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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Hospital or clinical deaths: When a death occurs in a licensed hospital or medical clinic supervised by the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, the attending physician records the cause of death and transmits an electronic medical certificate of death directly to the civil registration system while providing a printed copy to the family [1] [5].
   • Deaths at home from natural causes: If your family member died at home from a documented natural illness, call the national emergency service (112) so an emergency medical crew and local police unit can attend the address, verify that there are no signs of external trauma, and issue the medical confirmation required for the local clinic or hospital to generate the official medical death notice [1] [5].
   • Unexpected, accidental, or unexplained deaths: If the death was sudden, accidental, or unexplained, the Ministry of Internal Affairs patrol police secure the scene and transfer the deceased to the Levan Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau for a medico-legal autopsy [5] [6]. The forensic medical examiner issues the official medical certificate of cause of death once the examination is complete [5] [6].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry

   • Competent authority and statutory deadline: Under the Law of Georgia on Civil Status Acts, all deaths in Georgia are registered by the Public Service Development Agency through any local branch of the Public Service Hall or Community Centre [1] [6]. Once the medical facility or forensic bureau uploads the electronic medical death notice (typically within one working day of death), a family member or authorised representative should complete civil registration within 5 working days [1].
   • Required documents for registration: Present (a) the medical certificate of death (if not already matched electronically in the civil registry database), (b) the deceased's Georgian Identity Card (ID) or passport, and (c) the valid identity document of the applicant (plus a power of attorney if submitted by a non-relative representative) [1] [6].
   • Issuance of the Death Certificate: The Public Service Hall registers the civil act of death, cancels the deceased's national identity document, and issues the official Death Certificate free of charge within 1 working day [1]. If documents will be needed by foreign authorities, you can request bilingual or multilingual extracts and an Apostille at the same counter [1] [4].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial arrangements: Engage a licensed municipal or private funeral service provider in Georgia to coordinate mortuary preparation and cemetery allocation (for example, through municipal cemetery administration services in Tbilisi, Batumi, or Kutaisi) using the official Death Certificate issued by the Public Service Hall [1]. Because Georgia does not currently operate domestic crematoria, families seeking cremation typically arrange cross-border transport to a neighbouring jurisdiction with a licensed crematorium.
   • International repatriation of remains: If your family member was a foreign national or if the remains must be repatriated abroad, the funeral provider must obtain: (a) the official Death Certificate from the Public Service Hall [1], (b) a sanitary and non-infectious disease certificate plus an embalming certificate from a licensed medical or forensic institution supervised by the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia [5], (c) a coffin-sealing certificate confirming hermetically sealed zinc-lined containment for air cargo, and (d) consular clearance or a mortuary laissez-passer from the destination country's embassy.
   • Apostille and document legalisation: Georgia is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention [4]. The Public Service Development Agency (accessible via any Public Service Hall) affixes Apostilles to Georgian Death Certificates and civil status extracts for use in other Apostille convention states [1] [4].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pension, Tax, and Financial Authorities

   • Stopping state pensions and claiming social benefits: When the Public Service Hall registers a death, the electronic civil registry notifies the Social Service Agency (operating under the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia) to halt old-age pension payments [1] [2]. Eligible surviving dependents (such as children under age 18 or disabled dependents) may apply to the Social Service Agency for a statutory survivor social package or targeted municipal funeral assistance where applicable [2].
   • Accumulated Pillar II pension funds: If your family member contributed to Georgia's mandatory funded pension scheme administered by the Pension Agency of Georgia, legal heirs may claim the deceased participant's accumulated retirement savings by presenting the Death Certificate and notarial Certificate of Inheritance [2] [3].
   • Commercial banks and tax obligations: Present the Death Certificate to Georgian commercial banks to freeze sole accounts and suspend automatic debits pending notarial probate [3]. Under the Tax Code of Georgia, notify the Revenue Service if the deceased operated an individual enterprise or held taxable property subject to final tax settlement [6].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Succession

   • Competent succession authority and 6-month deadline: Under Book Six (Law of Succession) of the Civil Code of Georgia, estate administration and probate are handled by licensed notaries affiliated with the Notary Chamber of Georgia [3] [6]. Heirs (whether inheriting under a will or by intestate statutory order) must formally accept the succession within 6 months from the date of death by filing an application for a Certificate of Inheritance (samemkvidreo mowmoba) with a Georgian notary, or by taking actual possession and management of the estate assets within that 6-month window [3] [6].
   • Issuance of the Certificate of Inheritance: After verifying the Death Certificate, family relationship certificates (birth and marriage records from the Public Service Hall), any registered will, and asset ownership extracts, the notary from the Notary Chamber of Georgia issues the formal Certificate of Inheritance once the 6-month statutory period expires [1] [3]. Heirs then register inherited real estate and company shares with the National Agency of Public Registry at the Public Service Hall [1] [3].
   • Inheritance tax rules: Under the Tax Code of Georgia, inheritance received by first- and second-degree heirs (spouses, children, parents, grandchildren, and siblings) is 100% exempt from Georgian personal income/inheritance tax [6]. Third- and fourth-degree heirs enjoy a statutory tax-free threshold (up to GEL 150,000 of inherited value) and pay income tax only on the excess [6].
   • Cross-border heirs: An heir living outside Georgia does not need to travel in person to accept the estate; they may execute a Power of Attorney before a foreign notary (authenticated with a Hague Apostille or consular legalisation, or signed before a Georgian consulate abroad) authorising a local representative in Georgia to file the succession application with the Notary Chamber of Georgia before the 6-month deadline expires [3] [4].

   Step	Deadline	Authority
   1. Medical certification of death	Within 1 working day of death	Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia
   2. Civil death registration	Within 5 working days of medical notice	Public Service Hall
   3. Funeral or repatriation permits	Prior to burial or cross-border transport	Public Service Development Agency
   4. Pension and benefit notifications	Promptly after Death Certificate issuance	Social Service Agency
   5. Notarial succession acceptance	Within 6 months of the date of death	Notary Chamber of Georgia

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Public Service Hall (PSH) - Civil Registration and Death Certificate Services — Ministry of Justice of Georgia
2. [2]
   Social Security Programs Throughout the World: Asia and the Pacific - Georgia — U.S. Social Security Administration / ISSA
3. [3]
   Notary Chamber of Georgia - Succession and Inheritance Certification — Notary Chamber of Georgia
4. [4]
   Georgia - Competent Authorities under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention — Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)
5. [5]
   Georgia Country Health Overview and Public Health Authorities — World Health Organization (WHO)
6. [6]
   Legislative Herald of Georgia - Civil Code of Georgia (Book Six: Law of Succession) and Law on Civil Status Acts — Ministry of Justice of Georgia (Matsne)