What to Do When a Citizen of Spain Dies in Morocco: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Medical certification of death and legal clearance in Morocco

   The first step is to obtain the medical certificate of death (certificat médical de constatation de décès) in Morocco to allow civil registration and funeral arrangements [3][4]:

   • Death in a healthcare facility (clinic or hospital): The attending physician or head of department directly issues the medical certificate of death confirming that the death resulted from natural causes and is free of any contagious disease that would prevent transport or burial [3][4].
   • Death at home, in a hotel, or in a public place: You should immediately alert emergency medical services (SAMU at 141) as well as the Police (19 in urban areas) or the Royal Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Royale, 177 outside urban areas). A physician from the local Municipal Hygiene Office (Bureau municipal d'hygiène - BMH) of the municipality or district (for example, the BMH in Casablanca, Rabat, or Marrakesh) performs the forensic medical examination on site to issue the medical death certificate [3].
   • Forensic hold (sudden, suspicious, or unnatural death): If the circumstances of death are undetermined or accidental, the judicial police notify the King's Prosecutor (procureur du Roi) at the competent court. The body is transferred to the morgue or forensic institute, and no coffining, burial, or departure from Moroccan territory may take place until the King's Prosecutor issues formal authorization [3].
2. 2

   Insurance, appointing a funeral director, and Spanish consular assistance

   Before incurring personal expenses, check whether the deceased held travel insurance, repatriation insurance, or a Spanish funeral insurance policy (seguro de decesos) [1][2]:

   • Coordination by the insurer or funeral directors: If an insurance policy covers death abroad, contact its assistance helpline as soon as the medical certificate is issued; the insurer appoints the funeral providers directly and handles the technical formalities. Where no insurance applies, the family appoints an authorized international funeral and mortuary transport company in Morocco (société de pompes funèbres et de transport funéraire international agréée au Maroc), working in coordination with a licensed funeral provider (empresa funeraria habilitada) in Spain for airport reception and final burial or cremation [1][5]. You can identify a licensed funeral operator in Spain through the professional directory of the Asociación Nacional de Servicios Funerarios (National Association of Funeral Services - PANASEF, telephone: +34 91 576 31 55, email: [email protected]) [5]. These examples from public sources are provided for general guidance only; Clarvia does not endorse, recommend, or rank any provider.
   • Contacting the Spanish Consulate in Morocco: Promptly notify the territorially competent Spanish consular post in Morocco according to the place of death, operating under the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation - MAEC), such as the Consulado General de España en Rabat (Consulate General of Spain in Rabat, email: [email protected], civil registry: [email protected]) or the Consulate General of Spain in Casablanca ([email protected]) [1][2]. Eligibility for consular protection depends on the deceased holding Spanish nationality: the consulate guides the family, registers the death in the consular civil registry, and issues the mortuary laissez-passer, although the Spanish government does not pay funeral or repatriation expenses [1][2].
3. 3

   Civil death registration in Morocco, apostille, and registration in the Spanish Registro Civil

   The death must first be registered with the local Moroccan civil registry and then transcribed into the Spanish civil registry to have full legal effect in Spain [1][3]:

   • Municipal registration in Morocco: The death declaration is filed with the civil registry office (Bureau de l'état civil) of the municipality where the death occurred in Morocco (documented via the Portail national de l'État civil at alhalalmadania.ma and the consular portal Consulat.ma), usually by a relative or the authorized funeral director presenting the medical death certificate and the deceased's identity documents [3][4]. The municipal office issues full copies (copies intégrales) and extracts of the Moroccan death record.
   • Hague Apostille and translation: Because both Morocco and Spain are parties to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, the local Moroccan death certificate must bear the Apostille issued by the competent Moroccan authorities (court of first instance or prefectural/provincial authority) and be accompanied by a sworn translation into Spanish if written in Arabic or French [1][2].
   • Transcription into the Spanish Registro Civil: Presenting the apostilled Moroccan death certificate, the medical certificate of death, and the deceased's Spanish passport or national identity card (DNI), you apply for free registration of the death with the Spanish consular civil registry (Registro Civil consulaire) in Morocco (or directly with the municipal civil registry of the deceased's domicile in Spain under the Ministerio de Justicia, Ministry of Justice) [1][2][6]. Once the death is entered in the Spanish registry (note that for a death occurring on Spanish soil, registration with the municipal Registro Civil takes place within 24 hours), the Ministerio de Justicia issues the Certificado Literal de Defunción (full literal death certificate) as well as, upon request, the multilingual extract (Certificado Plurilingüe Fórmula C) under the 1976 Vienna Convention [6][7].
4. 4

   Repatriation of the body or ashes to Spain versus local burial or cremation in Morocco

   The family chooses between international transfer to Spain and local funeral arrangements in Morocco, with the coordinated funeral director handling the technical permits with health and prefectural authorities [1][8]:

