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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Hospital or clinical deaths: When a death occurs in a public or private hospital in Nepal overseen by the Ministry of Health and Population, the attending physician issues a formal medical certificate of cause of death (Mrityu Pramanit Patra / hospital death discharge report) recording the deceased's full identity, date and time of death, and clinical cause [6]. Keep the original signed and stamped hospital report and make several certified photocopies, as the local Ward Office and funeral authorities require it.
   • Deaths at home (natural causes): If your family member died at home without a physician in attendance, notify the local municipal or rural municipal Ward Office (Wada Karyalaya) immediately [1, 2]. Where no medical certificate is available, the local registrar accepts a community verification memo (Sarjamin Muchulka) witnessed by local residents or a recommendation from a local health post alongside the family informant's declaration [1].
   • Unexpected, accidental, or unexplained deaths: If the death was sudden, accidental, or occurred outside medical supervision under unclear circumstances, notify the Nepal Police (100) immediately before moving the body [1]. Police officers conduct an on-scene inquiry (Muchulka) and transfer the remains to an authorized government hospital forensic unit (such as Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu or a provincial hospital) for a medico-legal post-mortem examination (Autopsy Report) before releasing the body to the family [6].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Local Ward Office (Civil Registry)

   • Competent civil registry authority: Vital events in Nepal are governed by the National ID and Civil Registration Act, 2076 (2020) and administered nationally by the Department of National ID and Civil Registration under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with day-to-day registration handled by the Local Registrar (Panjikadhikari / Ward Secretary) at the Ward Office of the municipality or rural municipality where the deceased resided [1, 2].
   • Statutory deadline and informant duty: The head of the household or the closest adult family member must file the Death Notification Form (Schedule-3) within 35 days of the date of death [1, 2]. Registration completed within the 35-day statutory window is free of charge; late registration after 35 days remains possible upon payment of a small statutory fine prescribed by the municipality [2].
   • Required documentation and digital pre-filling: Families can pre-fill the application online via the Department of National ID and Civil Registration public portal and bring the token number to the Ward Office along with the hospital death report (or police post-mortem clearance), the deceased's Nepali Citizenship Certificate (Nagarikता Pramanpatra) or National Identity Card (Rastriya Parichayapatra), and the informant's Citizenship Certificate [1, 2].
   • Bilingual Death Registration Certificate: Request the official Death Registration Certificate (Mrityu Darta Pramanpatra) in both Nepali and English on the standard bilingual government template, as banks, foreign embassies, and international insurers require the English version [2].
3. 3

   Arrange Funeral Rites, Cremation, Burial, or International Repatriation

   • Local cremation or burial permits: In Nepal, funeral rites are typically conducted rapidly in accordance with religious and cultural traditions (such as Hindu cremation at Pashupatinath Aryaghat managed by the Pashupati Area Development Trust, Buddhist rites, or designated cemetery burial) [1]. Before cremation or burial can proceed at an managed facility, you must present the hospital medical death certificate or police post-mortem release letter together with the deceased's and informant's identity documents [6].
   • Licensed mortuary and international repatriation of remains: If the deceased was a foreign national or a Nepali citizen whose remains must be repatriated abroad, engage an international funeral assistance agency and a hospital mortuary equipped for embalming (such as Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital Forensic Department) [3, 6]. International air transport requires an official Medical Death Certificate, a Post-Mortem or Police No-Objection Certificate (NOC), an Embalming Certificate, a Coffin Sealing and Non-Infectious Certificate, a consular No-Objection Certificate from the relevant foreign embassy in Kathmandu, and customs clearance at Tribhuvan International Airport [3].
   • Consular attestation and legalization: Because Nepal is not currently a contracting party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, Nepali Death Registration Certificates and court documents intended for official use abroad must be attested by the Department of Consular Services under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tripureshwor, Kathmandu, and subsequently legalized by the embassy or consulate of the destination country [3].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Provident Funds, Tax, and Financial Institutions

