dilli Ölüm Belgesi - Formül C) issued under the CIEC Vienna Convention of 8 September 1976 [1][6][7]. Because both France and Turkey are states party to the 1976 Vienna Convention, the multilingual Form C extract is directly recognized by Turkish consulates, civil registries, courts, and social security bodies in Turkey without an Apostille or additional sworn translation [6][7].
   • Civil status registration in Turkey (Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü): Recording the death in the central Turkish civil register maintained by the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Citizenship Affairs (Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü, telephone in Turkey Alo 199 or +90 312 591 21 00 from abroad) is carried out either through the Consulate General of Turkey in France when issuing the funeral transfer permit, or at the District Civil Registry Directorate in Turkey (İlçe Nüfus Müdürlüğü, where deaths occurring in Turkey are otherwise declared within 10 days via the electronic ÖBS system) upon presentation of the multilingual Form C extract [6][7].
4. 4

   Choosing Between International Repatriation to Turkey and Local Burial or Cremation in France

   • International repatriation of the body or ashes from France to Turkey:
     • Prefectural mortuary laissez-passer in France: France and Turkey apply the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement as well as the 1937 Berlin International Arrangement on the transport of corpses [3][6]. The French funeral operator arranges embalming/preservation care (soins de conservation / tahnit raporu), places the body in a statutory hermetically sealed coffin (cercueil hermétique) fitted with a soldered zinc liner (lehimli çinko tabut), and obtains a prefectural mortuary laissez-passer (arrêté préfectoral de laissez-passer mortuaire) from the prefecture of the French department where the coffin is sealed (alongside general consular guidance from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs - MEAE / France Diplomatie) [3].
     • Consular Cenaze Nakil Belgesi and border health inspection in Turkey (THSSGM): Upon presentation of the death certificate (Form C), medical certificate of non-contagion, embalming certificate, and French prefectural laissez-passer, the Consulate General of Turkey in France issues the consular mortuary transit permit (Cenaze Nakil Belgesi / Laissez-Passer) [6]. Upon arrival at the airport in Turkey, the Turkish Directorate General of Health for Borders and Coasts (Türkiye Hudut ve Sahiller Sağlık Genel Müdürlüğü - THSSGM) inspects the documents to authorize entry into the country, and local municipal or health services (belediye / sağlık müdürlüğü, ALO 188) issue the domestic road transport permit (Yol İzin Belgesi) to the place of burial [6][8]. If cremation has taken place in France, transporting the cinerary urn requires the French prefectural authorization to transport ashes, the cremation certificate, and the death certificate extract [3].
   • Local burial or cremation in France: If the family chooses funeral services in France, burial (including in an Islamic denominational section of a municipal cemetery where available) or cremation must take place no earlier than 24 hours after death and no later than 14 calendar days following the day after death (unless a prefectural extension is granted), upon authorization by the mayor of the municipality of death [2].
5. 5

   Survivor Pensions, Death Grants, Taxes, and Estate Administration in Turkey and France

   With the French death certificate and the multilingual Form C extract, initiate social security, tax, and estate procedures in both countries:

