What to Do When a Citizen of United States Dies in Portugal: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain the Electronic Medical Death Certificate via SICO and Medical or Forensic Clearance in Portugal

   In Portugal, the medical certification of death is recorded electronically in the SICO (Sistema de Informação dos Certificados de Óbito - Death Certificate Information System), under the technical guidance of the Direção-Geral da Saúde (DGS, Directorate-General of Health) and managed by the Serviços Partilhados do Ministério da Saúde (SPMS, Shared Services of the Ministry of Health), which transmits the data directly to the civil registry [1][2]:

   • Death in a hospital, clinic, or healthcare facility: The attending physician verifies the death, issues the electronic Certificado de Óbito (medical death certificate) directly in SICO, and transfers the body to the hospital mortuary [1][2]. Provide the deceased person's U.S. passport (and Portuguese residence card, if held) so that identification details are recorded without discrepancies [1][4].
   • Death at home, in a hotel, or in a public place: Immediately call the European emergency number 112 (or contact the local PSP or GNR police) [1][2]. If the death occurred from a known natural cause under medical supervision, the attending physician or local health authority (delegado de saúde) can verify the death and register the certificate in SICO [1][2].
   • Sudden, violent, or unexplained death: When a natural cause cannot be certified immediately, the police notify the Ministério Público (Public Prosecutor's Office), which orders the transfer of the body to a forensic medical office of the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses (INMLCF) (National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, for example in Lisbon, Porto, or Coimbra) for an autopsy or forensic examination [1][2]. Only after authorization from the Ministério Público and registration in SICO by the forensic pathologist can the funeral director receive the body [1][2].
2. 2

   Check Insurance, Appoint Licensed Funeral Directors in Portugal and the United States, and Contact the U.S. Embassy

   Before entering into private financial commitments, check whether your family member held travel insurance, international health insurance, or funeral assistance and repatriation coverage linked to a credit card or employment contract [4][7]. The United States Government does not have funds to pay for funeral, cremation, or international repatriation expenses [4][7].

   • Licensed funeral agency in Portugal: The family (or insurance assistance company) must appoint a funeral agency (agência funerária) legally registered with the Direção-Geral das Atividades Económicas (DGAE, Directorate-General for Economic Activities / gov.pt portal), which also regulates funeral services and the statutory Funeral Social (social funeral) [3]. Funeral providers in Portugal are represented by sector associations such as the Associação Nacional de Empresas Lutuosas (ANEL, phone +351 218 687 978) or the Associação de Agentes Funerários do Centro (AAFC) [3].
   • Receiving funeral home in the United States and FTC protections: If you choose to repatriate the body to the United States, the Portuguese funeral agency coordinates with a licensed receiving funeral home in the destination U.S. state, which can be located through the directory of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA, phone +1 262-789-1880) [5]. In the United States, the Funeral Rule enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC, phone +1 877-382-4357) guarantees the family's right to receive an itemized General Price List before contracting local funeral services [6]. Clarvia provides official and association references for guidance only and does not recommend, endorse, or rank specific providers.
   • Consular assistance and Next-of-Kin authorization from the U.S.: Immediately contact the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Portugal (U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, phone +351 217 273 300, email [email protected], or the U.S. Consulate in Ponta Delgada for the Azores), which provides informational lists of funeral homes and guides families through the documentary requirements [4]. If the next of kin is in the United States and cannot travel to Portugal, they can execute a notarized Next-of-Kin Affidavit authorizing the Portuguese funeral agency to handle civil registration, cremation, or international repatriation [4][7].
3. 3

   Register the Death at the Civil Registry (Within 48 Hours), Obtain an Apostille, and Request the CRDA (Form DS-2060)

   A death occurring in Portugal must be declared within the statutory period of 48 hours after medical verification of death or after completion or waiver of a forensic autopsy [1]:

   • Portuguese Civil Death Record (Assento de Óbito) and multilingual certificate: In standard practice, the appointed funeral agency files the declaration at any Civil Registry Office (Conservatória do Registo Civil) of the Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado (IRN, Institute of Registries and Notary / Justiça.gov.pt portal, Registries Helpline +351 211 950 500), presenting the SICO electronic death certificate number and the deceased person's identification documents [1]. The initial Assento de Óbito (civil death registration record) is issued free of charge; you may also request a multilingual death certificate under the 1976 Vienna Convention (CIEC Form C) for European use and a Hague Convention Apostille (issued by the Procuradoria-Geral da República / Public Prosecutor's Office) for direct legal recognition in the United States [1][4]. Also ask the funeral agency for the supplementary medical statement showing the cause of death (causa mortis) extracted from SICO, which is required for U.S. consular mortuary certificates and U.S. public health import clearance [4][8].
   • Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA, Form DS-2060): Based on the Portuguese Assento de Óbito, the medical cause-of-death statement, and the deceased person's U.S. passport, the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Portugal (under the oversight of the U.S. Department of State, phone +1 888-407-4747 in the U.S. or +1 202-501-4444 from abroad) issues the Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA, Form DS-2060) [4][7]. The CRDA is the official English-language death record accepted across all U.S. states by banks, insurers, probate courts, and federal agencies in place of a state Vital Records / Office of Vital Statistics certificate [7].
4. 4

   Choose Between International Repatriation to the United States and Local Burial or Cremation in Portugal