   • Repatriation of the body to Spain: International transfer of a body from Morocco requires: 1) a body transfer authorization (autorisation de transfert de corps) issued by the prefectural or provincial authorities at the place of death in Morocco and the Moroccan Ministry of Health services; 2) embalming/preservation care (thanatopraxie) and placement in a hermetically sealed coffin containing a soldered zinc liner, carried out under the supervision of the Municipal Hygiene Office (BMH) and the police, who affix official seals; 3) the consular mortuary laissez-passer (salvoconducto mortuorio) issued by the Spanish consulate in Morocco in accordance with international agreements (Berlin and Strasbourg Agreements) after verifying the medical and sanitary certificates; and 4) border health inspection upon entry into Spanish territory by External Health (Sanidad Exterior) under the Ministerio de Sanidad (Ministry of Health) before transport to the municipality of burial or cremation in Spain [1][2][8].
   • Repatriation of cremated ashes to Spain: If cremation is arranged beforehand, the sealed cinerary urn may be transported to Spain accompanied by the cremation certificate, the transcribed or apostilled death certificate, and the consular and sanitary authorization for transporting ashes [1][8].
   • Local burial or cremation in Morocco: If the family opts for a local funeral in Morocco, the burial permit (permis d'inhumer) is issued by the municipal authorities and the local BMH upon presentation of the medical certificate of death, without requiring a hermetically sealed zinc coffin for local burial [3][4].
5. 5

   Survivor benefits, tax filings, and estate administration in Spain and Morocco

   Once the Spanish death certificate (Certificado Literal de Defunción) and the Moroccan death certificate have been obtained, eligible family members can initiate social security, banking, notarial, and tax procedures in both countries:

   • Social Security benefits in Spain (INSS): If the deceased contributed to or received a pension from the Spanish system, eligible survivors may apply to the Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (National Institute of Social Security - INSS, information line: +34 91 541 25 30, via the Sede Electrónica or CAISS service centers) for the funeral grant (auxilio por defunción, subject to a 5-year limitation period) as well as survivor pensions (pensión de viudedad for the surviving spouse or registered partner and pensión de orfandad for children) [9][10].
   • Will search, notary, and inheritance tax in Spain: After a statutory waiting period of 15 working days from the date of death, request the certificate from the General Registry of Last Wills (Registro General de Actos de Última Voluntad, using official form Modelo 790) from the Ministerio de Justicia to verify whether a will was executed in Spain and identify the officiating notary, together with the certificate of life/death insurance contracts [11][12]. Declaration and acceptance of the inheritance are then completed before a Spanish notary's office (notaría), which can be located through the Consejo General del Notariado (General Council of Notaries) [13]. For tax purposes, Inheritance and Gift Tax (Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones) must be filed within 6 months of the date of death (extendable by an additional 6 months if the extension request is submitted within the first 5 months) with the tax authority of the competent autonomous community or, where the deceased or heirs are non-residents, with the Agencia Tributaria (Spanish Tax Agency) [14].
   • Social security benefits, banks, and probate in Morocco: If the deceased was insured or received a pension in Morocco, eligible survivors can apply for the death grant (allocation au décès) and survivor's pension (pension de survivants) from the Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (National Social Security Fund - CNSS, Allo Damane call center: +212 5 22 48 89 19 or 080 203 33 33) for the private sector, or from the Moroccan Pension Fund (Caisse Marocaine des Retraites - CMR) for the public sector [15][16]. You should also notify Moroccan banks where the deceased held accounts and settle the succession of assets located in Morocco before a Moroccan notary or adouls in accordance with applicable jurisdiction rules.

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Frequently Asked Questions - Consular Assistance and Civil Registry in Morocco — Embajada y Consulados de España en Marruecos (MAEC)
2. [2]
   Death Abroad and Repatriation of Remains — Administración General del Estado / MAEC
3. [3]
   National Civil Registry Portal - Death Declaration in Morocco — Ministère de l'Intérieur du Maroc
4. [4]
   Consular and Civil Status Services of the Kingdom of Morocco — Ministère des Affaires Étrangères du Maroc (Consulat.ma)
5. [5]
   Contact and Directory of Licensed Funeral Companies — Asociación Nacional de Servicios Funerarios (PANASEF)
6. [6]
   Application for a Death Certificate (Certificado de Defunción) — Ministerio de Justicia (Sede Electrónica)
7. [7]
   Death Registration in the Civil Registry (Registro Civil) — Ministerio de Justicia (Sede Electrónica)
8. [8]
   External Health (Sanidad Exterior) - Health and Sanitary Control in the International Transfer of Corpses — Ministerio de Sanidad de España
9. [9]
   Death, Widowhood, and Orphanhood Benefits — Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS)
10. [10]
    Death and Survivor Benefits: Funeral Grant (Auxilio por Defunción) and Pensions — Seguridad Social (INSS)
11. [11]
    Certificate of Last Wills (Certificado de Actos de Última Voluntad) — Ministerio de Justicia (Sede Electrónica)
12. [12]
    Form Modelo 790 - General Registry of Last Wills — Ministerio de Justicia de España
13. [13]
    How Can I Find Out If I Have Been Left an Inheritance? Notarial Acts and Successions — Consejo General del Notariado
14. [14]
    Inheritance and Gift Tax (Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones) - FAQs and Deadlines — Agencia Tributaria (AEAT)
15. [15]
    Death Grant (Allocation au décès) - Conditions and Procedures in Morocco — Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS)
16. [16]
    Survivor's Pension (Pension de survivants) - Eligible Beneficiaries and Formalities — Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS)