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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Hospital or medical facility deaths: When a death occurs in a hospital or clinic operating under the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the attending physician (or hospital pathomorphological service) issues the official Medical Certificate of Death (Meditsinskoe svidetelstvo o smerti) and records it electronically in the unified medical information system [1] [2].
   • Deaths at home from natural causes: If your family member died at home while under clinical observation at a territorial polyclinic for a documented chronic or terminal condition, call the ambulance service (103) and the local district police officer (102) [2]. Once police confirm the absence of external signs of violence, the polyclinic physician under the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan issues the Medical Certificate of Death based on recent medical records, or refers the body for a pathomorphological examination if the patient had not been examined recently [2].
   • Unexpected, accidental, or unexplained deaths: If the death was sudden, accidental, or occurred outside recent medical supervision, the police (102) order a mandatory forensic medical autopsy at the regional Institute of Forensic Examinations, which issues the official Medical Certificate of Death upon completion [1] [2].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry (RAGS / TSON)

   • Competent authority and registration procedure: Under the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Marriage (Matrimony) and Family, deaths are registered by the Civil Registry Authorities (RAGS) through any Public Service Center (TSON / State Corporation 'Government for Citizens') or online via the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov.kz) portal [1]. Although the Code does not impose a rigid penalty deadline on families for filing a death notification, civil registration should be completed promptly (typically within 1 to 3 working days of receiving the Medical Certificate of Death) because the official Death Certificate or medical certificate is required for burial, funeral grants, and estate opening [1].
   • Proactive digital registration and required documents: Once the medical institution under the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan enters the electronic Medical Certificate of Death, the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan automatically sends a proactive SMS (from 1414) to the next of kin registered in the Mobile Citizens Database, allowing online confirmation of death registration and immediate issuance of the electronic Death Certificate (Svidetelstvo o smerti) or Official Notification of Death within 1 working day free of charge [1] [2].
   • In-person filing at a Public Service Center (TSON): If filing in person (including for foreign nationals without an IIN in the proactive system), present: (a) the original Medical Certificate of Death (or a final court decision declaring death), (b) the deceased's national identity card or passport (which is surrendered for cancellation of the Individual Identification Number / IIN), and (c) the applicant's identity document (plus a notarised power of attorney if submitted by a representative) [1].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial arrangements: Engage a licensed municipal or private funeral service provider in Kazakhstan to coordinate mortuary preparation and cemetery plot allocation with the local Akimat (municipal administration) using the Medical Certificate of Death or the Civil Registry Death Certificate issued via the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan [1]. Under municipal cemetery regulations in Kazakhstan, every resident is entitled to a free statutory plot of land (at least 6 square metres) at a public cemetery for burial.
   • Cremation and international repatriation of remains: If the family requests cremation or international repatriation of remains (or if the deceased was a foreign citizen), the funeral director must obtain: (a) the official Death Certificate from RAGS / TSON via the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan [1], (b) a sanitary-epidemiological clearance (non-infectious disease certificate) and embalming certificate from health authorities under the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan [2], (c) a soldering certificate confirming the body is enclosed in a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin certified free of extraneous items, and (d) consular clearance or a mortuary transit permit from the destination country's embassy.
   • Apostille and document legalisation: Kazakhstan is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention [6]. Official paper Death Certificates and civil status certificates issued by RAGS can be authenticated with a Hague Apostille through the Ministry of Justice via any Public Service Center (TSON) or the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan [1] [6].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pension, Tax, and Financial Authorities

   • State funeral grant and survivor benefits: Upon death registration, ongoing state pension payments are halted automatically via the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan [1] [3]. If the deceased received a state base pension, solidarity (age) pension, or state social disability/survivor allowance administered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the family can claim the lump-sum state burial allowance (ranging from 15.7 to 36.6 Monthly Calculation Indices / MCI, depending on the deceased's status) through eGov.kz or TSON [1] [3] [5]. Surviving minor children (up to age 18, or up to age 23 if full-time students) and eligible non-working care-providing family members may apply to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan for a state survivor social allowance and a survivor payment from the State Social Insurance Fund (GFSS) [3] [5].
   • Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (UAPF / ENPF) burial grant and pension inheritance: If the deceased held mandatory or voluntary retirement savings in the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (ENPF), family members who paid for the funeral may claim a lump-sum burial payment of up to 94 MCI (not exceeding the balance in the individual pension account) before probate closes [4] [5]. Any remaining pension balance in the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund is inherited by the legal heirs upon presenting the notarial Certificate of the Right to Inheritance [4].
   • Commercial banks and tax authorities: Present the Death Certificate to Kazakh commercial banks so individual accounts and loan obligations are suspended pending notarial succession [1]. Notify the State Revenue Committee if the deceased was registered as an Individual Entrepreneur (IP) so tax registration is closed [1].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Succession

   • Opening the succession file within the strict 6-month deadline: Under Section 6 (Law of Succession, Articles 1038-1083) of the Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, estate administration is carried out by a licensed notary at the deceased's last place of permanent residence in Kazakhstan [1] [6]. Heirs (under a will or by statutory intestate order) must formally accept the inheritance within 6 months from the date of opening of the succession (date of death) by filing a formal Statement of Acceptance of Inheritance (or Application for a Certificate of the Right to Inheritance) with a notary, or by proving actual possession and payment of maintenance/debts on the estate property within that 6-month window [1] [6].
   • Issuance of the Certificate of the Right to Inheritance: After the 6-month statutory period expires, the notary verifies civil status kinship records, property encumbrances, and any registered will in the Unified Notary Information System (ENIS) and issues the official Certificate of the Right to Inheritance (Svidetelstvo o prave na nasledstvo) [1] [6]. Heirs then register title to inherited real estate and vehicles through the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan or TSON [1].
   • Taxation on inheritance: Kazakhstan does not levy a standalone inheritance or estate duty on inherited money, bank deposits, pension accumulations from the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund, or real estate; however, if an heir sells inherited real estate or vehicles within 1 year of registering ownership at a gain, a personal income tax on the capital appreciation (10% for tax residents, 15% for non-residents) applies under the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan [1] [4].
   • Cross-border heirs: An heir living abroad may execute a Power of Attorney before a foreign notary (authenticated with a Hague Apostille or consular legalisation and translated into Kazakh or Russian) authorising a local representative in Kazakhstan to file the inheritance acceptance with the Kazakh notary before the 6-month deadline expires [6].

   Step	Deadline	Authority
   1. Medical Certificate of Death	Immediately / within 1 working day of death	Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan
   2. Civil death registration & Death Certificate	Within 1 to 3 working days (before burial)	Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (RAGS / TSON)
   3. Funeral plot allocation or repatriation permits	Prior to burial or cross-border transport	Local Akimat & Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan
   4. State burial allowance, survivor pension & ENPF claims	Promptly after Death Certificate issuance	Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan & Unified Accumulative Pension Fund
   5. Notarial acceptance of inheritance	Strictly within 6 months from the date of death	Territorial Notary & Ministry of Justice (via eGov.kz)

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death Registration, Burial Allowance, and Inheritance Services on eGov.kz — Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov.kz)
2. [2]
   Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Clinical Standards and Medical Certification — Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (gov.kz)
3. [3]
   Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population - Survivor Allowances and Funeral Benefits — Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (gov.kz)
4. [4]
   Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (ENPF) - Burial Grants and Inheritance of Pension Savings — JSC Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (ENPF)
5. [5]
   Social Security Programs Throughout the World: Asia and the Pacific - Kazakhstan — U.S. Social Security Administration / ISSA
6. [6]
   Kazakhstan - Competent Authorities under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention (Ministry of Justice) — Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)