   The family may choose either international repatriation of the body or cremated remains to the United States or a local burial or cremation in Portugal [1][4][8]:

   • International repatriation of the body in a casket to the United States: The Portuguese funeral agency obtains the international transfer permit (alvará de trasladação) and mortuary transit pass (livre-trânsito mortuário, governed by Portuguese health regulations and international conventions such as the Strasbourg Agreement and Berlin Arrangement, with consular information also published on the Portal das Comunidades Portuguesas / Centro de Atendimento Consular of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), performs embalming (tanatopraxia), places the body in a hermetically sealed zinc-lined casket, and obtains the consular mortuary certificate from the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Portugal [1][4][8].
   • U.S. public health and customs entry rules (CDC and CBP): Under federal regulations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 42 CFR 71.55, phone +1 800-232-4636), human remains that are embalmed or placed in a hermetically sealed casket and accompanied by the official death certificate stating the cause of death do not require a prior special CDC import permit, provided the person did not die of a quarantinable communicable disease [8]. At the U.S. airport of arrival, the receiving U.S. funeral home clears the shipment with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and obtains the state burial-transit permit [5][8].
   • Local cremation or burial in Portugal: If you choose cremation in Portugal, the ashes are delivered in a sealed urn accompanied by the cremation certificate and the Assento de Óbito [1][4]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not require a public health import permit for cremated ashes [8]; if carrying the urn by air to the United States, use a non-metallic, X-ray scan-friendly container and carry the cremation certificate, the Assento de Óbito, and the CRDA [4][8].
5. 5

   Claim Survivor Benefits, Fulfill Tax Obligations, and Administer the Estate in the United States and Portugal

   Once the Portuguese Assento de Óbito and the CRDA (Form DS-2060) have been issued, pension notifications, tax filings, and estate administration must be completed in both jurisdictions:

   • In the United States (SSA, VA, IRS, and State Probate Court):
     • Social Security Administration (SSA): Report the death promptly to the Social Security Administration (phone 1-800-772-1213 in the U.S.) or, if the deceased person or surviving family members reside in Portugal, directly to the Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon (email [email protected]) to stop monthly payments and apply for monthly survivor benefits or the $255 lump-sum death payment for eligible family members [9][10].
     • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): If your family member served in the U.S. Armed Forces, contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (phone +1 800-827-1000) to check eligibility for burial in a national cemetery, a government headstone, burial allowances (VA Form 21P-530EZ), or Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) [11].
     • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and State Probate Court: The personal representative of the estate must file the final federal individual income tax return (Form 1040) with the Internal Revenue Service (phone +1 800-829-1040) by the regular April 15 deadline of the year following death (and Form 1041 if the estate generates income) [12], and open probate proceedings with the Probate Court (or Surrogate's Court) in the U.S. county and state where the deceased was domiciled or held property.
   • In Portugal (Segurança Social, Espaço Óbito / Balcão das Heranças, and Tax Authority):
     • Portuguese Social Security benefits: If the deceased contributed to or received a pension in Portugal, apply to Segurança Social (Portuguese Social Security, phone +351 210 545 400 or 300 502 502) for the Subsídio por Morte (Death Grant, within 180 days of death), the Reembolso de Despesas de Funeral (Funeral Expense Reimbursement, within 90 days under the CGA public-sector scheme or up to 6 months under the general scheme for the person who paid the funeral when no beneficiaries qualify for the Death Grant), and the Pensão de Sobrevivência (Survivor's Pension) [13].
     • Registration of heirs (Habilitação de Herdeiros) and Stamp Duty (Imposto do Selo): If the deceased left bank accounts, real estate, or other assets in Portugal, the head of the estate (cabeça-de-casal) must report the death and file the inventory of assets (Modelo 1 do Imposto do Selo) with the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority) by the end of the third month following the month of death, and complete the formal declaration of heirs (habilitação de herdeiros) at an Espaço Óbito or Balcão das Heranças desk of the Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado [1][14].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Declaring a Death (Civil Registry Office - 48-Hour Deadline) — Justiça.gov.pt (Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado)
2. [2]
   Death Certificate Information System (SICO) — Ministério da Saúde / Serviços Partilhados do Ministério da Saúde (SPMS)
3. [3]
   Funeral Services Regulation and Social Funeral in Portugal — Direção-Geral das Atividades Económicas (DGAE)
4. [4]
   Death of a U.S. Citizen in Portugal — U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Portugal
5. [5]
   National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Directory — National Funeral Directors Association
6. [6]
   The FTC Funeral Rule — Federal Trade Commission
7. [7]
   Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA Form DS-2060) — U.S. Department of State
8. [8]
   Importation of Human Remains into the United States (42 CFR 71.55) — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
9. [9]
   Reporting a Death and U.S. Social Security Survivor Benefits — Social Security Administration
10. [10]
    Federal Benefits Unit in Lisbon — U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Portugal
11. [11]
    U.S. Veterans Burial and Memorial Benefits — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
12. [12]
    Filing a Final Federal Tax Return (Form 1040) for Someone Who Has Died — Internal Revenue Service
13. [13]
    Death Grant, Funeral Expense Reimbursement, and Survivor's Pension in Portugal — Segurança Social
14. [14]
    Espaço Óbito Guide: Tax Notification (Stamp Duty) and Registration of Heirs — Justiça.gov.pt