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

1. 1

   Obtain the Medical Death Notification (Tabligh Wafat) and Police or Forensic Clearance

   No burial permit, civil death registration, or international mortuary shipment can proceed in Saudi Arabia until the medical cause of death is certified and any required security clearance is issued [1][2][4]:

   • Death in a hospital or medical facility: When your family member dies of natural causes in a public or private hospital in Saudi Arabia (such as in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, or Dammam), the attending physician issues the electronic Medical Death Notification (Tabligh Wafat) through the e-health portal of the Saudi Ministry of Health (service center 937) and transfers the deceased to the hospital mortuary [1]. Present the deceased's Saudi National ID (Hawiya Wataniya) or foreign resident ID (Iqama) and passport so the hospital records match the civil registry [1][2].
   • Death at home or outside a medical facility: Call the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (997) or the Unified Emergency Operations Center (911 in Riyadh, Makkah, and the Eastern Province, or 999 in other regions) immediately [1][4]. Because deaths occurring outside a hospital require official verification before a burial or transport permit can be issued, the local police (Shurta) attend the scene or coordinate transfer to a designated government hospital to confirm whether the death resulted from natural causes [1][4].
   • Unnatural, sudden, traffic, or work-related deaths: Whenever a death involves a traffic accident, workplace injury, sudden unexplained circumstances, or suspected foul play, the police open a mandatory investigation and refer the deceased to the Forensic Medicine Center (Al-Tibb Al-Shar'i) under the Saudi Ministry of Health for a medico-legal examination [1][4]. The investigating police station and the Public Prosecution (where applicable) must issue an official police clearance report explicitly authorizing either local burial or international repatriation before the mortuary can release the body [2][4].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Affairs Agency (Ahwal Madaniyah) via Absher

   Once the hospital Medical Death Notification (Tabligh Wafat) and any required police clearance are logged, the death must be registered in the national civil registry [1][2]:

   • Electronic linkage and statutory deadline: Under Saudi Civil Status regulations, hospitals certified by the Saudi Ministry of Health transmit the electronic death notification directly to the Ministerial Agency of Civil Affairs (Ahwal Madaniyah, Ministry of Interior) [1][2]. Family members or the legally authorized representative (Wakeel) should verify or complete the registration within 30 days of the death via the Absher platform or by booking an appointment at a Civil Affairs office [2].
   • Obtaining the official Saudi Death Certificate (Shahadat Wafat): After recording the death and surrendering the deceased's original Saudi National ID (Hawiya Wataniya) or resident permit (Iqama), Ahwal Madaniyah issues the official digital and printed Saudi Death Certificate (Shahadat Wafat), which can be viewed and downloaded through the Absher and Tawakkalna applications [2].
   • Expatriate resident (Iqama) and visitor formalities: If the deceased was a foreign resident or visitor in Saudi Arabia, the employer or sponsor (Kafeel) or an authorized family representative holding a notarized Power of Attorney (Wakala) must also complete final exit and Iqama cancellation formalities with the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) after civil death registration [2][4].
3. 3

   Arrange Local Burial via Balady (Ikram) or International Repatriation and Apostille Legalization

   Depending on the deceased's nationality, religious affiliation, and family instructions, you will arrange either local burial in Saudi Arabia or international air repatriation [2][3][4]:

   • Local burial in Saudi Arabia via the Balady (Ikram) platform: Local burial in municipal cemeteries across Saudi Arabia is provided free of municipal plot and washing fees [3]. Using the electronic medical death notification (and police burial permit if non-hospital), the family or authorized representative applies through the Balady (Ikram unified funeral services portal) of the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (call center 199040) to obtain the electronic Burial Permit, coordinate ritual washing (Taghseel) and shrouding, arrange mortuary transport, allocate a municipal cemetery plot, and print the official Burial Certificate after interment [3]. For non-Muslim foreign residents buried locally where designated non-Muslim cemetery sections operate, coordinate through the deceased's embassy and municipal authorities [3][4].
   • International repatriation of human remains abroad: Note that cremation is not practiced or permitted within Saudi Arabia; families of foreign nationals who wish to repatriate mortal remains (either for burial or for cremation in the home country) must apply for a Permit to Repatriate a Deceased Person's Body [4]. The authorized representative (holding a notarized family Power of Attorney / Wakala) obtains the hospital arterial Embalming Certificate, a Certificate of Non-Contagious Disease from the Saudi Ministry of Health, a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin certificate, police and Jawazat exit clearances, and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) and Consular Death Certificate from the deceased's embassy in Riyadh or consulate in Jeddah/Dhahran [1][4].
   • Hague Apostille and document legalization: Because Saudi Arabia is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, if the Saudi Death Certificate, medical report, or court succession deed must be presented in another Apostille member state, have an accredited translation prepared and obtain an official Apostille from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) e-attestation portal (or complete consular legalization for non-Apostille destinations) [2][4].
4. 4