   • Social Security Fund (SSF) survivor and funeral benefits: If the deceased was employed in the formal private or institutional sector and enrolled in the contribution-based Social Security Fund, notify the fund through the employer or directly via the Social Security Fund portal [4]. Under the Dependent Family Protection Scheme (Ashrit Pariwar Suraksha Yojana), eligible survivors may claim a statutory lump-sum funeral grant (Kriya Kharcha of NPR 25,000), a lifetime survivor spouse pension equal to 60 percent of the contributor's basic remuneration, educational allowances for dependent children up to age 21, or dependent parent benefits [4].
   • Employees Provident Fund, Citizen Investment Trust, and civil service pensions: If the deceased was a civil servant, teacher, security personnel, or corporate contributor, file a death and nominee claim with the Employees Provident Fund (Karmachari Sanchaya Kosh), the Citizen Investment Trust (Nagarik Lagani Kosh), and the Pension Management Office (Nivrittibharan Byawasthapan Karyalaya) to release accumulated provident fund balances, gratuity, welfare grants, and family pensions [4].
   • Municipal social security allowances and Health Insurance Board: Notify the Ward Office to cancel any municipal social security allowance (Samajik Suraksha Bhatta, such as senior citizen allowance) or transition a qualifying surviving spouse to the single women / widow social security allowance [1, 2], and update family household enrollment with the Health Insurance Board (Swasthya Bima Board) [6].
   • Banking and tax closure: Present the Death Registration Certificate to all commercial banks to freeze individual accounts and verify registered account nominees (Ichchhayeko Byakti), and notify the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) if the deceased held a business Permanent Account Number (PAN) so final tax returns can be settled [5].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate, Succession (Apatali), and Property Partition (Angsabanda)

   • Succession and coparcenary rules under the Muluki Civil Code: Inheritance and property succession in Nepal are governed by the National Civil (Code) Act, 2017 (Muluki Devani Samhita, 2074), published by the Nepal Law Commission, specifically the chapters on Partition (Angsabanda, Sections 205-236) and Succession (Apatali, Sections 237-265) [5]. Nepali law combines joint family coparcenary rights (Angsa - where spouses, sons, and daughters hold equal birthright/marital shares in ancestral and joint family property) with succession to self-acquired or separate property (Apatali) in strict statutory order of priority [5].
   • Administrative relationship verification (Nata Pramanit): Before transferring land, vehicles, shares, or bank balances without a named nominee, heirs must obtain an official Relationship Verification Certificate (Nata Pramanit Pramanpatra) from the municipal Ward Office confirming all lawful coparceners (Angsiyar) and heirs (Hakwala), supported by citizenship certificates, marriage registration, and a local inquiry memo [1, 2].
   • Real property mutation (Namsari) and District Court jurisdiction: Applications for mutation of real estate (Jagga Namsari) into the names of surviving heirs must be filed with the Ward Office and the relevant Land Revenue Office (Malpot Karyalaya) within 35 days (extendable with a statutory late fee) [5]. If there is a testamentary instrument (Bakaspatra or Shesh Pachhiko Bakaspatra), a contested partition suit (Angsa Mudda), or a dispute among heirs, proceedings are heard by the competent District Court (Jilla Adalat) under the judicial oversight of the Supreme Court of Nepal [5].
   • No formal inheritance tax and cross-border heirs: Nepal does not levy a separate estate or inheritance tax on property transmitted by succession (Namsari), though nominal registration and administrative transfer fees apply at the Land Revenue Office and company registrar [5]. Heirs residing outside Nepal may execute a Special Power of Attorney (Waresnama) attested by a Nepali Embassy or Consulate abroad to authorize a representative in Nepal to complete Ward Office relationship verification and Land Revenue mutation on their behalf [3, 5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Department of National ID and Civil Registration - Ministry of Home Affairs — Ministry of Home Affairs (Government of Nepal)
2. [2]
   Department of National ID and Civil Registration (DoNIDCR) - Vital Registration Portal — Department of National ID and Civil Registration
3. [3]
   Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Consular and Diplomatic Services — Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Government of Nepal)
4. [4]
   Social Security Fund (SSF) - Contributor and Dependent Protection Portal — Social Security Fund (Nepal)
5. [5]
   National Civil (Code) Act, 2017 (Muluki Devani Samhita, 2074) — Nepal Law Commission
6. [6]
   Ministry of Health and Population - Public Health and Hospital Administration — Ministry of Health and Population (Government of Nepal)