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

1. 1

   Obtaining the Medical Certificate of Death

   • Death in a hospital or at home from natural causes: If the death occurs in a facility operated by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (MSPyBS), the Social Security Institute (IPS), or a private hospital, the attending physician verifies the death and issues free of charge the official Medical Certificate of Death from the vital statistics subsystem [3]. When death occurs at home due to a previously treated natural illness, the attending physician certifies the cause of death and provides the original form signed and stamped with their professional license number [3].
   • Violent, sudden, or unattended death: If the death occurs suddenly without prior medical attendance, in a public place, or under suspicion of an accident or violence, the scene must not be disturbed nor should the body be moved privately [1] [3]. It is mandatory to notify the National Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office (Ministerio Público - Fiscalía de turno) immediately so that the forensic physician can conduct the official examination, order an autopsy at the Judicial Morgue if necessary, and issue the medico-legal certificate together with the prosecutor's release order [1] [5].
2. 2

   Registering the Death with the Civil Registry

   • Declaration before the competent civil registry office and legal deadlines: With the original medical certificate, the death must be registered before the General Directorate of the Civil Registry (REC) in the jurisdiction where the death occurred or at the registry offices located inside regional hospitals [1]. In Paraguay, registration must normally be completed within 24 to 48 hours following the death as a mandatory prerequisite for authorizing burial or cremation [1].
   • Free registration and issuance of the official death certificate: To formalize the entry in the register of deaths, the declaring family member or authorized funeral home representative must present the original Medical Certificate of Death, the Civil Identity Card (Cédula de Identidad Civil) of the deceased person, and the identity document of the declarant (accompanied by two adult witnesses where required by registry rules) [1]. Under the current fee schedule of the General Directorate of the Civil Registry (REC), registering the death and issuing the first certificate or burial permit are free of charge, and additional legalized copies can be requested for banking and inheritance procedures [1].
3. 3

   Funeral Services, Health Permits, and International Repatriation

   • Engaging a funeral provider and municipal burial or cremation licenses: Once the death is registered with the General Directorate of the Civil Registry (REC), the contracted funeral home obtains the municipal burial permit from the municipality corresponding to the chosen public or private cemetery [1] [3]. To opt for cremation, authorities require the official death certificate, the express written will of the deceased or their closest relatives, health authorization regulated by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (MSPyBS), and, in cases involving prosecutorial intervention, explicit judicial authorization confirming no pending forensic inquiries remain [1] [3] [5].
   • International repatriation of remains and Hague Apostille: If the bodily remains or ashes are to be transported abroad, or if heirs outside Paraguay need to prove the death in another country, the death certificate (first authenticated by the General Directorate of the Civil Registry (REC) and the Ministry of Justice) and the embalming and transit health certificates from the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (MSPyBS) must receive the Hague Apostille issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay (MRE), while also coordinating the mortuary transit permit with the destination consulate [1] [3] [4].
4. 4

   Notifying Social Security, Pension Funds, and Banks

   • Survivor benefits and funeral reimbursement with the Social Security Institute: If the deceased was an active insured worker, retiree, or pensioner under the Social Security Institute (IPS), eligible family members should apply to the Directorate of Pension Administration to report the death and claim a survivor pension (for a surviving spouse, accredited domestic partner, minor or disabled children, or dependent parents) or a lump-sum death benefit if minimum contribution years were not met [2]. Additionally, the person who paid for the funeral of an insured worker or retiree may apply to the Social Security Institute (IPS) for funeral expense reimbursement by submitting the legal invoices and the death certificate [2].
   • Commercial banks, cooperatives, and insurance companies: Using authenticated copies of the Death Certificate, family members must notify the Fiscal Pension Fund (Caja Fiscal) of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (if the deceased was a civil servant), savings and credit cooperatives, commercial banks supervised by the Central Bank of Paraguay, and private insurers [1] [2]. While life insurance payouts and cooperative death subsidies with named beneficiaries are paid directly to the designated individuals, balances held in individual bank accounts are frozen until a court order or declaration of heirs is presented [5] [6].
5. 5

   Estate Administration and Succession Proceedings in Paraguay

   • Opening judicial succession proceedings before the civil courts: Under the Paraguayan Civil Code and Code of Civil Procedure, the transfer of an estate (both intestate and testate) is conducted through judicial succession proceedings filed by a licensed attorney before the Court of First Instance in Civil and Commercial Matters (or Justice of the Peace Court for smaller estates) of the deceased's last domicile, within the Judiciary of Paraguay (Supreme Court of Justice) [5] [6]. The court orders the publication of public notices (edictos) and requests reports from the Registry of Wills and the Public Registries [5] [6].
   • Declaration of heirs, asset adjudication, and international coordination: Once the notice period expires and family ties are proven using certificates from the General Directorate of the Civil Registry (REC), the judge issues the Declaration of Heirs judgment (Sentencia Declaratoria de Herederos) and, following the inventory, valuation, and partition of the estate, issues the adjudication certificate (hijuela) for registration in the General Directorate of Public Registries [1] [5] [6]. Paraguay does not levy a specific inheritance tax on the net estate, so only judicial and registry fees apply; if foreign heirs or cross-border assets are involved, powers of attorney and judicial rulings must be legalized and apostilled through the Judiciary of Paraguay (Supreme Court of Justice) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay (MRE) [4] [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Fees and Procedures for Civil Status Registration and Certificates — Dirección General del Registro del Estado Civil (REC)
2. [2]
   Economic Benefits, Survivor Pensions, and Funeral Reimbursement — Instituto de Previsión Social (IPS)
3. [3]
   Health Regulations and Public Health Services of Paraguay — Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social (MSPyBS)
4. [4]
   Implementation of the Hague Apostille Convention and Legalizations — Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Paraguay (MRE)
5. [5]
   Judicial Legalization Services and Public Registries — Poder Judicial de Paraguay (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
6. [6]
   Judicial Succession Procedures in the Civil Jurisdiction — Poder Judicial de Paraguay (Corte Suprema de Justicia)