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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Death in a hospital or clinical center: When your family member dies at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (QKUK / SHSKUK), a regional general hospital, or a licensed private clinic, the attending physician examines the body and issues the official Medical Certificate of Death (Certifikata Mjekësore e Vdekjes / Konstatimi i Vdekjes) in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Health of Kosovo [1].
   • Death at home: If the death occurs at a private residence, you must contact the municipal Emergency Medical Service (Ndihma e Shpejtë, telephone 194) or the Main Family Medicine Center (Qendra Kryesore e Mjekësisë Familjare - QKMF) in the municipality [1]. A licensed physician verifies the cause and time of death on site and signs the Medical Certificate of Death required for civil registration and burial [1] [2].
   • Unexpected, accidental, or unexplained death: Where a death occurs suddenly outside medical supervision or involves suspected trauma or unknown causes, you must immediately notify the Kosovo Police (Policia e Kosovës, telephone 192) [1] [3]. The State Prosecutor orders a forensic examination by the Institute of Forensic Medicine (Instituti i Mjekësisë Ligjore - IML) under the Ministry of Justice of Kosovo before issuing the forensic death certificate and releasing the body [1] [5].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry

   • Statutory deadline and authority: Under Law No. 04/L-003 on Civil Status, a death occurring within the territory of Kosovo must be declared within 15 days (or within 60 days if the death occurred outside Kosovo and is reported via a diplomatic or consular mission) to the Municipal Civil Status Office (Zyra e Gjendjes Civile) operating under the Civil Registration Agency (Agjencia e Regjistrimit Civil - ARC) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo [2] [3].
   • Required documentation: A family member, household member, or authorized representative submits the original Medical Certificate of Death, the deceased's Kosovo identity card (Letërnjoftim) or passport, and the informant's valid identity document to the municipal civil registrar [2] [3].
   • Obtaining official death certificates and eKosova extracts: Once the death is recorded in the Central Civil Status Register, the Municipal Civil Status Office issues the official Death Certificate (Certifikata e Vdekjes) and Death Extract (Ekstrakti i Vdekjes) [2] [3]. Registered family members can also download electronically signed civil status certificates directly via the eKosova State Portal [2]. For cross-border use, multilingual certificates or Apostille / diplomatic legalization are issued through the Civil Registration Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora [2] [3].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial and religious or municipal cemetery services: In Kosovo, burials are coordinated through municipal public utility enterprises (such as Hortikultura in Prishtina), licensed private funeral agencies, or recognized religious communities (such as the Islamic Community of Kosovo - BIK, the Catholic Diocese, or the Orthodox Church) that manage cemetery plots and ritual preparation [1] [2]. A burial permit is granted upon presentation of the Medical Certificate of Death and civil registration confirmation [1] [2]. Because Kosovo does not have an operating crematorium, families requesting cremation must arrange cross-border transport to a licensed crematorium abroad [1].
   • International repatriation of remains: If your family member was a foreign national or is to be buried outside Kosovo, a licensed funeral director obtains sanitary clearance from the Sanitary Inspectorate under the Ministry of Health of Kosovo, places the remains in a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin, secures the mortuary transit permit (Leje për transportin e kufomës), and coordinates the consular laissez-passer with the destination country's embassy [1] [3].
   • Document legalization for international transport: Repatriation files require the official Death Certificate, medical certificate confirming the absence of infectious disease, embalming certificate, and Apostille or consular legalization from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo [2] [3].
4. 4

   Notify Pension, Tax, Banking, and Identity Authorities

   • Pension deregistration and family survivor pensions: When a pensioner or contributory worker dies, the death must be reported to the Department of Pensions within the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers [4]. Under Law No. 04/L-131 on State-Funded Pension Schemes, surviving spouses and dependent children of eligible contributory pensioners or specific statutory categories may apply to the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers or via the eKosova State Portal for a family survivor pension (pensioni familjar) [2] [4].
   • Kosovo Pension Savings Trust (Trusti - FKPK): If the deceased held an individual retirement savings account with the Kosovo Pension Savings Trust (Fondi i Kursimeve Pensionale të Kosovës - FKPK), the legal heirs can claim the accumulated Pillar II pension balance by submitting the Death Certificate, civil status family certificate, and the notarial Certificate of Inheritance [2] [4] [6].
   • Identity cancellation, tax, and banking notifications: Civil registration automatically flags the deceased's identity card and passport for cancellation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo [3]. Families must present the Death Certificate to commercial banks (supervised by the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo) to freeze individual accounts and halt standing orders until succession is completed, and notify the Tax Administration of Kosovo (ATK) and the municipal property tax office if the deceased owned real estate or operated a business [2] [4].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Notarial Succession Proceedings

   • Notarial succession procedure: Under the Law on Inheritance of Kosovo (Law No. 2004/26) and Law No. 06/L-010 on Notary, uncontested inheritance proceedings (procedura e shqyrtimit të trashëgimisë) are conducted by a territorial public notary licensed by the Ministry of Justice of Kosovo and registered with the Chamber of Notaries of Kosovo (Oda e Noterëve të Kosovës) in the municipality of the deceased's last residence [5] [6].
   • Required documents and statutory heirs: Heirs submit a request to open succession together with the Death Certificate, family community certificate (Certifikata e bashkësisë familjare), birth and marriage certificates of all heirs, any written will, and cadastral possession lists (Fletë poseduese) or bank statements [2] [5] [6]. The notary verifies statutory forced-heirship shares (pjesa e domosdoshme), records heir declarations of acceptance or renunciation, and issues the Decision on Inheritance (Aktvendimi për trashëgiminë) [5] [6]. If a dispute arises among heirs, the notary refers the case to the competent Basic Court (Gjykata Themelore) [5] [6].
   • Cadastral transfer and cross-border heirs: Once the Decision on Inheritance is issued, the notary submits it to the Municipal Cadastral Office (Zyra Kadastrale Komunale) to update property ownership records and provides certified copies to release bank funds and Trusti pension balances [5] [6]. Heirs living outside Kosovo can participate without traveling in person by executing a notarized and legalized special power of attorney (autorizim / prokurë e posaçme) [5] [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Public Healthcare Institutions, Medical Certification, and Sanitary Oversight — Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kosovo
2. [2]
   Electronic Civil Status Certificates and Public Services Catalogue — eKosova State Portal - Government of the Republic of Kosovo
3. [3]
   Civil Registration Agency and Identity Document Services — Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo (MPB)
4. [4]
   State Pension Schemes, Survivor Benefits, and Financial Administration — Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers of the Republic of Kosovo
5. [5]
   Notarial Citizen Services, Inheritance Procedures, and Official Tariffs — Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kosovo
6. [6]
   Official Directory of Public Notaries and Succession Practice in Kosovo — Chamber of Notaries of Kosovo (Oda e Noterëve të Kosovës)