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

1. 1

   Medical Certification of Death and Issuance of the Medical Certificate

   • Death in a hospital or clinical facility: When a death occurs in a university hospital center (such as CHU Joseph Ravoahangy Andrianavalona in Antananarivo), a regional referral hospital, or a healthcare facility supervised by the Ministry of Public Health (Ministère de la Santé Publique), the on-duty doctor or attending physician immediately performs the clinical examination and issues the official medical death certification form (fiche médicale de constatation de décès) [1] [5]. This medical record is required for transferring the body to the hospital mortuary and declaring the death at the civil registry [1] [5].
   • Death at home and involvement of the Municipal Bureau of Hygiene: If your family member dies at home, the family must promptly notify the head of the Fokontany (local administrative district) and call a licensed physician or a doctor from the Municipal Bureau of Hygiene (Bureau Municipal d'Hygiène - BMH) operating in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health (Ministère de la Santé Publique) to certify the death on site and issue both the medical death report and the statistical death form for INSTAT [1] [5].
   • Death in a public place, accidental death, or suspicious circumstances: In cases of violent death, accident, or medically suspicious circumstances, the national police or gendarmerie must be alerted without delay [1] [2]. The Public Prosecutor (Procureur de la République) at the competent Court of First Instance (Tribunal de première instance) orders a forensic medical examination; the burial permit can only be issued after written authorization from the prosecutor's office [1] [2].
2. 2

   Civil Registration of the Death Before the Civil Registrar

   • Competent authority and statutory deadlines: Under Malagasy civil status legislation and the official guidelines published on the Official Portal of Administrative Procedures (Portail Officiel des Démarches Administratives - Torolalana), every death must be declared at the civil registry office of the municipality (commune or municipal arrondissement in Antananarivo) where the death occurred [1] [2]. In practice, the declaration is made within twenty-four hours of certification to obtain the burial permit, and no later than the statutory twelve-day deadline set by the civil status law [1] [2]. Once the statutory deadline has passed, registration requires a court petition for a late registration court order (jugement supplétif d'acte de décès) before the Court of First Instance [2].
   • Required supporting documents: According to the procedure detailed on the Official Portal of Administrative Procedures (Portail Officiel des Démarches Administratives - Torolalana), the declarant must submit the medical death certification form issued by the physician or the Municipal Bureau of Hygiene, the original National Identity Card (CIN) of the deceased person, a photocopy of the declarant's CIN, the INSTAT statistical death form, and the family record book (livret de famille) if applicable [1] [2].
   • Issuance of official death certificates and consular transcription: Once the record is entered in the municipal registers, families should immediately request several certified full copies of the death certificate (copies intégrales de l'acte de décès) [1] [2]. Where the deceased person or an heir has foreign ties or belongs to the Malagasy diaspora, consular issuance or transcription of civil status records is coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar (Ministère des Affaires Étrangères de Madagascar) [3].
3. 3

   Funeral Arrangements, Burial, and International Repatriation

   • Burial permit and sanitary authorizations: No burial or cremation may take place without the burial permit (permis d'inhumer) issued by the municipal civil registrar upon presentation of the medical certificate from the Municipal Bureau of Hygiene (BMH) or the Ministry of Public Health (Ministère de la Santé Publique) confirming the absence of contagious disease [1] [5]. If the remains are transported to a family tomb located in another municipality or region of Madagascar, a special body transport permit and sanitary laissez-passer must be obtained from the municipal and health authorities [1] [5].
   • International repatriation of remains: If the mortal remains must be repatriated out of Madagascar or transported from abroad into Madagascar, an international mortuary laissez-passer is mandatory [1] [3] [5]. The file includes the official civil death certificate, a medical certificate confirming non-contagion and embalming preservation care (thanatopraxie), an official report confirming placement in a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin witnessed by health and police authorities, and consular authorization coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar (Ministère des Affaires Étrangères de Madagascar) [3] [5].
4. 4

   Notifications to CNaPS, Pension Funds, Banks, and Insurers

   • Private-sector survivor benefits: If your family member was an active or retired private-sector employee registered with social security, the death must be reported to the National Social Security Fund (Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale - CNaPS) [4]. The National Social Security Fund (Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale - CNaPS) processes claims for funeral expense allowances or lump-sum death benefits as well as survivor annuities and allowances for the legally married surviving spouse and dependent orphans, upon submission of the death certificate, marriage certificate, children's birth certificates, and certificate of dependency [4].
   • Civil service pensions, banks, and insurance: If the deceased person was a civil or military public servant, survivors apply to the pension department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance; simultaneously, presenting the death certificate to Malagasy banks triggers a protective freeze on the deceased person's individual accounts until estate settlement [1] [2] [4].
5. 5

   Opening and Settling the Estate in Madagascar

   • Certificate of notoriety and heirship: Under Malagasy succession law (Law No. 68-012 on successions, wills, and gifts), the estate opens at the last domicile of the deceased person [2]. Proof of heirship is established through a certificate of notoriety (acte de notoriété) drawn up by a notary or competent public officer, setting out the statutory order of heirs (descendants, surviving spouse, ascendants) or the existence of a valid will [2].
   • Estate tax declaration and land title transfer: The heirs must file the estate tax declaration with the competent Tax Center within the statutory six-month period following the death and apply for transfer of registered land titles (mutation des titres fonciers) with the Land Registry Service (Service des Domaines) [2]. If an heir resides abroad or the estate includes assets outside Madagascar, notarial powers of attorney and civil status records must be legalized through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar (Ministère des Affaires Étrangères de Madagascar) and the relevant consular missions [2] [3].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Application for a Death Certificate: Official Procedure, Deadlines, and Required Documents in Madagascar — Portail Torolalana (Gouvernement de la République de Madagascar)
2. [2]
   Official Civil Status Services and Procedures in Madagascar — Portail Torolalana (Gouvernement de la République de Madagascar)
3. [3]
   Consular Public Services: Issuance and Transcription of Civil Status Records — Ministère des Affaires Étrangères de la République de Madagascar
4. [4]
   Institutional Information and Benefits of the National Social Security Fund (CNaPS) — Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale (CNaPS Madagascar)
5. [5]
   Official Portal of the Ministry of Public Health of Madagascar — Ministère de la Santé Publique (Madagascar)