   • Procedures in Turkey (SGK, Certificate of Inheritance Mirasçılık Belgesi, and inheritance tax):
     • Funeral grant and survivor pension (SGK): If the deceased person was covered by Turkish social security or received a pension in Turkey (including under the Franco-Turkish Social Security Convention), eligible beneficiaries can claim the lump-sum funeral grant (cenaze ödeneği) and survivor pension (ölüm aylığı / dul-yetim aylığı) from the Turkish Social Security Institution (Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu - SGK, helpline ALO 170) or directly online via the official portal of the Turkish State (e-Devlet Kapısı) [9][10].
     • Certificate of Inheritance (Veraset İlamı) and tax filing within 4 months: To release bank accounts or transfer real estate (Tapu) in Turkey, heirs must obtain a Turkish Certificate of Inheritance (Mirasçılık Belgesi / Veraset İlamı) from a Turkish Civil Court of Peace (Sulh Hukuk Mahkemesi) or, where no foreign element or will requires court proceedings, from a Turkish notary belonging to the Union of Notaries of Turkey (Türkiye Noterler Birliği, telephone +90 312 218 80 00) (the deadline to renounce an inheritance in Turkey, reddi miras, is 3 months) [11]. In addition, heirs must file the inheritance and transfer tax return (Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi beyannamesi) with the competent tax office (Vergi Dairesi) under the Turkish Revenue Administration (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı, helpline ALO 189) within a base period of 4 months following death (which may be extended to 6 or 8 months depending on the place of death abroad and the heirs' country of residence under Turkish Law No. 7338) [12].
   • Procedures in France (CPAM, pension funds, taxes, and notary):
     • Health insurance and death grant (CPAM): If the deceased person was insured in France, notify Assurance Maladie (Caisse primaire d'assurance maladie - CPAM / Ameli.fr, telephone 3646 from France or +33 1 84 90 36 46 from abroad) to close the file and check eligibility for the lump-sum death grant (capital décès) [13].
     • French pension funds (CNAV and Agirc-Arrco): Report the death to Assurance Retraite (CNAV, telephone 3960 or +33 9 71 10 39 60 from abroad) as well as the supplementary pension fund Agirc-Arrco to process the surviving spouse's entitlement to a survivor pension (pension de réversion) [14].
     • Taxes and estate settlement by a notary: Notify the French tax authorities (impôts) and, if the deceased person owned real estate, bank accounts, or had their habitual residence in France, instruct a notary through the official network of Notaires de France (High Council of the Notariat - Conseil supérieur du notariat, telephone +33 1 44 90 30 00) to draw up the deed of heirship (acte de notoriété) and file the inheritance tax declaration within the statutory 6-month deadline (for a death occurring in metropolitan France) [1][15].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death Declaration at the Town Hall (24 Hours), Medical Certificate, and Initial Steps (F16507) — Direction de l'information légale et administrative (Service-Public.fr)
2. [2]
   Burial and Cremation Timeframes in France (F14935) — Service-Public.fr
3. [3]
   Transporting a Body Abroad and Prefectural Mortuary Laissez-Passer (F35706) — Service-Public.fr
4. [4]
   Legal Notice and Contact Details - National Funeral Federation (Fédération Nationale du Funéraire - FNF) — Fédération Nationale du Funéraire
5. [5]
   Contact the French Federation of Funeral Directors (Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres - FFPF) — Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres
6. [6]
   Funeral Repatriation Procedures (Consular Repatriation of Remains to Turkey) — T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı
7. [7]
   Death Procedures and Multilingual Death Certificate (Form C) — T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü (NVİ)
8. [8]
   Directive on Funeral Procedures for Remains Brought from Abroad (THSSGM Border Health Inspection) — T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı Türkiye Hudut ve Sahiller Sağlık Genel Müdürlüğü (THSSGM)
9. [9]
   Funeral Grant (Cenaze Ödeneği) and Survivor Pension (Ölüm Aylığı / Widow-Orphan Pension) — Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu (SGK)
10. [10]
    Submission of Income, Pension, and Allowance Claim Form (Death Grant and Widow/Orphan Pension) — e-Devlet Kapısı (turkiye.gov.tr)
11. [11]
    Procedures for Issuing Certificates of Inheritance (Mirasçılık Belgesi / Veraset İlamı) — Türkiye Noterler Birliği (TNB)
12. [12]
    Inheritance and Transfer Tax Law No. 7338 (Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi Kanunu) — Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı (GİB)
13. [13]
    Reporting the Death of a Relative and Claiming the Death Grant (Capital décès) — L'Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr)
14. [14]
    Reporting the Death of a Pensioner and Claiming a Survivor Pension (Retraite de réversion) — Assurance Retraite (CNAV)
15. [15]
    Estate Settlement (Règlement des successions) and Official Directory of Notaries — Conseil supérieur du notariat (Notaires de France)