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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death or Police Coroner Clearance

   • Hospital or clinical deaths: When a death occurs in a public teaching hospital (such as Juba Teaching Hospital), a state hospital, or a licensed clinic under the oversight of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization Country Office for South Sudan [4], the attending physician issues a signed Medical Notification and Certificate of Cause of Death recording the deceased's full name, age, nationality, date and hour of death, and clinical cause of death [4].
   • Deaths at home or in the community: If your family member died at home in an urban residential quarter or rural payam, the family must obtain a written confirmation letter from the local neighbourhood chief (Boma or Payam administrator) and present the deceased or clinical records at the nearest government hospital or primary health facility so a medical officer can verify the death and issue the medical notification [4] [5].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unexplained deaths: Under the South Sudan Penal Code Act 2008 and Code of Criminal Procedure Act 2008, any unexpected, violent, or unattended death must be reported immediately to the South Sudan National Police Service before the body is moved [6]. A police investigator and public prosecutor open an inquest file and authorize a forensic post-mortem examination at a designated public hospital mortuary before issuing a police burial or release clearance [6].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports and Immigration

   • Competent civil registry authority: Civil registration of vital events is governed by the South Sudan Civil Registry Act 2018 and administered by the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports and Immigration under the Ministry of Interior, alongside technical civil-documentation support from UNHCR South Sudan [5].
   • Statutory deadline and informant rules: Under the Civil Registry Act 2018, a death occurring in an urban area should be declared within 30 days of occurrence (with extended administrative windows permitted for remote rural counties or conflict-affected areas upon presentation of a local chief's attestation and hospital record) [5]. The declaration may be made by the surviving spouse, an adult relative, the household head, or an authorized legal representative.
   • Required documents and official certificates: The informant must present the hospital Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (or police inquest release order), the deceased's South Sudan Nationality Certificate or National Identity Card and passport, and the informant's valid identity document [5]. Request multiple certified extracts of the official Death Certificate from the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports and Immigration, as originals are required by banks, pension boards, and probate courts [5].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial permits: Before interment in a municipal or community cemetery in Juba or a state capital, the family must present the medical death notification or civil registration receipt and police clearance (where applicable) to the municipal public health office and cemetery administration to obtain a formal burial permit [4] [6]. Cremation facilities are extremely limited in South Sudan, and families seeking cremation typically arrange cross-border transport to a neighbouring jurisdiction with licensed crematoria [6].
   • Mortuary preparation and international repatriation: If the deceased is to be repatriated abroad, the body must be embalmed at an approved hospital mortuary (such as Juba Teaching Hospital or a licensed international medical evacuation and funeral provider) [6]. You must obtain an official Embalming Certificate, a Ministry of Health Non-Contagious Disease and Public Health Transit Permit, a hermetically sealed coffin certificate inspected by health and customs officers at Juba International Airport, and an export permit [4] [6].
   • Consular legalization (non-Hague Apostille jurisdiction): South Sudan is not a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Consequently, South Sudanese death certificates, medical certificates, and court documents intended for use abroad must undergo chain authentication: verification by the issuing ministry, authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Juba, and final consular legalization by the foreign embassy or consulate (such as the U.S. Embassy in South Sudan or relevant diplomatic mission) [6].
4. 4

   Notify Pension Funds, Employers, Banks, and Public Authorities

   • Public service survivor benefits: If the deceased was a civil servant or public-sector employee, survivors must notify the South Sudan Pension Fund and the Ministry of Finance and Planning under the Civil Service Pensions Scheme Act 2013 (Act No. 31 of 2013) and the Pension Funds Act 2012 (Act No. 32 of 2012) [1] [2]. Eligible dependants (surviving spouse, minor children, or dependent parents) may claim the survivor pension or lump-sum death gratuity upon submitting the official Death Certificate, employment service record, marriage or birth certificates, and court succession orders [1] [2].
   • Private-sector terminal dues: Where the deceased was employed in the private or non-governmental sector under the Labour Act 2017 (Act No. 64 of 2017), the employer must calculate and disburse accrued wages, unused annual leave, and statutory severance or death-in-service benefits to the lawful heirs or court-appointed estate administrator [3].
   • Identity cancellation, tax, and banking closure: Surrender the deceased's passport and national identity card to the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports and Immigration for cancellation [5]. Notify commercial banks in South Sudan and the National Revenue Authority to freeze sole accounts pending presentation of formal Letters of Administration [1].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate, Succession, and Cross-Border Probate

   • Court-supervised probate and Letters of Administration: In South Sudan, banks, land registries, and the South Sudan Pension Fund will not release estate assets or death gratuities without a formal court order [1] [2]. If your family member left a valid written will, the executor petitions the High Court of South Sudan (or competent County Judge) for a Grant of Probate; if the deceased died intestate, the family petitions the court for Letters of Administration [1] [5].
   • Interplay of statutory and customary succession law: Under the Transitional Constitution and judiciary rules, succession to registered urban land, bank accounts, and civil service pensions requires formal court administration, while family elders and customary courts often participate in verifying the schedule of lawful heirs (list of dependants) before the statutory judge issues final Letters of Administration [1] [5]. South Sudan does not levy a standalone national inheritance tax, though court filing fees and land-title transfer fees apply.
   • Foreign heirs and cross-border assets: Heirs residing outside South Sudan may appoint a local advocate or family representative in Juba through a written Power of Attorney notarized in their country of residence and legalized by a South Sudanese embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation [6]. Conversely, if South Sudanese court probate orders must be produced abroad, have them authenticated by the Judiciary, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the destination country's diplomatic mission [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   The Civil Service Pensions Scheme Act, 2013 (Act No. 31 of 2013) — Ministry of Finance and Planning, Republic of South Sudan
2. [2]
   South Sudan Pension Funds Act, 2012 (Act No. 32 of 2012) — International Labour Organization (NATLEX)
3. [3]
   The Labour Act, 2017 (Act No. 64 of 2017) - Republic of South Sudan — FAOLEX / Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs
4. [4]
   South Sudan Country Health Portal — World Health Organization (WHO)
5. [5]
   UNHCR Help South Sudan - Civil Documentation and Legal Assistance — United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
6. [6]
   Death of a Citizen in South Sudan - Local Procedures and Repatriation — U.S. Embassy in South Sudan