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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Hospital or clinic deaths: If your family member died in a federal teaching hospital, state general hospital, or licensed private medical facility regulated under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the attending medical practitioner examines the body and issues an official Medical Certificate of Cause of Death [2] [3].
   • Deaths at home from natural causes: If the death occurred at home after a documented illness, transfer the deceased to a recognized hospital mortuary or summon the attending physician to verify the death and issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Where no doctor treated the deceased recently, the local police division must be notified to issue a police extract before a public hospital doctor can certify the death [1] [3].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unexplained deaths: Under Nigerian coroner laws, any sudden, unnatural, or accidental death must be reported immediately to the Nigeria Police Force. The police issue a formal Police Report and refer the case to the Coroner and a government pathologist for an autopsy before a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and burial clearance can be released [1] [3].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the National Population Commission

   • Competent authority and statutory deadline: Under the Births, Deaths, Etc. (Compulsory Registration) Act, all deaths in Nigeria must be registered with the National Population Commission, which operates the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (eCRVS) platform and local government registration centers nationwide [1]. Statutory registration should be completed within 48 hours of a death in an urban or hospital setting or within 30 days at a local registration center (late registration requires a supporting affidavit and administrative clearance) [1].
   • Required documents for registration: A surviving family member or informant must provide: (a) the original Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (or Coroner's Certificate and Police Report), (b) the National Identification Number (NIN) issued by the National Identity Management Commission (or valid passport/voter card) of both the deceased and the informant [1] [6], and (c) personal particulars of the deceased including date, time, and place of death.
   • Official Certificate of Registration of Death: Upon verification, the National Population Commission issues the official Certificate of Registration of Death (Form D2) [1] [3]. Request multiple certified copies or keep the verified digital certificate accessible, as Pension Fund Administrators, commercial banks, and State High Court Probate Registries require the National Population Commission certificate rather than a hospital medical note alone [1] [3].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial or cremation permits: Engage a licensed funeral home in Nigeria to manage mortuary preservation and obtain a municipal burial or cremation permit from the relevant Local Government Area (LGA) health department using the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and the Death Certificate from the National Population Commission [1] [2].
   • International repatriation of remains: If your family member was a foreign national or if the body or cremated ashes must be repatriated outside Nigeria, the funeral director must obtain: (a) the official Death Certificate from the National Population Commission [1], (b) an embalming certificate, non-infectious disease clearance, and Port Health Services export permit under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare [2], (c) a coffin-sealing certificate confirming hermetically sealed zinc-lined containment, and (d) a consular mortuary transit permit or laissez-passer from the destination country's embassy or high commission in Abuja or Lagos.
   • Document authentication and consular legalization: Nigeria is not currently a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Therefore, Nigerian Death Certificates, Coroner reports, and court probate grants intended for official use abroad must first be authenticated by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja and then legalized by the embassy or consulate of the destination country.
4. 4

   Notify Pension, Social Insurance, Identity, and Financial Authorities

   • Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) death benefits: If your family member was an active or retired employee in the public or private sector holding a Retirement Savings Account (RSA), notify their employer and Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) under the regulatory framework of the National Pension Commission [3] [4]. Under the Pension Reform Act, survivor benefits include the accumulated RSA balance plus proceeds from the mandatory employer Group Life Insurance policy (for death in active service), paid to the beneficiaries named in a probated will or to the surviving spouse, children, or recorded next-of-kin upon presentation of Letters of Administration [3] [4].
   • Employees' Compensation Scheme claims: If the death resulted from a workplace injury, occupational disease, or work-related transit accident, the employer and surviving dependents should file a death compensation claim with the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, which provides monthly survivor compensation and funeral support to eligible dependents [5].
   • Identity, tax, and banking notifications: Report the death to the National Identity Management Commission to update the deceased's NIN status [6], notify the relevant State Internal Revenue Service (SIRS) or Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to close out personal income tax records, and notify commercial banks to freeze individual accounts until probate or Letters of Administration are granted [3] [4].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Obtain Probate or Letters of Administration

   • Jurisdiction of the State High Court Probate Registry: Formal estate administration in Nigeria is overseen by the Probate Registry of the State High Court (or the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja) where the deceased was domiciled or held property [3] [4].
   • Testate estates (Grant of Probate): If your family member left a valid Will, the named executors must apply to the Probate Registry for a Grant of Probate by filing the original Will, the Death Certificate from the National Population Commission, executor and witness affidavits, and an inventory and valuation of movable and immovable assets [1, 3, 4].
   • Intestate estates (Letters of Administration): If your family member died without a Will, the surviving spouse, adult children, or statutory next-of-kin must apply to the State High Court Probate Registry for Letters of Administration [3] [4]. The registry publishes a statutory notice in a national newspaper or gazette inviting objections (usually for 21 days) before issuing the grant [4].
   • Estate fees and cross-border coordination: While Nigeria does not impose a separate federal inheritance tax, State High Court Probate Registries charge a statutory estate fee (commonly 5% to 10% depending on the state) on the assessed value of the estate before sealing the grant. If an executor or heir resides outside Nigeria, they can execute a notarized Power of Attorney (legalized at a Nigerian embassy or high commission abroad) appointing a Nigerian legal practitioner to process probate or reseal a foreign grant in Nigeria.

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Civil Registration and Vital Statistics - Death Registration — National Population Commission (NPC)
2. [2]
   Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare - Official Portal — Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
3. [3]
   Processing of Death Benefits under the Contributory Pension Scheme — National Pension Commission (PenCom)
4. [4]
   Revised Regulation on the Administration of Retirement and Terminal Benefits — National Pension Commission (PenCom)
5. [5]
   Employees' Compensation Scheme Services and Survivor Benefits — Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF)
6. [6]
   National Identification Number (NIN) Services — National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)