What to Do When Someone Dies in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Cause of Death

   • Hospital or institutional deaths: When a death occurs at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital in Kingstown, a district hospital, or a private clinic overseen by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, the attending medical practitioner examines the deceased and issues the official Medical Certificate of Cause of Death [3].
   • Deaths at home under medical care: If your family member died at home from natural causes while under recent treatment by a registered physician, contact that physician or the District Medical Officer immediately so they can attend, verify the death, and issue the medical cause-of-death certificate required for civil registration [1] [3].
   • Sudden, unexpected, or unattended deaths: If the death was sudden, accidental, unexplained, or occurred without a physician having treated the deceased recently, notify the Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force and the district Coroner (ordinarily the District Magistrate) before moving the body [1]. The Coroner may direct a post-mortem examination by a forensic pathologist before issuing a Coroner's warrant or certificate permitting registration and burial [1].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry

   • Statutory deadline and mandatory registration: Under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, every death occurring in the state must be registered, and registration should take place within three (3) days of the death [1]. By law, no burial or cremation may take place until the death has been duly registered or authorized by the Registrar or Coroner [1]. Late registration after twelve months requires explicit written authority from the Registrar General and payment of prescribed late fees [1].
   • Qualified informants: The death may be registered by a relative present at the death or in attendance during the last illness, a relative residing in the same registration district, a person present at the death, the occupier of the house or institution where the death occurred, or the person causing the body to be buried [1].
   • Where to register and obtain certificates: In Kingstown, registration and certificate applications are handled at the Civil Registry Department (High Court / Registry Office) [1] [2]. In outer districts and the Grenadines (such as Bequia, Union Island, Canouan, and Mustique), initial registration is completed through the District Registrar at the District Revenue Office or Post Office [1]. Certified extracts of the death certificate are issued by the Civil Registry Department for an official fee of EC $15.00 per copy [2]. We advise ordering several certified copies immediately for banking, social security, and court probate filings [2].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial or cremation permits: Once the death is registered, the Registrar (or the Coroner, where an inquest is opened) issues the official certificate for burial [1]. A licensed funeral home in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines coordinates mortuary care, cemetery booking with the municipal or town board authorities, and environmental health clearance [1] [3].
   • International repatriation of remains: If your family member is to be repatriated abroad (or brought to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from overseas), the funeral director must obtain an official Death Certificate from the Civil Registry Department, a medical certificate confirming the body is free of communicable disease and has been properly embalmed in a hermetically sealed casket, and an export/transit permit from the Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment [2] [3].
   • Apostille and consular legalization: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. If certified death certificates or court documents must be used in another Hague Convention country, request an Apostille certificate through the Registrar of the High Court / Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kingstown [2] [5].
4. 4

   Notify National Insurance Services, Tax, and Financial Institutions

   • National Insurance Funeral Grant and Survivor Benefits: Report the death promptly to the National Insurance Services (NIS) in Kingstown [4]. If the deceased met the statutory contribution conditions (or was receiving an NIS pension or employment injury benefit), the person who paid or is responsible for the funeral expenses can apply for the NIS Funeral Grant by submitting the official claim form, the certified Death Certificate, and itemized funeral invoices within six months of death [4]. Surviving spouses and dependent children may also claim an NIS Survivor's Benefit [4].
   • Identity, voter, and tax cancellation: Surrender the deceased's national identification card to the Electoral Office, present the passport for cancellation at the Passport and Immigration Department, and notify the Inland Revenue Department to close income tax and property tax accounts [1] [2].
   • Banks, credit unions, and insurers: Provide certified copies of the Death Certificate to all local commercial banks, credit unions (such as the General Employees Co-operative Credit Union), and life insurance companies [2]. Individual accounts held solely in the deceased's name will be frozen until an official Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration is produced [1] [2] [5].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Obtain Probate or Letters of Administration

   • Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court probate jurisdiction: Estate succession in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is supervised by the High Court of Justice (Probate Division) of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, administered through the High Court Registry in Kingstown under the Administration of Estates Act and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (Non-Contentious Probate and Administration of Estates) Rules [1] [5].
   • Grant of Probate vs. Letters of Administration: If your family member left a valid Will, the named executor applies to the High Court Registry for a Grant of Probate [1] [5]. If the deceased died intestate (without a Will), the next-of-kin applies for Letters of Administration following the statutory order of priority [1] [5].
   • Estate duty declaration and cross-border resealing: Applications require the certified Death Certificate, the original Will (if any), an Inventory and Declaration of the Value of the Estate for stamp/estate duty assessment, and newspaper advertisements for creditors [1] [2] [5]. Where a Grant of Probate or Administration has already been issued by a court in another Commonwealth jurisdiction, it can be resealed by the High Court in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to release local real estate or bank assets [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Registration of Deaths - Civil Registry — Judiciary of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
2. [2]
   Application for Death Certificates — Judiciary of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
3. [3]
   General Information - Public Health Services — Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment
4. [4]
   Funeral Grant and Survivor Benefits — National Insurance Services (NIS) SVG
5. [5]
   Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines High Court — Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court