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

1. 1

   Medical Certification of Death and Issuance of the Medical Certificate

   • Death occurring in a hospital or clinic: When the deceased person passes away in a public or private healthcare facility in Senegal, the attending hospital physician or on-duty doctor immediately performs the clinical examination and issues the medical cause-of-death certificate (certificat de genre de mort) [1] [5]. This official medical document, provided free of charge to the family, is mandatory for declaring the death at the civil registry and obtaining the burial permit [1].
   • Death occurring at home: If the death occurs at a private residence, the family must contact the attending physician, an emergency medical service, or the nearest municipal health center so that a licensed doctor can examine the body at home and issue the medical cause-of-death certificate confirming a natural cause [1] [5].
   • Suspicious, violent, or public-place death: In the event of a violent, accidental, unexplained, or public-space death, the National Police or the National Gendarmerie must be alerted immediately [2]. Upon requisition by the Public Prosecutor at the High Court (Tribunal de Grande Instance) under the Ministry of Justice of Senegal, the body is transferred to a forensic medicine department for examination or autopsy, and judicial authorization from the prosecutor's office is required before any burial can take place [2].
2. 2

   Civil Death Registration and Official Death Certificates

   • Competent authority and statutory deadline: Under the Senegalese Family Code (Articles 67 et seq.), the death must be declared to the civil registrar (officier de l'état civil) of the municipality or civil registration center where the death occurred, in coordination with the National Civil Registration Agency (ANEC) [1]. The declaration must be made within the statutory period of one month (or forty-five days in certain rural jurisdictions), and prior to burial when the death occurs in an urban municipality [1].
   • Required supporting documents: A relative of the deceased person or any person possessing accurate civil status information must present the medical cause-of-death certificate, the ECOWAS biometric national identity card or passport of the deceased, their birth certificate extract or family record book (livret de famille), as well as the identity documents of the declarant and two adult witnesses [1].
   • Late declaration and official copies: If the death is not declared within the statutory timeframe (beyond one year after the death), registration in the civil status registers can only take place pursuant to a court order authorizing late registration issued by the District Court (Tribunal d'Instance) of the place of death [1] [2]. Upon registration, we advise requesting several full literal copies (copies littérales) and extracts of the death certificate from the municipal registry office or through the digital platform of the National Civil Registration Agency (ANEC) [1].
3. 3

   Funeral Arrangements, Burial Permits, and International Repatriation

   • Burial permit and municipal requirements: No burial may take place in Senegal without prior issuance of an official burial permit (permis d'inhumer / bulletin d'inhumation) signed by the civil registrar upon presentation of the medical cause-of-death certificate [1]. Municipal hygiene and cemetery administration services oversee compliance with public health burial rules [1].
   • Inter-municipal transport of remains within Senegal: When burial is planned in a municipality different from the place of death (for example, transporting the deceased from Dakar to another region of Senegal), a special authorization to transport mortal remains is issued by the competent administrative authority (prefect or governor) upon presentation of a medical certificate of non-contagion and an official coffining report [1] [2].
   • International repatriation and consular legalization: If the deceased person was a foreign national or if the remains must be repatriated to or from Senegal, international transport requires a hermetically sealed coffin meeting international standards, a sanitary certificate confirming the absence of contagious epidemic disease, a prefectoral or consular mortuary laissez-passer, and transcription or legalization of the death certificate with the relevant embassy or consulate [1] [2].
4. 4

   Social Security, Pension Funds, Banks, and Insurance Notifications

   • Private-sector employees and retirees (IPRES and CSS): When the deceased person contributed to or received a pension under the general or executive retirement scheme, survivors must notify the Retirement Welfare Institution of Senegal (IPRES) and the Social Security Fund (CSS), whose benefit rules are documented by the European and International Social Security Liaison Center (CLEISS) [5]. The surviving spouse and dependent minor children may apply for a survivor's pension (pension de réversion) by submitting the death certificate, the court certificate of heirship (jugement d'hérédité), the certificate of non-appeal, the marriage certificate, and a collective certificate of life [5]. Where death results from an occupational accident, the Social Security Fund also pays survivor annuities and a funeral expense allowance [5].
   • Civil servants and state employees: If the deceased person served in the Senegalese civil service (active or retired), the application for a survivor's pension and, where applicable, a death grant (capital-décès) must be filed with the Directorate of Pensions of the Ministry of Finance and Budget [3] [4]. The application package includes a written liquidation request, the death certificate, the court judgment of heirship, the certificate of non-opposition and non-appeal, the statement of civil service or pension booklet, and the civil status records of surviving spouses and orphans [3] [4].
   • Bank accounts, health mutuals, and insurance policies: Survivors should notify commercial banks, life insurance companies, and health mutuals affiliated with the Universal Health Coverage Agency (SEN-CSU) to freeze sole accounts in the name of the deceased, stop automatic debits, and claim contractual life insurance or death benefits payable to designated beneficiaries outside the estate [5] [6].
5. 5

   Estate Opening and Succession Settlement in Senegal

   • Obtaining the judgment of heirship: In Senegal, legal proof of heirship is established through a judgment of heirship (jugement d'hérédité) issued by the District Court (Tribunal d'Instance) of the deceased person's last domicile, followed by a certificate of non-opposition and non-appeal issued by the court registry after the statutory appeal period expires [2] [3] [4]. Both judicial instruments under the authority of the Ministry of Justice of Senegal are required by banks, land registries, and pension institutions to release funds and settle entitlements [2] [3].
   • Succession regime and role of the notary: The Senegalese Family Code provides for two succession regimes: general civil succession and Islamic law succession (applicable when the deceased person had expressly or demonstrably chosen during their lifetime to have their estate devolved under Islamic succession rules) [2]. A Senegalese notary prepares the estate inventory, drafts amicable partition deeds, and registers real estate title transfers in the land register (Livre foncier) [2].
   • Inheritance tax filings and cross-border coordination: The succession declaration must be registered with the Directorate General of Taxes and Domains (DGID) within six months when the death occurred in Senegal (or within one year if the death occurred abroad) [2]. If an heir resides outside Senegal or if real estate or bank assets are located abroad, a notarized power of attorney (legalized or apostilled) allows remote representation before the Senegalese notary and courts [1] [2].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Sama État Civil Platform - Civil Status Procedures and Records in Senegal — Agence Nationale de l'État Civil (ANEC) - Gouvernement du Sénégal
2. [2]
   e-Justice Platform and Judicial Services in Senegal — Ministère de la Justice du Sénégal
3. [3]
   Applying for a Survivor's Pension for a Deceased Retired Civil Servant in Senegal — Ministère des Finances et du Budget du Sénégal
4. [4]
   Applying for a Survivor's Pension and Death Grant for a Civil Servant Dying in Service — Ministère des Finances et du Budget du Sénégal
5. [5]
   The Senegalese Social Security System (IPRES and Social Security Fund) — Centre des Liaisons Européennes et Internationales de Sécurité Sociale (CLEISS)
6. [6]
   Universal Health Coverage in Senegal (SEN-CSU) — Agence de la Couverture Sanitaire Universelle