What to Do When Someone Dies in São Tomé and Príncipe: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Medical verification of death and issuance of the medical death certificate

   • Death occurring in a hospital facility: When a death occurs at the Ayres de Menezes Hospital (in São Tomé), the Dr. Manuel Quaresma Dias da Graça Hospital (in the Autonomous Region of Príncipe), or a district health center, the attending physician clinically verifies the death and issues the medical death certificate (certificado médico de óbito) free of charge, recording the identity of the deceased person, the date, the time, and the cause of death [1].
   • Death occurring at home: If the death occurred at home under medical care, the family must notify the district health center or local health delegate so that a clinician can verify the death and issue the medical declaration required for mortuary transfer and civil registration [1].
   • Unattended death or suspicious circumstances: Where the death occurred without prior medical attendance, as a result of an accident, or under suspicious circumstances, it is mandatory to report the matter to the National Police (Polícia Nacional) or the Judicial Police (Polícia Judiciária) and the Public Prosecutor's Office (Ministério Público) so that a forensic examination is performed before the body is released [1].
2. 2

   Official death registration at the civil registry office

   • Where to declare and statutory deadlines: The death must be declared at the Civil Registry Office (Conservatória do Registo Civil, located at Praça do Povo in the Água Grande District of São Tomé) or at the regional delegations and civil registry posts across the districts and the Autonomous Region of Príncipe, supervised by the Directorate-General of Registries and Notary (Direção-Geral dos Registos e do Notariado). The declaration must be made within the statutory 48-hour period following death or medical verification [1] [2].
   • Who may declare and required documents: The declaration is made by the closest present relative, a family representative, or the authorized funeral director. You must present the medical death certificate, the personal registration booklet (cédula pessoal) or National Identity Card (Bilhete de Identidade) of the deceased person, the declarant's identification document, and the name of the cemetery where burial will take place [1] [2].
   • Issuance of the death certificate and official fees: Once the death entry (assento de óbito) is recorded by the Directorate-General of Registries and Notary, the burial permit (guia de enterramento) and the official death certificate (certidão de óbito) are issued (with standard reference fees of 75.00 Dobras for normal processing or 97.50 Dobras for urgent processing). It is advisable to request several certified copies immediately for social security, banks, and notarial proceedings [1] [2].
3. 3

   Funeral arrangements, burial, and international repatriation

   • Burial permit and municipal cemeteries: No burial may take place in a public cemetery (managed by the District Councils or the Regional Government of Príncipe) without the burial permit issued by the civil registry office and payment of the municipal burial fees. Burial is the standard practice across the archipelago, as crematoria are not in general operation [1].
   • International repatriation of mortal remains: If the family wishes to repatriate the body abroad, or bring home the mortal remains of a Santomean citizen who died outside the country (whose foreign death record is transcribed at the Central Registry Office - Conservatória dos Registos Centrais), it is necessary to obtain public health clearance, embalming and sealing in a hermetic zinc-lined coffin, and a mortuary laissez-passer (livre-trânsito mortuário) through consular channels [1] [2].
   • Legalization of documents for international use: Death certificates or powers of attorney intended to produce legal effect abroad require notarial authentication and diplomatic or consular legalization through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities and the relevant foreign embassy or consulate [2] [3].
4. 4

   Notifying social security, banks, and insurance companies

   • Funeral grant and death benefits: When the deceased person was an insured worker or pensioner under the mandatory social security system, surviving relatives should notify the National Social Security Institute (Instituto Nacional de Segurança Social) to claim the funeral grant (subsídio de funeral) and lump-sum death benefits designed to offset immediate household expenses [4] [5].
   • Survivor pension: The surviving spouse (or recognized de facto partner), minor, student, or disabled children, and eligible dependent ascendants may apply to the National Social Security Institute for a survivor pension (pensão de sobrevivência), submitting the certified death certificate, the deceased person's identification document, marriage and birth certificates of the beneficiaries, and bank account details [4] [5].
   • Bank accounts and insurance contracts: Heirs must notify commercial banks where the deceased person held accounts or deposits, submitting the death certificate to freeze individual withdrawals and obtain date-of-death balance statements, as well as notifying insurance companies of any life policies [3] [4].
5. 5

   Declaration of heirs, estate inventory, and inheritance division

   • Notarial deed of declaration of heirs: To establish legally who the statutory or testamentary heirs of the deceased person are, the head of the estate (cabeça-de-casal) must appear at the Notarial Office (Cartório Notarial, operating under the Directorate-General of Registries and Notary) to execute a public deed of declaration of heirs (escritura pública de habilitação de herdeiros), presenting the death certificate, birth and marriage certificates of the heirs, and a check for any registered will [1] [3].
   • Extrajudicial division or judicial inventory: Where all heirs are adults with full capacity and agree unanimously on the allocation of movable and immovable property, the deed of division (escritura de partilha) is executed directly at the Notarial Office; if there are minor heirs, incapacitated beneficiaries, or disputes among heirs, a mandatory judicial inventory (processo de inventário) must be filed with the Court of First Instance (Tribunal de Primeira Instância) [2] [3].
   • Tax obligations and foreign heirs: The head of the estate must report the succession transfer to the Tax Directorate (Direção dos Impostos) to settle applicable inheritance tax and register property transfers at the Land Registry Office (Conservatória do Registo Predial). Heirs residing abroad may be represented in the declaration of heirs and division through a duly legalized public power of attorney recognized by the Notarial Office [2] [3].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Citizen Civil Registry Services - Death Certificate, Required Documents and Fees — Direção-Geral dos Registos e do Notariado de São Tomé e Príncipe (DGRN)
2. [2]
   Central Registry Office - Civil Status, Wills and Foreign Transcriptions — Direção-Geral dos Registos e do Notariado de São Tomé e Príncipe (DGRN)
3. [3]
   Notarial Office - Public Deeds, Declaration of Heirs and Notarial Acts — Direção-Geral dos Registos e do Notariado de São Tomé e Príncipe (DGRN)
4. [4]
   Pension Scheme - Survivor, Disability and Old-Age Pensions — Instituto Nacional de Segurança Social de São Tomé e Príncipe (INSS)
5. [5]
   Social Security Allowances and Benefits - Death, Sickness and Funeral Support — Instituto Nacional de Segurança Social de São Tomé e Príncipe (INSS)