What to Do When a Citizen of United States Dies in Italy: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Medical Pronouncement of Death, Necroscopic Examination, and Judicial Clearance in Italy

   • Death in a hospital or healthcare facility: If the death occurs in a hospital or clinic (for example, in Rome, Milan, Florence, or Naples), the hospital medical management handles the clinical pronouncement of death (constatazione di decesso), completes the ISTAT cause-of-death statistical form (scheda ISTAT), and performs the necroscopic certification under the Italian Mortuary Police Regulations (Regolamento di polizia mortuaria, D.P.R. 285/1990) [1].
   • Death at a private residence, hotel, or public place: Call the single emergency number 112 (or 118) immediately so a physician can attend and issue the constatazione di decesso. Subsequently, the forensic/necroscopic physician (medico necroscopo) appointed by the competent Local Health Authority (Azienda Sanitaria Locale - ASL) conducts the official necroscopic examination (visita necroscopica), which by law must take place no earlier than 15 hours and no later than 30 hours after death in order to issue the certificato necroscopico [1].
   • Sudden, violent, or unattended death: If the death occurs without medical attendance or under sudden or suspicious circumstances, law enforcement intervenes and reports the case to the Public Prosecutor's Office (Procura della Repubblica / Autorità Giudiziaria). In such cases, the body remains at the disposal of the magistrate for forensic examination or autopsy, and neither sealing the coffin nor cremation or international repatriation may proceed until the Prosecutor issues the formal burial/release authorization (nulla osta alla sepoltura) [1].
2. 2

   Repatriation Insurance, Funeral Directors in Italy and the United States, and U.S. Consular Assistance

   • Verifying insurance coverage: Before signing private funeral contracts on your own, check whether your family member held travel, medical, or international assistance insurance covering repatriation of remains. If so, contact the insurer's operations center immediately so that it can appoint the funeral providers directly and cover the expenses [3].
   • Appointing a licensed funeral director in Italy and the United States: If no insurance company is involved, appoint a licensed funeral home in Italy (impresa funebre autorizzata, belonging to national industry federations such as FENIOF or Federcofit, or listed on the directories provided by U.S. consular offices) to handle sanitary preparation of the body as well as municipal and customs formalities [1][3]. For reception in the United States, select a state-licensed funeral home in the destination state through the directory of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) [5]. Clarvia provides directory links solely for orientation and does not endorse specific commercial providers. Under the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Funeral Rule, U.S. funeral homes must provide an itemized General Price List (including over the phone) and allow you to select only the services needed for receiving the remains and burial or cremation [6].
   • U.S. consular assistance: Report the death promptly to the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Italy (Ambasciata e Consolati degli Stati Uniti in Italia - Rome and Florence: +39 06 46741; Milan: +39 02 290351; Naples: +39 081 583 8111) [2][3]. The consular office assists relatives in communicating with Italian authorities, safeguards personal effects if the deceased person was traveling alone, and issues the consular report of death, while noting that the U.S. Government cannot pay funeral or transportation costs [2][3].
3. 3

   Registration with the Municipal Civil Status Office in Italy, Apostille or Form C, and U.S. Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRDA)

   • Death declaration with the Italian municipality: Within 24 hours of the death, the appointed funeral company (a family member, or the hospital management) files the declaration of death with the Civil Status Office (Ufficio di Stato Civile) of the Italian municipality (Comune) where the death occurred in order to draw up the death record (atto di morte) and obtain the burial permit (permesso di seppellimento) [1]. Request multiple copies of the death certificate and summary extract (estratto per riassunto dell'atto di morte) [1]. Although the Italian municipality can issue a multilingual death extract on Modello C (under the 1976 Vienna Convention), the United States is not a party to that convention; therefore, if a U.S. court or state authority requires the Italian certificate in addition to the consular report, the Italian death extract must be legalized with a Hague Apostille (Apostille dell'Aja) at the competent territorial Prefecture (Prefettura, under the Italian Ministry of the Interior, Ministero dell'Interno) and accompanied by a certified English translation [1][4].
   • Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA): Submit the Italian atto di morte and the deceased person's U.S. passport to the Ambasciata e Consolati degli Stati Uniti in Italia for the issuance of the Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (Form DS-2060) [2][3]. The CRDA carries official legal validity in English throughout the United States and is used in place of state Vital Records / Office of Vital Statistics certificates for banking, insurance, and probate procedures [2][3].
4. 4

   International Repatriation of the Body or Ashes to the United States vs. Local Burial or Cremation in Italy

   • International repatriation of the body from Italy to the United States: For the international transport of uncremated remains to the United States (which is not a party to the 1937 Berlin Convention), the Italian municipality of the place of death issues the Mortuary Passport (Passaporto Mortuario) upon receiving the ASL certificate confirming anti-putrefactive/embalming treatment and hermetic sealing in a double coffin (a soldered metal liner enclosed in a wooden casket in accordance with D.P.R. 285/1990), in accordance with the rules of the Ministero dell'Interno and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale - MAECI) [1][4]. For entry into the United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations (42 CFR 71.55) require uncremated human remains to travel in a leak-proof container consigned to a licensed U.S. funeral home or cemetery, accompanied by the official death certificate (or certification that the deceased had no quarantinable communicable disease) [7]. Upon arrival at the U.S. airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection clears the shipment and the receiving funeral director obtains the state burial-transit permit.
   • Repatriation of cremated ashes: If cremation in Italy is chosen (authorized by the Ufficio di Stato Civile based on the expressed wishes of the deceased or entitled next of kin), cremated ashes are exempt from CDC public health import permits under 42 CFR 71.55 [7] and may be transported in a sealed, X-ray-scannable urn accompanied by the death certificate, cremation record (verbale di cremazione), and transport authorization [1][7].
   • Local burial or cremation in Italy: If the family opts for final entombment (tumulazione), earth burial (inumazione), or cremation in Italy, the municipality issues the permesso di seppellimento directly to the Italian funeral company [1].
5. 5

   Post-Death Notifications, Survivor Pensions, Tax Filings, and Probate in the United States and in Italy

   • Social Security, taxes, and probate in the United States: Report the death to the Social Security Administration (SSA) by calling 1-800-772-1213 (from the United States) or by contacting the Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Rome or the Consulate General in Naples to stop any undue monthly payments (benefits credited for the month of death must be returned) and to apply for the USD 255 lump-sum death payment or monthly survivor benefits [3][12]. If the deceased was a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, contact the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding burial allowances (Form VA 21P-530EZ) or burial in a national cemetery [13]. The legal representative or surviving relative must file the final federal income tax return (Form 1040 marked "DECEASED") with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for income received up to the date of death by the regular April deadline of the following year [14], and initiate probate or estate administration before the competent county Probate Court in the United States.
   • Pensions, wills, and inheritance tax return in Italy: If your family member received a pension or paid social security contributions in Italy, contact the Italian National Social Security Institute (Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale - INPS) regarding survivor pensions (pensione ai superstiti / reversibilità) or payment of accrued pension installments (ratei maturati e non riscossi) [8]. To verify whether a will was registered in Italy, you can request a certificate from the General Register of Wills (Registro Generale dei Testamenti) at the Italian Ministry of Justice (Ministero della Giustizia) and consult a notary through the National Council of Notaries (Consiglio Nazionale del Notariato) [10][11]. If the estate includes real property or assets in Italy, the heirs must electronically file the Italian inheritance return (dichiarazione di successione) with the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) within 12 months from the date of death [9].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Rules Applicable in the Event of Death and Repatriation of Remains — Ministero dell'Interno
2. [2]
   Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad and Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRDA) — U.S. Department of State
3. [3]
   To Report the Death of a U.S. Citizen in Italy — U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Italy
4. [4]
   Consular Assistance: Repatriation of Remains and Mortuary Passport — Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (MAECI)
5. [5]
   Funeral Service Resources and Directory — National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)
6. [6]
   Shopping for Funeral Services: The FTC Funeral Rule — Federal Trade Commission
7. [7]
   Importation of Human Remains into the United States for Burial, Entombment, or Cremation (42 CFR 71.55) — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
8. [8]
   Settlement of Accrued Pension Installments to Heirs and Survivor Benefits — Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale (INPS)
9. [9]
   Inheritance Return (Dichiarazione di successione): Guide and Online Services — Agenzia delle Entrate
10. [10]
    General Register of Wills (Registro Generale dei Testamenti): Request for Certification — Ministero della Giustizia
11. [11]
    Successions: Citizen's Guide — Consiglio Nazionale del Notariato
12. [12]
    What to Do When Someone Dies and Social Security Survivor Benefits — Social Security Administration
13. [13]
    Burial and Memorial Benefits — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
14. [14]
    File the Final Income Tax Returns of a Deceased Person — Internal Revenue Service