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

1. 1

   Medical Certification of Death and Issuance of the Medical Certificate

   • Death occurring in a hospital or healthcare facility: When the deceased person passes away in a University Hospital Center (such as CHU Sylvanus Olympio or CHU Campus in Lomé), a Regional Hospital Center, or an approved private clinic under the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene of Togo, the attending or on-duty physician immediately performs the clinical examination and issues the medical death certificate (certificat médical de constatation de décès) [5]. This official document is required to register the death with the civil registry and admit the body to the hospital mortuary [5].
   • Death occurring at home: If the death takes place at the family residence, relatives must request an examination by an attending physician or a practitioner from the municipal health center so that the doctor can verify the death and issue the medical certificate confirming a natural cause [5]. In rural localities without immediate access to a physician, a sworn health officer or local traditional authority assists in issuing the preliminary attestation required by the civil registry [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 notified immediately [5]. Upon requisition by the Public Prosecutor at the High Court (Tribunal de Grande Instance), an investigation and forensic examination are conducted, and the burial permit requires prior judicial authorization from the prosecutor's office [5].
2. 2

   Civil Death Registration and Official Death Certificates

   • Competent authority and statutory deadline: Under the Togolese Persons and Family Code, any death occurring within the Togolese Republic must be declared to the civil registrar (officier de l'état civil) of the municipality, town hall, or civil registration center of the place of death within a statutory deadline of fifteen clear days from the date of death [1] [3].
   • Required supporting documents: The declaration is made by the surviving spouse, an ascendant, a descendant, or a close relative presenting the medical death certificate, the national identity card or passport of the deceased person, their birth certificate or family record book (livret de famille), and the declarant's identity document [1] [3].
   • Late declaration and official copies: Where a death is not declared within the fifteen-day statutory period, the civil registrar cannot record it in the registers without a court order authorizing late registration (jugement supplétif d'acte de décès) issued by the competent civil court of the place of death [1] [3]. Upon registration, we advise obtaining several full copies and extracts of the death certificate, which are required by pension institutions and for estate settlement [1] [4].
3. 3

   Funeral Arrangements, Burial Permits, and International Repatriation

   • Burial permit and municipal sanitary rules: No burial or release of remains from a hospital mortuary in Togo may take place without a burial permit (permis d'inhumer) issued by the civil registrar of the municipality of death upon presentation of the medical certificate and death certificate [5]. Municipal hygiene departments and the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene of Togo regulate the sanitary conditions for preservation and burial [5].
   • Transport of remains between prefectures or municipalities in Togo: If burial is planned in a prefecture or village different from the municipality where the death occurred, an administrative authorization to transport mortal remains (domestic mortuary laissez-passer) must be obtained from the town hall or prefecture, accompanied by a medical certificate of non-contagion [5].
   • International repatriation and consular formalities: When the deceased person resided abroad or when remains must be transported across Togolese borders, international repatriation requires a hermetically sealed coffin with a purifying filter, a certificate of non-epidemic issued by the health authorities, an official coffining report drawn up in the presence of police authorities, a mortuary laissez-passer, and consular legalization of the death certificate by the relevant embassy or consulate [5].
4. 4

   Social Security, Pension Funds, Banks, and Insurance Notifications

   • Private-sector employees and retirees (CNSS): If the deceased person was covered under the general scheme for salaried workers, survivors must file a survivor benefits claim with the National Social Security Fund of Togo (CNSS) (and may track procedures via the e-Services Portal of the National Social Security Fund of Togo) [1] [3] [6]. A surviving spouse (married at the civil registry at least one year before death, unless a child was born of the marriage) is entitled to a survivor's pension equal to 50% of the insured person's pension, while dependent orphans receive 25% (half-orphan) or 40% (full orphan), up to a combined ceiling of 100% [1] [3]. If the insured person had not completed the 180-month insurance qualifying period, a lump-sum survivor's grant (allocation de survivant) is paid [1] [3].
   • Civil servants and public-sector employees (CRT): When the deceased person was a civil servant, military member, or permanent state employee, applications for a survivor's pension for widows, widowers, and orphans as well as the death grant must be submitted to the Pension Fund of Togo (CRT) [3] [4].
   • Health insurance, banks, and private insurers: Survivors should notify the Universal Health Insurance (AMU) administrator (CNSS for the private sector and INAM for public servants) to update health coverage entitlements for surviving dependents [2] [3] [5]. Simultaneously, notifying commercial banks and life insurance companies in Togo freezes individual accounts held by the deceased and initiates payment of contractual death benefits to designated beneficiaries [1] [3].
5. 5

   Estate Opening and Succession Settlement in Togo

   • Certificate of heirship and court judgment of heirship: Under the Togolese Persons and Family Code, official identification of legal heirs is established through a certificate of heirship (certificat d'hérédité) or a judgment of heirship approved by the Court of First Instance of the place where the estate opens (the deceased person's last domicile), accompanied by a certificate of non-appeal [1] [4]. This judicial title is required by banks, the National Social Security Fund of Togo (CNSS), and the Pension Fund of Togo (CRT) [1] [4].
   • Succession regime and role of the notary: In Togo, estates are governed by the written provisions of the Persons and Family Code where the deceased had opted for statutory law or under judicial and notarial supervision protecting the rights of the surviving spouse and children without gender discrimination [1] [3]. Engaging a Togolese notary is mandatory whenever the estate includes registered real property (titres fonciers) or a will [1].
   • Inheritance tax declaration and international coordination: Heirs must file an estate tax declaration with the Togolese Revenue Authority (Office Togolais des Recettes - OTR, Tax Directorate) within six months when the death occurred in Togo (or within one year if the death occurred outside Togo) [1]. Where heirs reside abroad or assets are located in another country, a legalized or apostilled power of attorney allows representation before the Togolese notary and courts [1] [3].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Pension Benefits (Old-Age, Invalidity, and Survivors) in Togo — Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale du Togo (CNSS)
2. [2]
   Insured Members Portal - Universal Health Insurance (AMU) in Togo — Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale du Togo (CNSS)
3. [3]
   The Togolese Social Security System (Sickness, Invalidity, Old-Age, and Survivors) — Centre des Liaisons Européennes et Internationales de Sécurité Sociale (CLEISS)
4. [4]
   Official Portal of the Pension Fund of Togo (CRT) — Caisse de Retraites du Togo
5. [5]
   Health Insurance and Healthcare Coverage Portal in Togo — Ministère de la Santé et de l'Hygiène Publique du Togo
6. [6]
   Online Services Portal of the CNSS of Togo — Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale du Togo (CNSS)