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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Cause of Death

   • Hospital or health-facility deaths: When a person dies in a hospital, clinic, or accredited health facility overseen by the Ministry of Health of Ghana and the Ghana Health Service, the attending medical practitioner examines the body and issues an official Medical Certificate of Cause of Death [3]. You should verify that your family member's full legal name, age, national identification details, and exact date and place of death match their official identity records before leaving the facility [3].
   • Deaths at home or outside a medical facility: If your family member died at home after a known illness under recent medical care, the attending doctor may still issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death after examining the remains, or the body must be conveyed to a public hospital mortuary for formal medical verification [1] [3].
   • Unexpected, sudden, or unnatural deaths: Under the Coroners Act, 1960 (Act 18) and the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 2020 (Act 1027), any sudden, accidental, unexplained, or non-natural death must be reported immediately to the Ghana Police Service [1] [4]. Police officers refer the matter to the district coroner (typically the District Magistrate within the Judicial Service of Ghana), who orders a post-mortem examination by a pathologist and issues a Coroner's Certificate or Burial Order before civil registration and burial can proceed [1] [4].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Births and Deaths Registry

   • Mandatory civil registration and statutory timelines: Under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 2020 (Act 1027), all deaths occurring in Ghana must be registered with the Births and Deaths Registry in the registration district where the death occurred [1]. Standard registration should be completed before burial and within the statutory registration period (within 14 days of death for standard timely registration, after which late registration procedures and additional statutory fees apply) [1].
   • Who may register and required documents: A surviving spouse, adult relative, household head, or person present at the death acts as the informant at the district office of the Births and Deaths Registry or via the integrated public portal on Ghana.gov [1]. The informant must present the original Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (or Coroner's Certificate), the deceased's Ghana Card (National Identification Card) or passport, and the informant's own valid photo identification [1].
   • Burial Permit and certified Death Certificate: Upon recording the entry in the register of deaths, the District Registrar of the Births and Deaths Registry issues a Burial Permit (required to release the body for interment or cremation) and an official Death Certificate [1]. It is advisable to request several certified extracts or copies of the Death Certificate, as banks, insurers, pension authorities, and probate courts require original or certified copies [1] [2].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Licensed mortuary and funeral arrangements: You should engage a licensed funeral home or hospital mortuary regulated under the Mortuaries and Funeral Facilities Act, 1998 (Act 563) and the Health Institutions and Facilities Act, 2011 (Act 829) under the Ministry of Health of Ghana [3]. No cemetery or crematorium may conduct a burial or cremation without the official Burial Permit issued by the Births and Deaths Registry and municipal environmental health clearance from the local Metropolitan, Municipal, or District Assembly (MMDA) [1] [3].
   • International repatriation of human remains or ashes: If your family member's remains or cremated ashes are to be repatriated out of Ghana, the funeral director must obtain an embalming certificate, a non-infectious disease clearance certificate from the Port Health Unit of the Ministry of Health of Ghana, a coroner's or police clearance for exportation of remains, a zinc-lined hermetically sealed coffin certificate (for body transport), and a consular mortuary laissez-passer from the destination country's embassy or high commission in Accra [1] [3].
   • Document legalization for foreign use: Because Ghana is not currently a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, a Ghanaian Death Certificate or court order intended for use in a foreign jurisdiction must undergo full diplomatic legalization - starting with authentication by the Judicial Service of Ghana or Notary Public and the Legal and Consular Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, followed by consular legalization at the relevant foreign embassy [1] [4].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pension, Tax, Banking, and Identity Authorities

   • Claiming SSNIT Survivors Lump Sum Benefits: If your family member contributed to the First Tier basic national social security scheme or was receiving a retirement pension, nominated dependents or legal beneficiaries should report the death to the nearest branch of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust [2]. Under the National Pensions Act, 2008 (Act 766), when a member dies before retirement (having met minimum contribution requirements, such as 12 months within the preceding 36 months) or dies before age 75 while on pension, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust pays a Survivors Lump Sum Benefit to nominated dependents or court-recognized beneficiaries [2]. Applicants must submit the official Death Certificate, Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, valid Ghana Cards of beneficiaries, birth certificates for minor children, and employer clearance if the deceased died in active service [2].
   • Tier 2 and Tier 3 occupational pension funds: In addition to First Tier claims with the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, families should contact the deceased's corporate trustee licensed by the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) to claim any Second Tier mandatory occupational lump sum and Third Tier provident fund balances [2].
   • Tax, identity cards, and banking notifications: You should notify the National Identification Authority (NIA) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to deactivate the deceased's Ghana Card and health insurance membership, and notify commercial banks to freeze sole accounts pending probate or Letters of Administration [1] [5]. The estate representative must also notify the Ghana Revenue Authority to settle any outstanding personal income tax or business tax liabilities accrued up to the date of death [5].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate, Probate, or Intestate Succession

   • Testate succession (Application for Probate): If your family member left a valid written will executed in accordance with the Wills Act, 1971 (Act 360), the named executors must apply to the Probate and Administration Division of the High Court (or the District/Circuit Court if the estate value falls within lower statutory thresholds) within the Judicial Service of Ghana [4]. Once the will is read and proved in court, the court issues a formal Grant of Probate authorizing the executors to collect assets, settle debts, and sign Vesting Assents transferring property to beneficiaries [4].
   • Intestate succession (Letters of Administration under PNDCL 111): If your family member died without a valid will, estate distribution is governed by the Intestate Succession Law, 1985 (PNDCL 111), which protects the surviving spouse and children by allocating the household chattels, primary residence, and the majority statutory share of the residue to the nuclear family before customary family shares [4]. At least two applicants (typically representing the surviving spouse/children and the customary family) must petition the court within the Judicial Service of Ghana for Letters of Administration, preceded by a mandatory court notice posted for at least 21 days [2] [4].
   • Tax filings and cross-border estate coordination: While Ghana does not levy a separate general inheritance tax on bequests to heirs, the Ghana Revenue Authority requires tax clearance for property transfers, capital realizations, or business closures, and stamp duty/registration fees apply at the Lands Commission when registering a Vesting Assent [4] [5]. If heirs reside outside Ghana or assets are held across multiple countries, foreign heirs may appoint a representative in Ghana via a notarized and consulate-legalized Power of Attorney, or apply to the High Court of Ghana to reseal a foreign grant of probate [4].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Births and Deaths Registry - Public Services Portal — Government of Ghana (ghana.gov.gh)
2. [2]
   Survivors Lump Sum Benefit - Qualifying Conditions and Requirements — Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT)
3. [3]
   Ministry of Health - Health Sector Policies and Clinical Regulatory Agencies — Ministry of Health of Ghana
4. [4]
   Ghana Legal Information Institute - Legislation and Probate Frameworks — Ghana Legal Information Institute (GhaLII) / Judicial Service of Ghana
5. [5]
   Tax Administration and Compliance Services — Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA)