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

1. 1

   Obtain the Official Medical Certificate of Death (Gowahi-ye Pezeshki-ye Foot)

   Before burial or civil death registration can proceed in Iran, the cause of death must be certified by an authorized physician or the forensic medicine authority.

   • Hospital or clinical deaths: When a death occurs in a public or private hospital in Iran, the attending physician completes the standardized Medical Certificate of Death (Gowahi-ye Foot) and the hospital's medical records unit issues the official burial permit under public health regulations [1] [6].
   • Deaths at home: If your family member died at home from natural causes, an emergency physician or accredited licensed physician must examine the body, verify the identity documents (Shenasnameh and National ID Card / Kart-e Melli), and issue the medical death certificate and burial clearance [1] [6].
   • Unexplained, sudden, or accidental deaths: If the death occurred unexpectedly without recent medical supervision, or involves an accident, trauma, or unclear cause, the police (Faraja) and judicial authority refer the body to the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization (Sazman-e Pezeshki-ye Ghanooni, operating under the Judiciary) for a forensic examination and official burial authorization [1] [4].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the National Organization for Civil Registration (Sabte Ahval)

   Once the medical or forensic death certificate is issued, the death must be officially recorded in the national civil registry maintained by the National Organization for Civil Registration [1].

   • Statutory reporting deadline: Under the Iranian Civil Registration Law, a death occurring within Iran must be declared to the National Organization for Civil Registration within 10 days of the date of death [1]. If the death occurred outside Iran, it is reported through the local Iranian embassy, consulate, or interests section via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Mikhak Electronic Consular System [2].
   • Required documents and Shenasnameh cancellation: A close relative (ascendant, descendant, spouse) or legal representative presents the medical or cemetery death report along with the deceased's Iranian birth/identity booklet (Shenasnameh) and National ID Card (Kart-e Melli) at a local office of the National Organization for Civil Registration or a Pishkhan-e Dowlat government counter [1] [5].
   • Issuance of the official Death Certificate (Gowahi-ye Foot): The National Organization for Civil Registration cancels the deceased's Shenasnameh by stamping the death entry, updates the national civil database, and issues the official Iranian Death Certificate (Khulaseh-ye Sanad-e Foot), which is required for all pension, banking, and probate filings [1]. Citizens can also view linked civil records via the National Smart Government Services Window [5].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cemetery Permits, or International Repatriation

   Funeral, mortuary, and burial services in Iran are managed by municipal cemetery organizations (Aramestan-ha, such as the Behesht-e Zahra Organization in Tehran or municipal cemetery authorities in other cities) and recognized minority religious councils.

   • Local burial procedures: Present the medical death certificate and burial permit to the municipal cemetery authority or the recognized religious community cemetery (for Zoroastrian, Jewish, or Armenian/Assyrian Christian citizens) to arrange ritual washing, preparation, and grave allocation [1] [6]. Note that cremation is not practiced or permitted in Iran, so local disposition takes place exclusively by burial [6].
   • International repatriation of remains: If the deceased was a foreign national or if the family wishes to repatriate the remains abroad, a licensed international mortuary and air-cargo provider must obtain a forensic and public health non-infection certificate, embalming certificate, and customs transit permit, with the body sealed in a zinc-lined casket [2] [6].
   • Consular legalization (non-Apostille jurisdiction): Iran is not a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. For an Iranian death certificate or succession document to be recognized abroad, it must first be translated by an official Judiciary-sworn translator (Dar-ol-Tarjomeh-ye Rasmi), certified by the Judiciary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then legalized by the embassy or consulate of the destination country in Tehran [2] [4].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security (Tamin), Pension Funds, Banks, and Tax Authorities

   With the official Death Certificate from the National Organization for Civil Registration, surviving family members should notify social insurance institutions and banks.

   • Funeral grant and survivor pension claims: If the deceased was an insured contributor or retiree under the Social Security Organization, eligible surviving dependents (such as a spouse, eligible children, or dependent parents under the Social Security Law) can apply to the Social Security Organization for the statutory burial and funeral allowance (Komak-Hazineh-ye Kafn va Dafn) and monthly survivor pensions (Mostamarri-ye Bazmandegan) [3]. If the deceased was a civil servant covered by the Civil Servants Pension Organization or another state fund, claims are filed through the respective fund via the National Smart Government Services Window [5].
   • Bank accounts and financial freezes: Once the National Organization for Civil Registration records the death in the national registry, the Central Bank network automatically flags and freezes the deceased's sole-name bank accounts and payment cards [1] [5]. Banks will only release funds above statutory funeral advances once the official Certificate of Inheritance Verification and any required tax certificates are presented [4].
5. 5

   Obtain the Certificate of Inheritance Verification (Tasdigh-e Enhesar-e Verasat) and Administer the Estate

   Transferring bank balances, real estate deeds (Sanad-e Malekiyat), or vehicles in Iran requires an official Inheritance Verification Certificate establishing the legal heirs and their statutory shares.

   • Issuance of the Certificate of Inheritance Verification: Under Iranian succession law and updated electronic civil-judicial integration, heirs apply through the Judiciary Electronic Services Portal (Adliran) and judicial service offices (Daftar-e Khadamat-e Electronic-e Ghazayi) to the Dispute Resolution Council (Shora-ye Hal-e Ekhtelaf) or Peace Court, or receive the automated civil-registry inheritance certificate introduced under recent administrative reforms alongside the National Organization for Civil Registration [1] [4]. Recognized religious minorities in Iran have their personal status and inheritance distribution rules applied in accordance with their officially recognized community canons [4].
   • Inheritance tax (Maliyat bar Ers) on asset transfers: Under the Direct Taxation Act (as amended), heirs do not need to pay inheritance tax upfront merely to obtain the Certificate of Inheritance Verification; rather, inheritance tax is assessed and paid to the Iranian National Tax Administration piecemeal whenever the heirs seek to transfer or liquidate a specific asset (such as obtaining a tax clearance certificate to transfer a real estate deed at a Notary Public office or to release bank deposits) [4] [5].
   • Heirs living outside Iran (Mikhak Powers of Attorney): If one or more heirs live outside Iran, they do not need to travel to Iran in person. An overseas heir can register on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Mikhak Electronic Consular System to draft a specific Power of Attorney (Vekalatnameh-ye Kari ya Enhesar-e Verasat), verify it at an Iranian embassy, consulate, or the Iranian Interests Section, and designate a lawyer or trusted relative in Iran to obtain the inheritance certificate via the Judiciary Electronic Services Portal (Adliran) and manage estate transfers [2] [4].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   National Organization for Civil Registration (Sabte Ahval) - Vital Events Registration — National Organization for Civil Registration of Iran
2. [2]
   Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Mikhak Electronic Consular Services System — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran
3. [3]
   Social Security Organization (Tamin) - Survivor Pensions and Funeral Benefits — Social Security Organization of Iran
4. [4]
   Judiciary Electronic Services Portal (Adliran) - Legal and Probate Filings — Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran
5. [5]
   National Smart Government Services Window (My.Gov.ir) — Ministry of Information and Communications Technology of Iran
6. [6]
   World Health Organization - Islamic Republic of Iran Public Health Profile — World Health Organization (WHO)