   Notify GOSI, Banks, and Government Bodies and Claim Survivor Benefits

   Once the death is recorded in Ahwal Madaniyah, government agencies and banks linked to the national registry update the deceased's status [2][5]:

   • General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI): If your family member was an insured Saudi citizen (under the civil/military pension or Social Insurance Law) or a private-sector worker covered by the General Organization for Social Insurance (customer service 199044; email [email protected]), report the death and submit a survivor claim via the GOSI portal or GOSI mobile app [5].
     • Survivor pension and marriage/funeral grants: For Saudi contributors under the Social Insurance and Civil/Military Pension schemes, the General Organization for Social Insurance pays a monthly Survivor Pension distributed among eligible dependents (surviving spouse, eligible children, and dependent parents or siblings), along with any applicable statutory death/funeral grant [5].
     • Occupational hazard death compensation (Saudi and non-Saudi workers): If the death resulted from a workplace injury or occupational disease, GOSI's Occupational Hazards branch covers the costs of preparing and repatriating the mortal remains and pays statutory occupational death compensation to the eligible survivors [5].
   • Employer End-of-Service Benefit (ESB): Under the Saudi Labor Law, the deceased employee's employer must pay all accrued wages, unused annual leave, and the full statutory End-of-Service Award (Mukafa'at Nihayat Al-Khidmah) into the estate or through the competent labor/consular channel [4][5].
   • Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) account freeze: Upon notification from the civil registry, banks operating in Saudi Arabia freeze the deceased's individual bank accounts, credit cards, and investment portfolios until the legal heirs present a formal Determination of Heirs deed and judicial or notarial distribution authorization [2][6].
5. 5

   Obtain a Determination of Heirs Deed (Hasr al-Waratha) and Administer the Estate via Najiz

   To access frozen bank accounts, transfer real estate Deeds (Sukook), or distribute inheritance assets in Saudi Arabia, the legal heirs must complete succession formalities through the Saudi Ministry of Justice (call center 1950) [6]:

   • Issuing the Determination of Heirs Deed (Sak Hasr al-Waratha): Apply online through the Najiz portal (najiz.sa) of the Saudi Ministry of Justice for a Determination of Heirs (Hasr al-Waratha / Tawthiq al-Waratha) deed [6]. The applicant uploads the Saudi Death Certificate, enters the details of all legal heirs, and provides two independent adult witnesses (who are neither heirs nor ascendants/descendants of the heirs) to verify the family tree electronically so the Personal Status Court or notary branch issues the official digital succession deed [6].
   • Estate inventory, wills (Wasiyyah), and Sharia inheritance shares: Saudi Arabia does not levy an inheritance tax or estate duty on heirs [6]. Under Saudi Personal Status Law, funeral expenses and verified debts of the deceased are paid first, followed by any valid testamentary bequest (Wasiyyah, which for Muslim estates is capped at one-third of the net estate and cannot be made in favor of a statutory heir unless the remaining heirs consent after the death), and the remainder is divided according to fixed statutory Sharia inheritance shares (Fara'id) via the Najiz estate division services (Qismat al-Tarikat) [6]. For non-Muslim foreign nationals who held assets in Saudi Arabia, Personal Status Courts may apply the inheritance law of the deceased's nationality or a valid home-country will once authenticated via MOFA and the Saudi Ministry of Justice [4][6].
   • Heirs living abroad and cross-border Power of Attorney (Wakala): Heirs residing outside Saudi Arabia can appoint a representative in Saudi Arabia by executing a Power of Attorney (Wakala) either online through Najiz (if they hold an active Absher account) or before a local notary and the Saudi Embassy (or with a Hague Apostille) followed by attestation at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Saudi Ministry of Justice [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death Notification and Electronic Medical Services — Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH)
2. [2]
   Death Certificate Services and Civil Affairs Registration (Ahwal Madaniyah) — Unified National Platform (GOV.SA)
3. [3]
   Print Burial Certificate and Municipal Funeral Services (Balady / Ikram) — Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MOMAH)
4. [4]
   Request to Repatriate a Deceased Person's Body to Their Country — Unified National Platform (GOV.SA)
5. [5]
   Family of the Deceased and Survivor Pension Benefits — General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI)
6. [6]
   Najiz Electronic Justice Services - Determination of Heirs and Succession — Saudi Ministry of Justice (MOJ)