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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Cause of Death

   • Hospital deaths: When a death occurs in a government or private hospital regulated by the Ministry of Health, the attending medical officer issues the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (Form B 33) once clinical verification is complete [1] [5]. If the cause of death is natural and clearly established, the hospital releases the medical declaration so the family can proceed to civil registration and mortuary release [1].
   • Deaths at home (natural causes): If your family member died at home without suspicious circumstances, you must immediately notify the area Grama Niladhari (village administrative officer) and the local Registrar of Births and Deaths (or Medical Registrar in designated urban divisions) [1] [2]. A registered medical practitioner who attended the deceased during their final illness may issue a medical certificate of cause of death; otherwise, the Grama Niladhari and divisional registrar verify the circumstances on-site before issuing the registration declaration [1].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unexplained deaths: If the death was sudden, accidental, unattended by a doctor, or clinically unexplained, it must be reported to the nearest police station and the hospital Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) [1]. Under the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, an Inquirer into Sudden Deaths (Coroner) or a Magistrate conducts an inquest, orders a forensic post-mortem examination by the JMO if required, and issues the inquirer's certificate authorizing burial or cremation and civil registration [1] [2].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry

   • Competent authority and statutory deadline: Under the Births and Deaths Registration Act No. 17 of 1951, administered by the Registrar General's Department, every death occurring in Sri Lanka must be notified to the area Grama Niladhari or divisional Registrar of Births and Deaths within 5 days of the death [1]. Registration within 3 months of the death is processed free of charge [1].
   • Informant priority and required forms: The closest relative present at the death or in attendance during the final illness (or the occupier of the premises) acts as the statutory informant by submitting the Declaration of Death (Form CR02) together with the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (or Coroner's certificate) and the deceased's National Identity Card (NIC) or passport [1] [2].
   • Obtaining certified copies of the Death Certificate: Upon registration, the divisional registrar issues the initial official Death Certificate free of charge [1]. We suggest requesting multiple certified extracts at the Divisional Secretariat (using Form B63a) or through the Registrar General's Department online eBMD portal, as banks, pension authorities, and courts require original certified copies [1] [2]. If the death is registered after 3 months, a delayed registration inquiry at the Divisional Secretariat is required [1].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial or cremation permits: Under the Cemeteries and Burial Grounds Ordinance and Births and Deaths Registration Act, no burial or cremation may take place without the written certificate of registration from the divisional Registrar of Births and Deaths or a specific order from an Inquirer into Sudden Deaths or Magistrate [1]. Licensed funeral directors coordinate mortuary preservation, municipal cemetery booking, or crematorium scheduling with the local municipal council or Pradeshiya Sabha [1].
   • International repatriation of remains: If the deceased was a foreign national or if the remains must be transported abroad, a licensed funeral director with international repatriation capability coordinates embalming certification from a Judicial Medical Officer, a non-contagious disease and public health clearance certificate from the Ministry of Health port health authorities, a hermetically sealed casket certificate, and customs export clearance at Bandaranaike International Airport [1] [5].
   • Consular authentication and document legalization: Foreign embassies in Colombo require the Sri Lankan Death Certificate (with an official English translation issued or certified by the Registrar General's Department) and medical/embalming certificates to issue a consular mortuary passport or no-objection certificate [1] [2]. Document authentication for cross-border legal use is processed through the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo after verification by the Registrar General's Department [1].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pension, Tax, and Banking Institutions

   • Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) lump-sum death benefit: If your family member worked in the private or semi-government sector, their accumulated retirement balance is managed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and administered for claims by the Department of Labour [3]. Registered nominees or legal heirs claim the full EPF balance (employee and employer contributions plus accumulated interest) by submitting Form L along with the certified Death Certificate, the deceased's NIC and B-card, and civil status proofs proving nomination or legal heirship [3].
   • Employees' Trust Fund (ETF) benefits and funeral/death grants: In parallel with EPF claims, surviving nominees or legal heirs should file a death claim with the Employees' Trust Fund Board to recover the member's accumulated ETF balance and apply for the statutory member death welfare grant [4].
   • Public sector survivor pensions and identity/tax notifications: If the deceased was a civil servant or government pensioner, surviving spouses and eligible dependents should notify the deceased's last public ministry or Divisional Secretariat to activate the Widows'/Widowers' and Orphans' Pension (W&OP) scheme and any public service death gratuity [1] [3]. You should also present the Death Certificate to the Department for Registration of Persons (via the Grama Niladhari) to cancel the NIC, notify the Inland Revenue Department if the deceased held an active tax file, and inform commercial banks and insurers so individual accounts are frozen pending succession clearance [2] [3].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate, Succession, and Testamentary Probate

   • Testamentary jurisdiction in the District Court: Under the Civil Procedure Code of Sri Lanka, if the deceased left an estate meeting or exceeding the statutory threshold for mandatory administration (or involving contested real property or un-nominated financial accounts), testamentary proceedings must be filed in the District Court where the deceased resided or where estate property is situated [1] [3]. If the deceased left a valid Last Will and Testament, the named executor petitions the District Court for a Grant of Probate; if the deceased died intestate (without a will), the surviving spouse or next of kin petitions for Letters of Administration [1].
   • Bank nominations and small estate exemptions: Under Sri Lankan banking and provident fund statutes, valid statutory nominations registered on EPF/ETF accounts, life insurance policies, or designated commercial bank accounts allow funds to be released directly to the named nominee upon verification of identity and the Death Certificate, though nominees may hold proceeds subject to underlying succession law if disputed [3] [4].
   • Tax clearance and cross-border coordination: Sri Lanka does not currently levy a separate statutory inheritance or estate duty on transfers at death, though any outstanding personal income tax up to the date of death must be settled by the legal representative, and stamp duty or notarial transfer fees apply when registering immovable property deeds at the Land Registry [2] [3]. If an heir lives outside Sri Lanka, powers of attorney or testamentary affidavits executed abroad must be signed before a Sri Lankan diplomatic mission or notarized and authenticated for acceptance by Sri Lankan courts and land registries [1] [2].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Civil Registration - Death Registration Procedures and Statutory Deadlines — Registrar General's Department, Sri Lanka
2. [2]
   Civil Registration - Death Declarations and Certificate Application Downloads (Form CR02 & B63a) — Registrar General's Department, Sri Lanka
3. [3]
   Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) - Member Services and Death Benefit Claims — Central Bank of Sri Lanka
4. [4]
   Member Benefits and Death Benefit Welfare Scheme FAQs — Employees' Trust Fund Board (ETFB), Sri Lanka
5. [5]
   National Health Services and Clinical Care Institutional Network — Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka