What to Do When a U.S. Citizen Dies in the Philippines: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain the Medical Certificate of Death (Municipal Form No. 103) and Health Officer or Police Clearance

   Every death in the Philippines must first be documented on the official Certificate of Death (Municipal Form No. 103, prepared in four copies), which records the personal particulars of the deceased and the medical cause of death [1][2]:

   • Death in a hospital or clinic: The attending physician completes and signs the medical certification section of Municipal Form No. 103 directly [1]. Once hospital billing and release formalities are completed, a licensed funeral home can transfer the body to its mortuary facility.
   • Death outside a hospital (residence, hotel, or public place): Report the death immediately to local barangay officials and the Philippine National Police (PNP, emergency hotline 911). When a death occurs without medical attendance, the Municipal Health Officer (MHO) or City Health Officer (CHO) of the local government unit (for example, in Manila, Quezon City, or Cebu City) must examine the deceased and certify the cause of death on Municipal Form No. 103 [1][2]. If the death was sudden, accidental, or under unclear circumstances, PNP Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) or the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conduct a medico-legal investigation before releasing the body [2][3].
   • 48-hour sanitary rule: Under Chapter XXI (Section 91) of Presidential Decree No. 856 (the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines, enforced by the Department of Health and local health officers), an unembalmed body may not remain unburied or undisposed of for more than 48 hours after death unless held in authorized mortuary cold storage or pending a medico-legal investigation [2][4]. Families planning international repatriation or a viewing should therefore instruct a licensed mortuary promptly.
2. 2

   Check Insurance, Appoint Philippine and U.S. Funeral Directors, and Authorize a Representative

   Do not attempt to navigate airport cargo, quarantine clearances, or embassy mortuary paperwork alone. Before signing an independent contract with a funeral parlor, verify whether existing coverage applies [3]:

   • Travel or medical-assistance insurance: Check whether your family member held travel medical insurance or medical evacuation/repatriation coverage, and call the insurer's 24-hour assistance center before making independent financial commitments.
   • Appointing Philippine and U.S. funeral homes: To handle local preparation, cremation, or international shipment, the legal next of kin appoints a licensed Philippine funeral home alongside a receiving funeral home in the United States [3][5]. The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines publishes an informational list of funeral homes in Metro Manila, Cebu, Pampanga, and other regions (provided as public-source information for orientation; Clarvia does not endorse, recommend, or rank any provider) [3][6]. In the United States, you can locate a licensed receiving funeral home in the destination state through the National Funeral Directors Association (toll-free 800-228-6332 or +1 262-789-1880) [7].
   • How next of kin in the United States grant authority: If no immediate family member is physically present in the Philippines, the legal next of kin in the United States must execute a notarized Next-of-Kin Affidavit / Letter of Authorization stating the chosen disposition of the remains (repatriation or local cremation/burial) and naming the authorized Philippine funeral home or local representative, and send it to the U.S. Embassy ([email protected]) and the appointed mortuary [3][6].
3. 3

   Register the Death Within 30 Days with the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) and Request PSA Certificates

   Under Philippine civil registration law administered by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA central inquiry line +63 2 8461-0500), the death must be registered at the Local Civil Registry Office (LCRO) of the city or municipality where the death occurred within 30 calendar days of the date of death [1]:

   • Health Officer review and LCR filing: Before the Local Civil Registrar records the death, the Municipal or City Health Officer reviews and signs the medical certification on Municipal Form No. 103 (forwarded within 48 hours of certification) and issues the local burial, cremation, or transfer permit [1][2]. In practice, the appointed Philippine funeral home files Municipal Form No. 103 with the LCRO on the family's behalf [1][3]. (Deaths reported after the 30-day period are treated as delayed registrations requiring additional affidavits and a 10-day municipal posting period [1].)
   • PSA Security Paper (SECPA) Death Certificate: Ask the funeral home and Local Civil Registrar for both certified local copies of the registered Certificate of Death and expedited electronic transmittal to the Philippine Statistics Authority so you can obtain official PSA Death Certificates printed on Security Paper (SECPA) [1].
4. 4

   Report the Death to the U.S. Embassy in Manila (or Cebu Consular Agency) for the CRDA and Export Permits

   Report the death of the U.S. citizen as soon as possible to the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines in Manila (American Citizens Services telephone +63 2 5301-2000, email [email protected] with the subject line "Death of a U.S. Citizen") or, for deaths in the Visayas, to the U.S. Consular Agency in Cebu (telephone +63 32 231-1261) [3][8]:

   • Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA, Form DS-2060): Provide the certified Philippine Certificate of Death, the deceased's U.S. passport, and proof of the next of kin's identity and relationship [3]. The Embassy cancels the U.S. passport and issues the official electronic Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRDA, Form DS-2060), which U.S. banks, insurers, courts, and federal agencies accept as official English-language proof of death [3]. The U.S. government cannot pay funeral, cremation, or repatriation expenses [3].
   • Repatriating casketed (embalmed) human remains to the United States: Your Philippine funeral director obtains the local Health Officer's Certificate of Non-Contagious Disease and Transfer Permit, a Quarantine Permit from the Philippine Bureau of Quarantine (under the Department of Health, telephone +63 2 5318-7500) [4], and the U.S. Embassy's Consular Mortuary Certificate (which includes the Consular Mortuary Certificate, Affidavit of Foreign Funeral Director, and Certificate of Hermetic Sealing) [3][5]. Under the federal rules of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 42 CFR 71.55, telephone 800-232-4636), embalmed human remains placed in a hermetically sealed casket and accompanied by the official death certificate stating the cause of death and the consular mortuary documents may be imported into the United States consigned to a licensed U.S. funeral home without a separate CDC import permit, provided the person did not die of a quarantinable communicable disease [5].
   • Transporting cremated remains (ashes) to the United States: If the family chooses local cremation in the Philippines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not require a CDC import permit for fully cremated remains [5]. The ashes must be placed in a sealed, non-metallic urn that can pass airport X-ray security screening and be accompanied by the certified Philippine Death Certificate, the Certificate of Cremation, the Bureau of Quarantine clearance, and U.S. Customs declaration upon arrival [3][4][5].
5. 5

   Coordinate U.S. State Reception and Notify Social Security (SSA / FBU Manila) and Veterans Affairs (VA)

   Once the CRDA (Form DS-2060) and Philippine death certificates are issued, complete the U.S. reception and federal benefit notifications:

   • Reception in the destination U.S. state: For casketed repatriation, the receiving U.S. funeral home clears the shipment through U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the arrival airport and obtains the state burial-transit permit in the destination U.S. state [5][7].
   • Social Security Administration (SSA) and FBU Manila: Report the death immediately so monthly retirement or disability payments stop (any benefit paid for the month of death or later must be returned) and to claim the one-time lump-sum death payment and monthly survivor benefits if eligible family members (such as a surviving spouse, eligible divorced spouse, minor or disabled child, or dependent parent) survive the deceased [9][10]. Families in the United States can call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 [9]. If the deceased or surviving beneficiaries lived in the Philippines, report the death directly to the U.S. Embassy Manila Federal Benefits Unit (telephone +63 2 5301-6200, email [email protected] with the subject line "Report of Death") [9][10].
   • Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and estate administration: If your family member served in the U.S. Armed Forces, notify the Department of Veterans Affairs (U.S. toll-free 1-800-827-1000, or the VA Regional Benefit Office at the U.S. Embassy in Manila) to check eligibility for burial allowances, a U.S. government headstone or marker, national cemetery interment, or Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) [11]. Use the CRDA (Form DS-2060) and PSA Death Certificate to administer U.S. bank accounts, life insurance, and probate in the U.S. state of domicile, as well as any local Philippine accounts [1][3].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Civil Registration Services and Death Certificate (Municipal Form No. 103) — Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
2. [2]
   Presidential Decree No. 856 - Code on Sanitation of the Philippines (Chapter XXI: Disposal of Dead Persons) — Supreme Court E-Library / Republic of the Philippines
3. [3]
   Death of a U.S. Citizen in the Philippines (CRDA and Disposition of Remains) — U.S. Embassy in the Philippines
4. [4]
   Department of Health and Bureau of Quarantine - Human Remains Transport Requirements — Department of Health (DOH) / Bureau of Quarantine
5. [5]
   Bringing Human Remains into the United States (42 CFR 71.55) — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
6. [6]
   Disposition of Remains Report - U.S. Embassy Manila & Consular Agency Cebu — U.S. Embassy in the Philippines
7. [7]
   Contact the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) — National Funeral Directors Association
8. [8]
   U.S. Embassy Manila and U.S. Consular Agency Cebu Contact Information — U.S. Embassy in the Philippines
9. [9]
   Social Security and Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) Manila — U.S. Embassy in the Philippines / Social Security Administration
10. [10]
    Reporting a Death to the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) Manila — U.S. Embassy in the Philippines
11. [11]
    VA Regional Benefit Office in Manila and Veteran Burial Benefits — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs