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

1. 1

   Medical certification of death and issuance of the medical certificate

   • Death in a hospital facility: When a death occurs at the National Hospital Centre in Nouakchott, a regional hospital, or an accredited clinic in Mauritania, a licensed physician immediately conducts the clinical examination and issues the official medical certificate of death in accordance with national healthcare protocols monitored with the World Health Organization [2] [5].
   • Death at home: If your family member dies at home, the family must contact a sworn physician or the competent public health centre of the district (moughataa) so that a medical practitioner can confirm that the death resulted from natural causes and issue the medical certificate required for civil registration and burial [1] [5].
   • Forensic and judicial intervention: In the event of a violent, suspicious, unexplained, or public-road death, the national police or gendarmerie and the public prosecutor at the wilaya court operating under the Ministry of Justice of Mauritania must be notified immediately [2]. The body is transferred for forensic examination or autopsy, and no burial may take place without formal clearance from the public prosecutor's office [2].
2. 2

   Civil registration of death with the biometric civil registry (ANRPTS)

   • Registration at Citizen Reception Centres: In Mauritania, civil registration is fully digitised and administered by the National Agency for the Population Register and Secure Documents (ANRPTS) [1]. Every death must be declared at the Citizen Reception Centre (Centre d'Accueil des Citoyens - CAC) of the municipality or moughataa where the death occurred so that it is recorded in the National Population Register [1].
   • Required documents and authorised declarants: The declaration is submitted by a close relative of the deceased person (surviving spouse, ascendant, adult descendant, or guardian) presenting the medical certificate of death, the deceased person's biometric national identity card or National Identification Number (NNI), and the biometric identity documents of the declarant and two adult witnesses [1].
   • Secure death certificate and late judicial registration: Once the civil registrar validates the record with the National Agency for the Population Register and Secure Documents (ANRPTS), secure death certificate extracts are issued to the family [1]. If statutory deadlines have been exceeded or if the deceased person was not previously enrolled in the biometric register, a judicial authorisation procedure is required before the courts operating under the Ministry of Justice of Mauritania [1] [2]. For foreign or dual nationals, consular registration is completed in parallel with the relevant diplomatic mission, such as the Embassy of France in Mauritania [4].
3. 3

   Funeral arrangements, burial permits, and international repatriation

   • Burial permit and local funeral practices: Burial in a municipal cemetery in Mauritania requires a burial permit issued by the municipal and health authorities upon presentation of the medical certificate of death [1] [2]. In accordance with public health rules and local religious traditions, burial takes place promptly once the medical certification and administrative clearance have been issued [1] [5]. Because cremation is not practised in Mauritania, any request for cremation requires international repatriation of the remains [4].
   • Domestic mortuary transport: If the body must be transported from one wilaya to another for burial, an administrative and sanitary mortuary transit permit (laissez-passer) must be obtained from the territorial administrative authorities (hakem of the moughataa or wali) and public health services [2] [5].
   • International repatriation: Where the remains of your family member must be repatriated abroad or brought into Mauritania from another state, the funeral operator must obtain the biometric death certificate, a medical certificate confirming the absence of contagious disease, an exit authorisation from the Mauritanian authorities, and an official report confirming placement in a hermetically sealed coffin [1] [4]. The competent consular service, such as the Embassy of France in Mauritania, issues the consular mortuary transit permit [4].
4. 4

   Social security (CNSS), pension funds, banks, and insurance notifications

   • Private-sector survivor benefits (CNSS): If the deceased person was a salaried employee or pensioner affiliated with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), the surviving dependants must file a claim for survivor pensions (widow or widower pension and orphan pensions) or a lump-sum survivor allowance if the deceased person had not completed the minimum insurance period required for a pension [3]. The file requires the biometric death certificate, the court deed of inheritance, the marriage certificate, and the birth certificates of dependent children [1] [3].
   • Civil servants and mandatory health insurance (CNAM): For civil servants and state employees, applications for the death grant and survivor pension are submitted to the Mauritanian Pension Fund (CMR) and the Directorate of Civil Service, while updates to mandatory health insurance coverage for surviving dependants are processed with the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM) under the framework documented alongside the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) [3].
   • Bank accounts and insurance contracts: Heirs must notify all commercial banks in Mauritania where the deceased person held accounts so that individual balances are frozen pending presentation of the deed of inheritance, and notify insurance providers to settle any life or credit insurance policies [2] [3].
5. 5

   Opening and settling the estate in Mauritania

   • Statutory framework under the Personal Status Code: In the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, inheritance and succession are governed by Law No. 2001-052 of 19 July 2001 enacting the Personal Status Code (Book IV on wills and succession), administered by the civil and personal status courts under the Ministry of Justice of Mauritania [2].
   • Certificate of inheritance (farida) and role of the notary: The heirs petition the qadi or the competent moughataa personal status court to establish the official deed of inheritance (farida), which identifies each legal heir and calculates their statutory share after payment of funeral expenses, verified debts of the deceased person, and valid testamentary bequests within the disposable one-third limit [2]. A Mauritanian notary is required to execute real estate title transfers and formal property divisions [2].
   • Tax registration and international coordination: Estate division deeds and property transfers must be registered with the Directorate General of Taxes and State Property [2]. If your family member was a foreign national or if heirs or assets are located abroad, both the biometric death certificate issued by the National Agency for the Population Register and Secure Documents (ANRPTS) and the judicial deed of inheritance must be legalised by the Mauritanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant diplomatic mission, such as the Embassy of France in Mauritania [1] [2] [4].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Official Portal for Biometric Civil Registration and Secure Documents (ANRPTS) — Agence Nationale du Registre des Populations et des Titres Sécurisés (Mauritanie)
2. [2]
   Administrative and Judicial Procedures of the Ministry of Justice — Portail des Procédures et Formalités Administratives de la République Islamique de Mauritanie
3. [3]
   The Mauritanian Social Security System (CNSS and CNAM - Survivors and Death Benefits) — Centre des Liaisons Européennes et Internationales de Sécurité Sociale (CLEISS)
4. [4]
   Consular Services and Administrative Procedures in Mauritania — Ambassade de France en Mauritanie
5. [5]
   Mauritania: Country Health Profile and World Health Organization Coordination — Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS)