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

1. 1

   Obtain the Official Medical Certificate of Death

   Under Iraqi public health and vital statistics law (including the Births and Deaths Registration Law), every death in Iraq must first be medically certified under the authority of the Ministry of Health [1].

   • Hospital or clinical deaths: When a death occurs in a public or private hospital in Iraq, the attending physician completes the standardized statistical Death Certificate (Shahadat Wafah) in multiple copies, which is stamped by the hospital's statistical registration unit under the Ministry of Health [1]. One copy is delivered to the family for burial, while electronic and physical copies are transmitted to the health directorate and civil status registry [1] [2].
   • Deaths at home: If your family member died at home from natural causes, a family representative must report the death to the nearest accredited health center or public hospital with the deceased's medical records and Unified National Card (Al-Bitaqa Al-Wataniyya) so a public health physician can examine the body and issue the official death certificate [1].
   • Sudden, accidental, or suspicious deaths: If the death occurred unexpectedly outside a hospital without clear natural cause, or involved an accident or trauma, you must notify the local police station immediately. The investigative judge under the Supreme Judicial Council refers the body to the Medico-Legal Directorate (Forensic Medicine Institute / Al-Tibb Al-Adli) of the Ministry of Health for an autopsy and forensic report before issuing burial clearance [1] [5].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Status and Unified National Card Directorate

   After the medical certificate is issued, the death must be recorded in the civil registry so the deceased's civil status record is updated and official extracts can be issued.

   • Statutory reporting deadlines: Under Iraqi Births and Deaths Registration regulations, deaths occurring within Iraq should be reported within the statutory period (typically within 30 days of death inside Iraq, or within 60 to 90 days when reported through an Iraqi diplomatic mission abroad) [1] [3]. If the statutory deadline expires without registration, registering the death requires a formal late-registration verification or judicial order from the Personal Status Court and payment of a statutory fine [2] [5].
   • Civil registry updates: Present the original stamped medical death certificate, the deceased's Unified National Card (or Civil Status ID / Jinsiyya), and the Residence Card (Bitaqat Al-Sakan) to the competent Directorate of Civil Status, Passports, and Residence, or track linked registration services through the Ur National Portal for Government E-Services [2].
   • Deaths involving foreign nationals or overseas authorities: If the deceased was a foreign citizen or if Iraqi death certificates must be used abroad, the death certificate issued by the Ministry of Health must be authenticated by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [1] [3].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Funeral Transport, or International Repatriation

   Burial and corpse transport in Iraq are regulated by municipal health offices and the Ministry of Health [1].

   • Local burial permits and cemetery transfer: The burial copy of the medical death certificate serves as the official burial permit (Ijazat Al-Dafn) required by municipal and religious cemetery authorities across Iraq [1]. If the family wishes to transport the deceased between governorates (for example, from Baghdad or Basra to the Wadi Al-Salam cemetery in Najaf or cemeteries in Karbala or the Kurdistan Region), the health directorate and local security checkpoints require the stamped hospital death certificate and burial transit permit [1]. Note that cremation facilities do not operate for the general public in Iraq, so local disposition takes place by burial [1] [6].
   • International repatriation of remains: To repatriate the remains of a foreign citizen or Iraqi national across international borders, a licensed funeral and aviation transport provider must obtain a forensic/health non-contagious disease certificate, an embalming certificate, and a corpse transit permit from the Ministry of Health, with the body sealed in a zinc-lined casket [1] [6].
   • Consular legalization (non-Apostille jurisdiction): Iraq is not a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Any Iraqi death certificate, forensic report, or mortuary permit intended for use in another country must be legalized by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then stamped by the embassy or consulate of the destination country in Baghdad or Erbil [3].
4. 4

   Notify Pension, Social Security, Banking, and Ration Card Authorities

   With the registered death certificate and initial court documents, the family should notify state benefit agencies and financial institutions.

   • State retiree survivor pensions: If the deceased was a public-sector employee or state pensioner, eligible family dependents (such as a surviving spouse, minor or student children, or unmarried/unemployed daughters and dependent parents under the Unified Retirement Law) can apply for survivor pension transfer through the National Board of Pensions via the Ur National Portal for Government E-Services [2].
   • Private-sector social security and funeral grants: If your family member was insured in the private sector, file the death certificate and inheritance deed with the Department of Retirement and Social Security for Workers under the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to claim survivor pension entitlements and statutory death benefits [4].
   • Ration Card (Al-Bitaqa Al-Tamwiniyya) and banks: Notify the Ministry of Trade ration card center via the Ur National Portal for Government E-Services to update the household ration record [2], and notify Iraqi state or private banks (such as Rafidain Bank, Rasheed Bank, or commercial banks), which freeze the deceased's accounts until the official court inheritance deed and tax clearance are presented [2] [5].
5. 5

   Obtain the Judicial Deed of Succession (Qasam Shar'i) and Administer the Estate

   In Iraq, no bank account, real estate property (Tapu), vehicle, or pension entitlement can be transferred to heirs without a formal court-issued succession deed.

   • Applying for the Qasam Shar'i (Deed of Succession): An adult heir or legal representative must apply to the competent Personal Status Court (Mahkamat Al-Ahwal Al-Shakhsiyya) for Muslim estates, or the Personal Status Court for Non-Muslims (Mahkamat Al-Mawad Al-Shakhsiyya) for Christian and other recognized communities, operating under the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq [5]. The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq also provides electronic initial application forms via its judicial portal to streamline the issuance of the Qasam Shar'i (which specifies each legal heir and their statutory fractional share under Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959) [5].
   • Tax clearance and Real Estate Registration (Tapu): Before transferring real estate at the Real Estate Registration Directorate (Da'irat Al-Tasjil Al-Aqari) or releasing bank funds, heirs must obtain tax clearance from the General Commission for Taxes confirming that any applicable property or income taxes have been settled [2] [5].
   • Heirs living abroad: If one or more heirs reside outside Iraq, they can execute a special Power of Attorney (Wakalah Khasah) at an Iraqi embassy or consulate via the consular portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [3]. Once authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad and verified by the court, the designated attorney in Iraq can complete the Qasam Shar'i, sign before the Real Estate Registration Directorate, and collect or distribute estate shares on the absent heir's behalf [3] [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Ministry of Health of the Republic of Iraq - Official Portal — Ministry of Health of the Republic of Iraq
2. [2]
   Ur National Portal for Government E-Services - Directory of Services — General Secretariat for the Council of Ministers - Republic of Iraq
3. [3]
   Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq - Consular Services — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq
4. [4]
   Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs - Social Security and Welfare — Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Iraq
5. [5]
   Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq - Electronic Judicial Portal and Personal Status Courts — Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq
6. [6]
   World Health Organization - Iraq Public Health and Health System Country Profile — World Health Organization (WHO)