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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Deaths in a hospital or clinical facility: When a person dies in a public or private hospital in Ulaanbaatar or a provincial (aimag) center, the attending physician under the oversight of the Ministry of Health of Mongolia issues the official medical certificate of cause of death (Маягт АМ-7 / Medical Death Certificate) [1] [5]. You will need to present the deceased's citizen identity card (иргэний үнэмлэх) or passport so the hospital administration can record accurate civil identification details [1] [6].
   • Deaths at home (natural causes): If your family member died at home from a documented medical condition, contact the local family health center (Өрхийн эрүүл мэндийн төв), emergency medical services (103), or the soum hospital immediately [5] [6]. A physician must examine the remains and review the medical history before issuing the medical death certificate [5] [6].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unexplained deaths: If the death occurred unexpectedly, outside medical supervision, or under suspicious or accidental circumstances, you must notify the National Police Agency (102) immediately [6]. Police officers and forensic specialists from the National Institute of Forensic Science will examine the scene and transfer the remains for a mandatory forensic autopsy before releasing the forensic medical conclusion required for civil registration [2] [6].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry

   • Statutory registration deadlines: Under Article 19 of the Law on Civil State Registration of Mongolia, a death must be registered within 3 working days in Ulaanbaatar or provincial (aimag) centers, and within 7 working days in rural districts (soums) from the date the death occurred or the medical or forensic conclusion was issued [1] [2]. If a court has declared a missing person deceased, the registration must be completed within 5 working days after the court decision takes legal effect [2].
   • Where and how to register: A family member, adult relative, or authorized representative may register the death at any local civil registration office of the General Authority for State Registration (regardless of residential address), at a One-Stop Service Center (Нэг цэгийн үйлчилгээ), or digitally through the E-Mongolia Unified Digital Service Portal [1] [2] [3].
   • Required documents and Death Certificate issuance: Submit the official medical certificate of cause of death (or forensic examination report), the deceased's citizen ID card, and the informant's ID card [1] [2]. The state registrar records the entry in the civil registry, invalidates the deceased's ID record, and issues the official Death Certificate (Нас барсны гэрчилгээ) free of stamp duty, along with a reference slip for social insurance and burial administration [1] [2] [3].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Domestic burial and cremation procedures: Funeral arrangements in Mongolia require the official Death Certificate and the medical cause-of-death record [1] [6]. In Ulaanbaatar and provincial capitals, licensed funeral service providers coordinate mortuary preparation, transport, and plot allocation at designated municipal cemeteries (such as Sambalkhundev or Narangiin Enger) or cremation at licensed crematoria in compliance with municipal sanitary and environmental regulations [5] [6].
   • International repatriation of remains: If your family member was a foreign national or if the remains must be transported abroad, the family or an international funeral director must obtain an official Death Certificate from the General Authority for State Registration, a forensic or medical certificate confirming the absence of communicable diseases, an embalming and hermetic coffin sealing certificate, and customs export clearance [1] [5] [6].
   • Apostille and consular legalization: Mongolia is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. For official Mongolian Death Certificates and civil registry extracts to be recognized abroad in another Apostille member state, they must be translated by a certified translation bureau, notarized through a public notary registered with the Chamber of Notaries of Mongolia, and affixed with an Apostille by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [2] [4] [6].
4. 4

   Notify Social Insurance, Tax, and Banking Institutions

   • Statutory funeral grant (Оршуулгын тэтгэмж): Under the social insurance framework overseen by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Protection, if the deceased contributed to the Social Insurance Fund for at least 36 months (or died due to an industrial accident or occupational disease, or was receiving a state social insurance pension), the person who organized the funeral is entitled to claim a lump-sum funeral grant [3]. Applications can be submitted within 28 weeks of the death through the local social insurance office or digitally via the E-Mongolia Unified Digital Service Portal using the civil registry death reference [3].
   • Survivor's pension (Тэжээгчээ алдсаны тэтгэвэр): Dependent family members who were financially supported by the deceased - including minor children under age 18 (or up to age 19 if enrolled in secondary school), disabled dependents, and surviving spouses or parents who have reached statutory retirement age - may apply for a monthly survivor's pension through the General Authority for Social Insurance under the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Protection [3].
   • Banks, tax offices, and utilities: Present the Death Certificate to Mongolian commercial banks (such as Khan Bank, Golomt Bank, or Trade and Development Bank) to freeze individual accounts, halt recurring debits, and request account balance statements as of the date of death for the estate inventory [4]. You should also check with the General Department of Taxation via E-Mongolia to settle any pending personal income, property, or vehicle tax liabilities [3].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Notarial Succession

   • Mandatory 1-year succession acceptance period: Under the Civil Code of Mongolia (Articles 515 to 538), succession opens on the date of death at the deceased's last place of permanent residence [4]. Statutory heirs and testamentary beneficiaries who did not reside jointly with the deceased at the time of death must submit a formal statement accepting the inheritance (or requesting a Certificate of Right to Inheritance) to a public notary within 1 year from the date the succession opened [4].
   • Notarial succession procedure: Estate settlement in Mongolia is conducted primarily through public notaries belonging to the Chamber of Notaries of Mongolia in the district (duureg) or soum where the deceased last resided [4]. The notary verifies the Death Certificate, family kinship references from the General Authority for State Registration, any registered will, and property ownership certificates (immovable property titles, vehicle records, and bank balances) [1] [2] [4]. Once the statutory six-month waiting period from the opening of succession has elapsed and all heirs are verified, the notary issues the official Certificate of Right to Inheritance (Өвлөх эрхийн гэрчилгээ) [4].
   • Property re-registration and cross-border coordination: With the notarial Certificate of Right to Inheritance, heirs register the transfer of real estate ownership with the property rights registry of the General Authority for State Registration [1] [4]. Mongolia does not levy a separate general estate tax on standard family inheritances, though small administrative registration fees and notarial tariffs apply [1] [4]. If an heir resides outside Mongolia, they may participate in the succession within the 1-year deadline by executing a notarized and Apostilled (or consular-legalized) Power of Attorney authorizing a representative in Mongolia to file the acceptance before the Chamber of Notaries of Mongolia [4] [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   General Authority for State Registration of Mongolia - Civil Registration Services — General Authority for State Registration (burtgel.gov.mn)
2. [2]
   Law of Mongolia on Civil State Registration (Unified Legal Information System) — LegalInfo.mn - National Legal Institute of Mongolia
3. [3]
   E-Mongolia Unified Digital Service Portal & Social Protection Services — Government of Mongolia (e-mongolia.mn / mlsp.gov.mn)
4. [4]
   Civil Code of Mongolia - Inheritance Law and Chamber of Notaries of Mongolia — Chamber of Notaries of Mongolia (notary.mn)
5. [5]
   Ministry of Health of Mongolia - Public Health and Medical Certification Standards — Ministry of Health of Mongolia (moh.gov.mn)
6. [6]
   Mongolia Bereavement Information Pack - Registration, Repatriation and Legal Procedures — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (GOV.UK)