What to Do When a Citizen of Philippines Dies in Saudi Arabia: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Medical Certification of Death and Police or Forensic Clearance in Saudi Arabia

   • Death in a hospital: When your family member dies in a public or private hospital in Saudi Arabia, the attending physician records an electronic Medical Notification of Death in real time through the Saudi Ministry of Health (phone: 937; email: [email protected] / Sehhaty system) and transfers the deceased to an authorised hospital mortuary [1][2].
   • Death outside a hospital: If the death occurs at home, in employer accommodation, at a workplace, or in a public area, immediately call 911 (in Riyadh, Makkah, and Eastern Province) or 999 (Saudi Police in other provinces) and 997 (Saudi Red Crescent Authority) [1][2]. The police secure the scene, prepare an official Police Report, and transfer the deceased to a Forensic Medicine centre if the cause of death is unnatural, sudden, or under investigation, coordinating with the Public Prosecution before issuing the forensic clearance and police release [1][2].
2. 2

   Repatriation Coverage, Funeral Coordination, and Philippine Consular Support

   • Employer, agency, and insurance coverage: Check whether your family member was employed in Saudi Arabia or covered by travel or employment insurance. Under Saudi Labour Law administered by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (phone: 19911), the employer is obligated to bear the costs of preparing and repatriating the remains of a deceased expatriate worker to the home country or point of recruitment unless the family agrees to local burial [5]. For Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), Philippine recruitment agencies and compulsory migrant worker insurance also share statutory repatriation responsibilities overseen by the Department of Migrant Workers [8].
   • Appointing funeral and cargo coordinators: In Saudi Arabia, municipal burial permits and mortuary services operate through the Balady / Ikram platform under the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, while international air cargo shipments are arranged through authorised hospital mortuaries and IATA-certified cargo agents in Riyadh, Jeddah, or Dammam [3]. In the Philippines, appoint a Department of Health-licensed funeral establishment in the destination city or province to receive the coffin at the arrival airport (such as Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Mactan-Cebu, or Clark) and manage local transport and burial or cremation [7][8].
   • Philippine diplomatic mission: Notify the Embassy of the Philippines in Riyadh (phone: +966 11 482 3559) for deaths in Riyadh, Eastern Province, or northern and central regions, or the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah for western and southern regions, together with the attached Migrant Workers Office (MWO) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) welfare officer [8].
3. 3

   Civil Death Registration, Visa Cancellation, and Philippine Recognition

   • Saudi Death Certificate and Iqama cancellation: Once the hospital records the electronic death notification and police clearance is issued, a family representative, employer sponsor (Kafeel), or authorised coordinator requests the official Saudi Death Certificate digitally through the Saudi Civil Affairs Directorate (Ahwal Madaniyah) via Absher on the Unified National Platform [1][2]. Simultaneously, the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) cancels the deceased's residency permit (Iqama) and issues the final exit/death record [1].
   • Legalization and Philippine Report of Death: Have the Saudi Death Certificate translated into English (if issued only in Arabic) and attested by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) [8][9]. Submit the attested certificate, the deceased's original Philippine passport for cancellation, and the accomplished forms to the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh or Consulate General in Jeddah to file the official Report of Death (ROD) [8][9]. The foreign mission transmits the Report of Death through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) so the family can obtain the official PSA Security Paper (SECPA) Death Certificate via PSA Serbilis [9]. (By contrast, when a death occurs inside the Philippines, it must be registered within 30 days at the Local Civil Registrar Office of the city or municipality of death before transmission to the PSA [9].)
4. 4

   International Repatriation to the Philippines vs. Local Burial in Saudi Arabia

   • Family Power of Attorney (Wakala / SPA): Because next of kin are usually in the Philippines, the surviving family executes a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) / Wakala authorising the employer sponsor, a relative in Saudi Arabia, or the Philippine Embassy/MWO representative to process local clearances and choose either repatriation to the Philippines or local burial in Saudi Arabia, authenticated through the DFA and the Saudi diplomatic mission [8].
   • International repatriation of human remains: Exporting the body from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines requires the authenticated family Wakala/SPA, Police and provincial Emirate (Imarah) export clearance, an authorised hospital Embalming Certificate, a Certificate of Non-Contagious Disease and hermetic coffin sealing, Saudi MOFA attestation, and the Philippine Embassy or Consulate Report of Death, Consular Mortuary Certificate, and No Objection Certificate (NOC) [1][8][9]. Upon arrival in the Philippines, the receiving funeral provider secures transfer and quarantine clearance from the Department of Health Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), while OWWA and the Department of Migrant Workers provide airport reception and domestic transport assistance for eligible OFWs [8].
   • Local burial in Saudi Arabia: If the family authorises local burial in Saudi Arabia, the sponsor or representative uses the Police clearance and hospital notification to obtain a free electronic burial permit and print the Burial Certificate via the Balady / Ikram platform of the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing for interment in a designated municipal cemetery (including non-Muslim cemetery sections in cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, or Dammam, or Muslim cemeteries as applicable) [3][8].
5. 5

   Post-Death Benefits, End-of-Service Settlements, Tax, and Probate in Both Countries

   • Saudi end-of-service award, GOSI benefits, and succession: Under Saudi Labour Law (Article 74), the employment contract terminates upon death and the employer must pay all unpaid wages, accrued leave, and the full statutory end-of-service award regulated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development [5]. If the deceased was covered by the General Organization for Social Insurance (phone: 8001243344), eligible family members can claim occupational work-injury death compensation or survivor pensions online [6]. Releasing frozen Saudi bank accounts, blood-money (Diyya) awards, or estate funds requires an official Determination of Heirs deed (Sakk Hasr Al-Waratha) through the Ministry of Justice (Najiz platform) or legalized Philippine heirship documents coordinated through the Philippine Embassy [4][5][8].
   • Philippine statutory benefits: Using the Report of Death or PSA Death Certificate, eligible beneficiaries in the Philippines can claim funeral and survivor death benefits from the Social Security System (SSS) for private-sector and voluntary OFW members (or GSIS for government workers), inpatient reimbursements from PhilHealth, provident savings and death benefits from the Pag-IBIG Fund, and burial and livelihood grants from OWWA and the Department of Migrant Workers AKSYON Fund [7][8].
   • Philippine estate tax and settlement: Under rules administered by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the Estate Tax Return (BIR Form 1801) must be filed within one year from the date of death (at a flat 6% estate tax rate on the net taxable estate after statutory deductions; statutory SSS, GSIS, and OWWA death benefits are exempt) to obtain the Electronic Certificate Authorizing Registration (eCAR) required to transfer Philippine bank accounts or real estate via an Extrajudicial Settlement of Estate or court probate [10].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Issue a Death Certificate - Unified National Platform — Unified National Platform (my.gov.sa)
2. [2]
   Issuance of Death Notification Service — Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH)
3. [3]
   Print Burial Certificate (Balady / Ikram) — Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MOMAH)
4. [4]
   Determination of Heirs eService (Najiz) — Saudi Ministry of Justice (MOJ)
5. [5]
   Labor Relations and End-of-Service Entitlements — Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD)
6. [6]
   Family of the Deceased - Survivor Entitlements — General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI)
7. [7]
   SSS Death Benefit Eligibility and Requirements — Social Security System (SSS Philippines)
8. [8]
   Department of Migrant Workers Assistance and Repatriation Guidelines — Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)
9. [9]
   Request for PSA Death Certificate — PSA Serbilis / Philippine Statistics Authority
10. [10]
    Estate Tax Information and Filing Requirements — Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)