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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Hospital or clinical deaths: When a death occurs in a governmental, charitable, or private hospital supervised by the Ministry of Health, the attending physician issues the official Medical Death Notification (Tabligh an Wafat) in triplicate, recording the identity of the deceased, the date and hour of death, and the direct clinical cause [2].
   • Deaths at home: If your family member died at home from natural causes, a licensed physician or the local district health directorate (Mudiriyyat al-Sihha) of the Ministry of Health must examine the body and issue the medical death report, supplemented by a signed declaration from the local village council, municipality, or neighborhood Mukhtar [1][2].
   • Unexpected, accidental, or unattended deaths: Where a death is sudden, unnatural, or unattended by a physician, the police and the Public Prosecution (Al-Niyaba al-Amma) must be notified immediately [3]. The body is referred to the Forensic Medicine Institute (Ma'had al-Tibb al-Adli) under the Ministry of Justice for examination before a burial and registration permit is released [2][3].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Ministry of Interior Civil Registry

   • Competent authority and statutory deadline: Under Palestinian Civil Status Law No. 2 of 1999, deaths must be reported to the Directorate of Civil Status and Passports at the Ministry of Interior (Wizarat al-Dakhiliyya) within 7 days if the death occurred inside Palestine (or within 60 days through a Palestinian diplomatic mission if the death occurred abroad) [1][6].
   • Required documentation: An adult family member or authorized legal representative must submit the stamped Ministry of Health medical death notification, the deceased's Palestinian identity card (Hawiyya) and passport, and the declarant's identification [1][2]. If the statutory deadline is missed, late registration may require an administrative inquiry or a judicial ruling confirming death from the competent court [1][3].
   • Issuance of official Death Certificates: Once the death is entered into the Population Registry, the Ministry of Interior cancels the deceased's identity card, updates the family civil record, and issues official Arabic and English Death Certificates (Shahadat Wafat) required for burial, pension claims, and succession filings [1].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial permits: Local municipal cemeteries and Waqf or church cemetery authorities require the medical death notification and the municipal burial permit issued through the local health directorate before burial takes place [2]. Cremation facilities are not operated in Palestine, where municipal and religious rules provide for burial [2].
   • International repatriation and border coordination: If the deceased was a foreign citizen or if remains must be transported across borders (via the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge, Rafah crossing, or Ben Gurion Airport), the family and licensed funeral transport provider must obtain a non-contagion and embalming certificate from the Ministry of Health, a hermetically sealed coffin certificate, civil registry clearance from the Ministry of Interior, and transit coordination permits [1][2][5].
   • Apostille and consular legalization: Palestine acceded to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, and cross-border civil documents also routinely require authentication by the Ministry of Justice, the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, and the relevant foreign representative office or consulate in Ramallah or Jerusalem [3][5].
4. 4

   Notify Pension, Social Development, Tax, and Banking Authorities

   • Public-sector pensions: If the deceased was a civil servant or public retiree covered by the General Retirement Law No. 7 of 2005, survivors must notify the Palestinian Pension Agency (Hay'at al-Taqa'ud al-Filastiniyya) with the official death certificate and succession deed to claim funeral allowances and transfer monthly survivor pensions to eligible dependents [6].
   • Private-sector employment benefits and social assistance: For private-sector workers covered under Palestinian Labour Law No. 7 of 2000, heirs should notify the employer to settle end-of-service severance (Mukafa'at Nihayat al-Khidma) and unpaid wages [6]. Vulnerable bereaved households or families of beneficiaries should also update records with the Ministry of Social Development (Wizarat al-Tanmiya al-Ijtima'iyya) [4].
   • Banks, tax offices, and utilities: Present the death certificate to commercial banks supervised by the Palestine Monetary Authority so individual accounts are frozen pending the court succession order, and notify the Ministry of Finance property and income tax departments if the deceased operated a registered business [1][3].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate, Succession, and Cross-Border Assets

   • Succession decree (Hujjat Hasr Irth): Estate administration in Palestine requires obtaining an official Deed of Determination of Heirs (Hujjat Hasr Irth) [3]. For Muslim citizens, the Sharia Court (Al-Mahkama al-Shar'iyya) under the Supreme Judge Department issues the Hujjat Hasr Irth and calculates statutory shares (Faridah Shar'iyya), whereas recognized Christian ecclesiastical courts issue succession decrees for their respective communities, and regular civil courts under the High Judicial Council handle civil enforcement and common-property disputes [3].
   • Real estate and bank releases: Once the succession deed is issued, heirs present it to banks to distribute account balances according to each heir's fractional share, and to the Land and Water Settlement Commission or Land Authority (Sultat al-Aradi / Tabu) and Ministry of Finance tax department to transfer real estate titles [3].
   • Cross-border heirs and powers of attorney: Heirs residing outside Palestine can execute a specific power of attorney (Wakala Khassa) before a Palestinian embassy or diplomatic mission abroad, which must be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and the Ministry of Justice in Palestine so a local attorney or co-heir can represent them before the Sharia or civil courts and the Land Authority [3][5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Ministry of Interior - State of Palestine Civil Status and Passports Portal — Ministry of Interior (moi.pna.ps)
2. [2]
   Ministry of Health - State of Palestine Official Portal — Ministry of Health (moh.gov.ps)
3. [3]
   High Judicial Council - Palestinian Courts and Judicial Procedures — High Judicial Council (courts.gov.ps)
4. [4]
   Ministry of Social Development - Social Protection and Family Support Services — Ministry of Social Development (mosd.gov.ps)
5. [5]
   Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates - Consular and Legalization Services — Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates (mofa.pna.ps)
6. [6]
   Occupied Palestinian Territory - Civil Status, Labour, and Pension Legislation — International Labour Organization NATLEX (natlex.ilo.org)