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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Death in a hospital or clinical facility: When your family member dies in a public or licensed private healthcare institution in North Macedonia, the attending physician examines the body and issues the official medical confirmation of death (Потврда за смрт) together with the statistical death report (Пријава за смрт) under the standards of the Ministry of Health of North Macedonia [1]. The hospital administration transmits the medical documentation directly or releases it to the family for civil registration [1] [2].
   • Death at home: If your family member passes away at a private residence, you must immediately call the Emergency Medical Service (Итна медицинска помош, telephone 194) or the municipal coroner doctor (мртвопроверител) appointed by the local health center [1]. The examining doctor verifies the cause and time of death on site and completes the medical death certificate required for burial and civil registration [1] [2].
   • Unexpected, accidental, or unexplained death: Where the death is sudden, occurs outside medical supervision without clear natural causes, or involves suspected trauma, the police (telephone 192) and the competent public prosecutor must be notified [1]. A forensic autopsy is conducted at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Criminology and Medical Deontology before the body and medical certificate are released [1].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry

   • Statutory deadline and authority: Under the Law on Management of Registers of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, a death must be reported to the Office for Management of Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths (Управа за водење на матичните книги - UVMK) in the municipality where the death occurred or where the deceased was buried within 3 days of the death or the discovery of the body [2] [3].
   • Required documentation: To register the death with the Office for Management of Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths, the informant (a relative, household member, healthcare institution, or authorized funeral representative) submits the medical confirmation of death, the deceased's national identity card (лична карта) or passport, the birth certificate and marriage certificate (if applicable), and the informant's valid identification [2] [3].
   • Issuance of official death certificates: Once the registrar records the entry in the Death Register (Матична книга на умрените), the Office for Management of Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths issues the official Death Certificate (Извод од матичната книга на умрените), which can also be requested electronically via the National e-Services Portal [2] [3]. If documents must be used abroad, you can request a multilingual extract on the Vienna Convention form or obtain an Apostille from the competent Basic Court and the Ministry of Justice [2] [3].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Engaging a licensed funeral operator: Under the Law on Cemeteries and Funeral Services, burial and transport of human remains within North Macedonia must be carried out by a licensed municipal or private funeral operator (погребално претпријатие), such as AD Butel in Skopje or the local public utility enterprise (ЈКП) managing municipal cemeteries [1] [2].
   • Burial permits and cemetery rules: Burial takes place only after the medical examiner or healthcare facility has issued the burial permit confirming that at least 24 hours have elapsed since death (unless sanitary regulations require earlier or later interment) and the death has been reported to the civil registrar [1] [2]. Because North Macedonia currently does not operate a domestic crematorium, families seeking cremation must arrange cross-border transport of the deceased to a licensed crematorium in a neighboring country [1].
   • International repatriation of remains: If your family member was a foreign national or is to be buried or cremated abroad, the licensed funeral director obtains a mortuary passport (Спроводница за пренос на посмртни останки) and sanitary clearance from the State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate under the Ministry of Health of North Macedonia, seals the body in a hermetically soldered zinc-lined coffin, and coordinates the consular laissez-passer with the destination country's embassy [1] [2].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pension, Tax, and Banking Authorities

   • Pension cancellation and survivor benefits: If the deceased was an insured worker or pensioner, you must notify the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund of North Macedonia (Фонд на пензиското и инвалидското осигурување на Северна Македонија - PIOM) at its regional branch [4]. Eligible surviving family members (spouse, children, or dependent parents meeting statutory age or disability criteria) may apply to the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund of North Macedonia for a family survivor pension (семејна пензија) [3] [4].
   • Solidarity funeral grant: Where the deceased was a pensioner enrolled in the solidarity fund administered through the pension system, family members who paid for the funeral may submit the original death certificate, funeral invoices, and bank account details to claim the statutory lump-sum funeral assistance (посмртна помош) [4].
   • Health insurance, identity documents, and bank accounts: The Health Insurance Fund of North Macedonia (Фонд за здравствено осигурување) updates its insured register upon civil death registration, terminating active coverage [2] [6]. You should also notify the Ministry of Interior to cancel the identity card and passport, inform the Public Revenue Office (Управа за јавни приходи) and municipal property tax office regarding ongoing tax obligations, and present the death certificate to commercial banks to freeze individual accounts and halt standing orders pending probate [2] [3].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Notarial Succession Proceedings

   • Initiation of probate and succession: Under the Law on Inheritance and the Law on Non-Contentious Procedure, the civil registrar or interested heirs submit the death certificate and death record (смртовница) containing data on surviving heirs, known assets, and any testament to the Basic Court (Основен суд) in the municipality of the deceased's last domicile [2] [5].
   • Notarial probate hearing: The Basic Court assigns the succession case (оставинска постапка) to an authorized public notary registered with the Notary Chamber of North Macedonia, acting as a court trustee (довереник на судот) [5]. The notary schedules a succession hearing, verifies any will, records heir declarations accepting or renouncing their inheritance share under statutory forced-heirship rules, and issues the formal Decision on Inheritance (Решение за наследување) [5].
   • Property registration, inheritance tax, and cross-border heirs: Once the Decision on Inheritance becomes final, the notary transmits it to the Agency for Real Estate Cadastre to update property title deeds and to the municipal tax administration to assess inheritance and gift tax (first-line heirs - spouse and children - are generally exempt from municipal inheritance tax on inherited residential property under statutory thresholds, while second-line and third-line heirs pay 2% to 3% or 4% to 5%) [5]. Heirs residing outside North Macedonia may participate by granting a notarized and Apostilled special power of attorney (специјално полномошно) to a representative in North Macedonia [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Healthcare System and Sanitary Inspection Oversight — Ministry of Health of North Macedonia
2. [2]
   Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths - Official Civil Status Services — Office for Management of Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths (UVMK)
3. [3]
   National E-Services Portal - Civil Status and Administrative Services — Ministry of Digital Transformation of North Macedonia
4. [4]
   Realization of Pension Rights and Family Survivor Pension Procedures — Pension and Disability Insurance Fund of North Macedonia (PIOM)
5. [5]
   Notarial Services and Probate Proceedings in North Macedonia — Notary Chamber of North Macedonia (NKRM)
6. [6]
   Insured Persons Rights and Mandatory Health Insurance Administration — Health Insurance Fund of North Macedonia (FZOM)