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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death (Balagh Wafat)

   • Hospital deaths: When a death occurs in a public hospital operated by the Ministry of Health or in a licensed private hospital in Kuwait, the attending physician confirms the cause of death and issues the official Medical Death Notification (Balagh Wafat) [1][5]. You must present the original Kuwait Civil ID (Bitaqa Madaniya) and passport of the deceased so hospital records match civil registry records [1].
   • Deaths at home or outside a medical facility: If your family member died at home or outside a hospital, contact emergency medical services (112) or the local police station (Makhfar al-Shurta) immediately [1]. Do not move the body before official inspection. An ambulance physician or the General Department of Criminal Evidence (al-Adilla al-Jina'iya) under the Ministry of Interior will examine the deceased.
   • Unexpected, accidental, or unexplained deaths: Where the death is sudden, unattended, or involves suspected trauma, the police refer the case to the Public Prosecution (al-Niyaba al-Amma) and the Forensic Medicine Department (al-Tibb al-Shar'i) at the Ministry of Interior. A burial permit and final medical notification are issued only after forensic clearance is completed [1].
2. 2

   Register the Death and Obtain Official Death Certificates

   • Central Registry of Births and Deaths: Once you hold the signed Medical Death Notification, register the death with the Central Registry of Births and Deaths (Idarat al-Sujillat al-Markaziya lil-Mawalid wal-Wafayat) under the Preventive Health Department of the Ministry of Health, either at a regional Births and Deaths Registration Center in the relevant governorate or through a Citizen Service Center (Markaz Khidmat al-Muwatin) [1][5].
   • Statutory reporting and required documents: Deaths in Kuwait should be reported promptly (customarily within 24 hours for burial permitting and within the statutory registration window) by a next-of-kin informant or an authorized representative holding a power of attorney [1]. You must submit the original Medical Death Notification, the deceased's original Kuwait Civil ID and passport, the informant's original Civil ID, and the burial notice once issued [1].
   • Civil ID cancellation and extracts: Recording the death updates the central population database maintained by the Public Authority for Civil Information, which deactivates the deceased's Civil ID and Sahel digital identity profile [6]. Request multiple certified Arabic and English copies of the Official Death Certificate (Shahadat Wafat) from the Ministry of Health, as courts, banks, and pension funds require originals [1][5].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Municipal burial in Kuwait: The Funeral Affairs Department (Idarat Shu'un al-Jana'iz) of Kuwait Municipality oversees public cemeteries, ritual washing (Ghusl), shrouding, ambulance transport, and interment at designated cemeteries (principally the Sulaibikhat Cemetery complex for Muslim and Christian burials) free of municipal burial charges. Present the Medical Death Notification and police clearance (if applicable) to obtain the official Burial Permit (Tasrih Dafn) [1].
   • Cremation and non-Muslim procedures: Non-Muslim burials take place in the dedicated non-Muslim section at Sulaibikhat Cemetery. Where cremation is requested for eligible non-Muslim foreign nationals in accordance with embassy and municipal protocols, obtain specific written clearance from the deceased's embassy, the Ministry of Interior, and Kuwait Municipality.
   • International repatriation of remains: If your family member was an expatriate resident (whose residency visa must be canceled with the General Department of Residency Affairs) or if remains are to be transported abroad, coordinate with the preventive health office of the Ministry of Health for an embalming certificate, coffin sealing certificate, and infectious-disease clearance (No Objection to Export Human Remains), alongside a cargo airway bill and consular laissez-passer from the destination country's embassy [1][5].
   • Document authentication for cross-border use: Kuwait is not currently a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Consequently, any Kuwaiti Death Certificate or court succession order needed outside Kuwait must undergo full consular legalization - first attested by the Ministry of Health or Ministry of Justice, then authenticated by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait, and finally legalized by the embassy or consulate of the destination country [1][4].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pensions, Banks, and Public Authorities

   • Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS): If the deceased was a Kuwaiti national employed in the public, private, or oil sector, or a retiree receiving a pension, notify the Public Institution for Social Security immediately [2][3]. Eligible survivors can apply for the statutory lump-sum Death Grant (Minhat al-Wafat) using the PIFSS Death Grant Disbursement form and claim recurring monthly survivor pension shares (Ansibat al-Mustahiqqin) distributed among widows, children, parents, or dependent siblings under the Kuwaiti Social Security Law [2][3].
   • Banking notifications and account freezing: Upon learning of an account holder's death or receiving notice via the Ministry of Justice or Central Bank channels, commercial banks in Kuwait freeze sole bank accounts, safe-deposit boxes, and credit facilities pending an official Determination of Heirs (Hasr Wirtha) and distribution instructions [4].
   • Commercial licenses, telecoms, and utilities: If your family member held individual commercial licenses, heirs or their appointed legal agent must coordinate with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to transfer or liquidate licenses once succession documents are issued [7]. Notify the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy and telecommunications providers to transfer or close utility accounts.
5. 5

   Administer the Estate, Succession, and Probate (Hasr Wirtha)

   • Determination of Heirs (Hasr Wirtha): In Kuwait, estate administration begins at the Inheritance Department (Idarat al-Mawarith) of the Family Court under the Ministry of Justice [4]. An heir or legal representative submits the Official Death Certificate, the deceased's and heirs' Civil IDs, and brings two adult male witnesses to obtain the official Sharia Deed of Determination of Heirs (Ishhad Hasr Wirtha), which legally identifies all surviving heirs and their statutory fractional shares [4][7].
   • Public Authority for Minors' Affairs (PAMA): If any surviving heir is a minor, unborn child, or person lacking legal capacity without a designated guardian, the Public Authority for Minors' Affairs (al-Hay'a al-Amma li-Shu'un al-Qussar) is notified by law to supervise, inventory, and safeguard the minor's inheritance share under the oversight of the Ministry of Justice [4].
   • Taxation and estate distribution: Kuwait imposes no inheritance tax, estate duty, or personal income tax on inherited assets. Once the Hasr Wirtha is issued and any estate debts, end-of-service indemnity (Mukafa'at Nihayat al-Khidma), and PIFSS certificates are reconciled, real estate transfers are registered with the Real Estate Registration Department at the Ministry of Justice [2][4].
   • Non-Muslim and cross-border estates: Under Kuwaiti conflict-of-laws rules and Personal Status Law No. 51 of 1984, non-Muslim foreign nationals may request the application of the inheritance law of their nationality before the Kuwaiti court, provided the foreign law is officially translated into Arabic and legalized. Heirs residing abroad may act through a notarized and embassy-legalized Power of Attorney (Tawkil) [4][7].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Issuing a Death Certificate - Ministry of Health Services — Kuwait Government Online (e.gov.kw)
2. [2]
   Disbursement of Death Grant — Kuwait Government Online / Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS)
3. [3]
   Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) - Official Portal — Public Institution for Social Security
4. [4]
   Ministry of Justice - Official Portal (Courts, Inheritance & Authentication) — Ministry of Justice of the State of Kuwait
5. [5]
   Ministry of Health - State of Kuwait Official Portal — Ministry of Health of the State of Kuwait
6. [6]
   Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) - Official Portal — Public Authority for Civil Information
7. [7]
   Convert Individual Licenses Under the Name of Heirs — Kuwait Government Online / Ministry of Commerce and Industry