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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death and Coroner Clearance

   Under the Slovenian Rules on the Conditions and Manner of Performing the Coroner Service (Pravilnik o pogojih in načinu opravljanja mrliško pregledne službe), every death in Slovenia must be medically verified before the deceased can be transferred for burial or cremation [1][4]:

   • Death in a hospital or residential care institution: When your family member dies in a hospital (such as University Medical Centre Ljubljana or University Medical Centre Maribor) or a nursing home, the attending institutional physician performs the post-mortem examination and issues the official Death Notification and Certificate on the Cause of Death (Prijava smrti in potrdilo o vzroku smrti) [1]. Where the clinical cause of death is clear, the hospital pathology department releases the body directly to your chosen funeral provider; if the cause of death is medically unclear, a clinical autopsy may be ordered [1].
   • Expected natural death at home: Do not move the body. Contact the local community health centre (zdravstveni dom) or the regional emergency medical dispatch on 112 to summon the on-call municipal coroner physician (mrliški preglednik) [1]. Have the deceased person's national identity card (osebna izkaznica) or passport, health insurance card issued by the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (Zavod za zdravstveno zavarovanje Slovenije - ZZZS), and medical records ready [1][4]. After examining the deceased at the place of death, the coroner physician issues the Certificate of Accomplished Coroner Examination (Potrdilo o opravljenem mrliškem pregledu), which authorizes a funeral company to transport the deceased to a mortuary, and transmits the official death report to the civil registry [1].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unexplained death: Call the police on 113 or emergency services on 112 immediately [1]. If the coroner physician suspects a violent, accidental, or unexplained cause of death, the police and the investigating judge (preiskovalni sodnik) of the competent District Court (okrožno sodišče) take jurisdiction and order a forensic autopsy (sodna obdukcija) at the Institute of Forensic Medicine (Inštitut za sodno medicino) before issuing clearance for burial or cremation [1][6].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Administrative Unit and Obtain Official Death Certificates

   In Slovenia, deaths are recorded in the Central Register (matični register) managed by the local Administrative Units (upravne enote) and accessible via the eUprava State Portal of the Republic of Slovenia [1]:

   • Statutory deadline and filing procedure: Under the Civil Register Act (Zakon o matičnem registru), a death must be reported to the Administrative Unit (upravna enota) covering the municipality where the death occurred within 2 days of the death (or within 2 days of finding the body) [1]. In practice, the hospital, the coroner physician (mrliški preglednik), or your authorized funeral provider submits the medical death notification (Prijava smrti) directly to the competent Administrative Unit [1].
   • Obtaining extracts from the Register of Deaths: Once the death is entered in the matični register, any administrative unit in Slovenia can issue an official Extract from the Central Register of Deaths (Izpisek iz matičnega registra o smrti) [1]. Family members can request the extract in person at any upravna enota or online using a digital identity (such as SI-PASS or eOsebna) through the eUprava State Portal of the Republic of Slovenia [1].
   • Multilingual CIEC extracts and Apostille for cross-border use: If your family member held foreign nationality or left assets abroad, request an international multilingual death certificate issued on the Vienna Convention (CIEC) form (izpisek na mednarodnem obrazcu), which is accepted without translation across signatory states, or an EU Multilingual Standard Form under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 [1]. Where a non-EU country requires legalization under the 1961 Hague Convention, an Apostille stamp on civil registry extracts is issued by the District Court (okrožno sodišče) in Slovenia [1][6].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation through a Licensed Funeral Provider

   Under the Funeral and Cemetery Services Act (Zakon o pogrebni in pokopališki dejavnosti), funeral transport and preparations must be carried out by a licensed funeral operator (izvajalec pogrebne dejavnosti), including the 24-hour mandatory municipal transport service (24-urna dežurna služba) where required [1][3]:

   • Domestic burial or cremation in Slovenia: Present the coroner's certificate (Potrdilo o opravljenem mrliškem pregledu), the deceased's identity document, and the Izpisek iz matičnega registra o smrti to your selected funeral company (such as Žale Javno podjetje in Ljubljana, Pogrebno podjetje Maribor, or a licensed regional provider listed with the Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia) [1]. For cremation (upepelitev), the coroner physician must explicitly confirm on the examination form that there are no medical or forensic impediments to cremation [1].
   • International repatriation of human remains or ashes: Slovenia is a party to the 1937 Berlin Arrangement and the 1973 Council of Europe Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses. To repatriate a body abroad, the funeral provider arranges sanitary preparation and placement in a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin, obtains the international laissez-passer for a corpse (posmrtni potni list) from the competent Slovenian authority together with hygienic-epidemiological clearance, and coordinates with the foreign embassy or consulate in Ljubljana [1]. Transporting cremated ashes (žara s pepelom) abroad requires the official death extract, the crematorium certificate of cremation, and a sealed urn accompanied by funeral transit documentation [1].
4. 4

   Notify ZPIZ, ZZZS, FURS, and Banks, and Claim Survivor or Funeral Benefits

   Once the death is recorded in the Central Population Register (Centralni register prebivalstva - CRP), several Slovenian state databases update automatically, but family members must still submit specific benefit claims and close private contracts [1][2][4]:

   • Compulsory health insurance and funeral assistance: Recording the death automatically terminates compulsory health insurance with the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (Zavod za zdravstveno zavarovanje Slovenije - ZZZS) [4]. If the deceased met low-income social assistance thresholds under the Financial Social Assistance Act, family members who paid for the funeral may apply at the local Centre for Social Work (Center za socialno delo - CSD) for extraordinary financial social assistance in the form of a funeral grant (pogrebnina) and a one-off post-death family allowance (posmrtnina) within the statutory deadline [1][4].
   • Pensions and survivor benefits (vdovska ali družinska pokojnina): Notify the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute of Slovenia (Zavod za pokojninsko in invalidsko zavarovanje Slovenije - ZPIZ) to stop ongoing old-age or disability pension payments and claim any unpaid accrued pension up to the date of death [2][3]. Surviving spouses, registered or long-term cohabiting partners (zunajzakonski partnerji), and dependent children (generally up to age 15, or up to age 26 if in full-time education) can apply to the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute of Slovenia (in person at a ZPIZ regional unit or online via the eUprava State Portal of the Republic of Slovenia) for a widow/widower's pension (vdovska pokojnina) or family survivor's pension (družinska pokojnina) [2][3].
   • Banking, identity documents, and tax authorities: Submit the Izpisek iz matičnega registra o smrti to all Slovenian banks where the deceased held accounts; upon notification, banks freeze individual accounts and revoke powers of attorney (which terminate at death under Slovenian law unless specific contractual exceptions apply) until the final probate order is issued [5][6]. Surrender the deceased's passport and identity card (osebna izkaznica) to the Administrative Unit (upravna enota) for cancellation, and verify tax obligations with the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (Finančna uprava Republike Slovenije - FURS) [1].
5. 5

   Complete Probate Proceedings (*Zapuščinski postopek*) and Inheritance Tax Filings

   Under the Slovenian Inheritance Act (Zakon o dedovanju), succession is conducted through a mandatory judicial probate procedure (zapuščinski postopek) managed by the Courts of the Republic of Slovenia [5][6]:

   • Death record (smrtovnica) and ex officio court initiation: After registering the death, the registrar at the Administrative Unit compiles the official death record (smrtovnica) containing data on the deceased, known family members, wills, and approximate estate assets, and sends it ex officio within 30 days to the competent Local Court (okrajno sodišče) of the deceased's last permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia [1][6].
   • Probate hearing (zapuščinska obravnava) and Decree of Distribution (sklep o dedovanju): The Local Court (okrajno sodišče) schedules a probate hearing (zapuščinska obravnava), checks the Central Register of Wills (Centralni register oporok) maintained by the Chamber of Notaries of Slovenia (Notarska zbornica Slovenije), determines the rightful heirs under testate or statutory succession (protecting compulsory shares - nujni delež - for close relatives), and issues the formal Decree of Inheritance (sklep o dedovanju) [5][6]. Once the sklep o dedovanju becomes final (pravnomočen), the court automatically orders the Land Register (zemljiška knjiga) to transfer real estate ownership, and heirs present the final decree to banks to release funds [6].
   • Inheritance tax (davek na dediščine in darila) and cross-border estates: Under the Inheritance and Gift Taxation Act, heirs in the first hereditary order (spouses, cohabiting partners, children, and adopted children/grandchildren) are 100% exempt from Slovenian inheritance tax [6]. Other heirs are assessed by FURS based on the final court decree [6]. If assets or heirs are located in another EU Member State, the Slovenian Local Court can issue a European Certificate of Succession (Evropsko potrdilo o dedovanju) under Regulation (EU) No 650/2012, and parties may consult a notary via the Chamber of Notaries of Slovenia for estate settlement agreements [5][6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Extract from the Central Register of Deaths (Izpisek iz matičnega registra o smrti) — eUprava - State Portal of the Republic of Slovenia
2. [2]
   Survivor's Pension and Widow/Widower's Pension Application (Družinska in vdovska pokojnina) — eUprava - State Portal of the Republic of Slovenia
3. [3]
   Pension and Disability Insurance Institute of Slovenia (ZPIZ) - Official Portal — Zavod za pokojninsko in invalidsko zavarovanje Slovenije (ZPIZ)
4. [4]
   Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (ZZZS) - Compulsory Health Insurance — Zavod za zdravstveno zavarovanje Slovenije (ZZZS)
5. [5]
   Regulating Inheritance and Estate Matters (Urejanje dednih in zapuščinskih zadev) — Chamber of Notaries of Slovenia (Notarska zbornica Slovenije)
6. [6]
   Courts of the Republic of Slovenia - Probate and Judicial Jurisdiction — Judiciary of the Republic of Slovenia (Sodstvo Republike Slovenije)