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

1. 1

   Medical Verification of Death and Issuance of the Death Certificate (Burial Permit)

   Before the deceased person can be transported or buried, an official Death Certificate (Ölüm Belgesi, which also serves as the Burial Permit / Gömme İzin Belgesi or Defin Ruhsatı) must be issued electronically through the Ministry of Health Death Notification System (Sağlık Bakanlığı Ölüm Bildirim Sistemi - ÖBS) [1]:

   • Death in a hospital or care facility: If the death occurred in a healthcare facility, the attending physician verifies the death and issues and approves the Ölüm Belgesi electronically via the ÖBS system [1].
   • Natural death at home, in a hotel, or in a public place: If the death occurred outside a healthcare facility, call the 112 Emergency Call Center (112 Acil Çağrı Merkezi) or the ALO 188 Funeral Services Line (ALO 188 Cenaze Hizmetleri) to request a municipal physician (belediye tabibi) or a community/family health center physician (toplum sağlığı merkezi / aile sağlığı merkezi hekimi). After examining the body on site and confirming that death resulted from natural causes, the physician records the Ölüm Belgesi in the ÖBS system [1].
   • Suspicious, accidental, or forensic death: If the death appears unnatural or suspicious, notify the Police (Polis - 155) or Gendarmerie (Jandarma - 156) through the 112 Emergency Call Center. The body must not be moved; the burial permit is issued by the judicial authorities after the Public Prosecutor's Office (Cumhuriyet Savcılığı) and the Council of Forensic Medicine (Adli Tıp Kurumu) complete the forensic examination or autopsy [1].
2. 2

   Checking Funeral Funds and Appointing Municipal or Authorized Funeral Services

   Once the Ölüm Belgesi has been issued, check whether the deceased person belonged to a funeral mutual aid foundation (such as Diyanet funeral funds or cross-border funeral assistance funds) or held private funeral insurance, and confirm any burial wishes [1][7]:

   • Municipal funeral services (ALO 188): Across Turkey, municipal funeral departments (belediye cenaze hizmetleri, reachable 24/7 via ALO 188) provide mortuary transport, washing, shrouding or coffining, grave plot allocation, and local city transport free of charge upon presentation of the Ölüm Belgesi [1].
   • Intercity or international repatriation: If the burial will take place in another province or country, a Road Transit Permit (Yol İzin Belgesi) must be obtained from the relevant municipal physician or community health center. For international repatriation, an authorized international funeral transport provider must be appointed to handle embalming (tahnit), hermetically sealed coffining, and consular formalities in accordance with the procedures of T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey) [7]. Clarvia provides these details for orientation only and does not endorse or rank commercial providers.
3. 3

   Civil Death Registration and Multilingual Death Certificate (Formula C)

   Official registration of deaths in Turkey's central civil registry system (MERNİS) is carried out by the central civil registration authority, Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü (Directorate General of Civil Registration and Citizenship Affairs), and its local District Civil Registry Offices (İlçe Nüfus Müdürlükleri) [1]:

   • 10-day statutory notification deadline: Death certificates issued electronically via ÖBS by healthcare institutions or municipal physicians are transmitted electronically to the relevant District Civil Registry Office (İlçe Nüfus Müdürlüğü) within 10 days of the event, and the civil registry record is closed automatically [1]. The deceased person's Turkish Republic identity card (T.C. kimlik kartı) is surrendered to the civil registry office [1].
   • Death Registration Extract and Formula C: Official Civil Registry Extracts (Nüfus Kayıt Örneği) and Death Registration Extracts (Ölüm Kayıt Örneği) needed for inheritance, insurance, and banking matters can be obtained from District Civil Registry Offices or online via the official government portal, e-Devlet Kapısı [1][3]. If documents are needed for foreign authorities, banks, or pension institutions abroad, request a Multilingual Extract of the Death Record (Çok Dilli Ölüm Belgesi - Formül C) from the District Civil Registry Office, which is valid without an apostille in signatory states under the 1976 Vienna Convention [1][7]. For consular questions involving foreign jurisdictions, guidance is available from the Consular Call Center of T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı (+90 312 292 29 29) [7].
4. 4

   Claiming the SGK Funeral Grant and Survivor Pensions (Widow and Orphan Pensions)

   After the death has been recorded in the civil registry, applications for social security death benefits should be submitted to the national social security authority, Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu (Social Security Institution - SGK) [2][3]:

   • Funeral grant (Cenaze ödeneği): Provided the deceased insured person had at least 360 days of reported disability, old-age, and survivors insurance contributions or was receiving a retirement pension, a one-off funeral grant is paid in order of priority to the surviving spouse, children, parents, or siblings [2]. Applications can be submitted after consulting the ALO 170 helpline either at Provincial/Local Social Security Directorates (Sosyal Güvenlik İl/Merkez Müdürlükleri) or directly online via e-Devlet Kapısı under the application screen Gelir, Aylık, Ödenek Talep Belgesinin Verilmesi (Submission of Income, Pension, and Allowance Claim Form); the right to claim is subject to a 5-year limitation period from the date of death [2][3].
   • Survivor pension (Ölüm aylığı / dul ve yetim aylığı): Where the deceased person met the required contribution conditions, the surviving spouse, children, and under certain conditions parents can apply for a survivor pension online through e-Devlet Kapısı or by written petition to Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu offices [2][3].
5. 5

   Certificate of Inheritance (Probate), Inheritance Tax Filing, and Bank Procedures

   To manage or transfer the deceased person's bank accounts, real estate (tapu), vehicles, and other estate assets, the statutory succession and tax steps must be completed [4][5][6]:

   • Certificate of Inheritance (Mirasçılık Belgesi / Veraset İlamı): Where there is no discrepancy in the civil registry records, the official Mirasçılık Belgesi (Veraset İlamı) identifying the legal heirs and their respective shares can be obtained from any notary public under Türkiye Noterler Birliği (Union of Turkish Bar Notaries) or queried via e-Devlet Kapısı [4][5]. If there is a will (vasiyetname), if any heir holds foreign citizenship, or if parentage is disputed, the petition must be filed with the Civil Court of Peace (Sulh Hukuk Mahkemesi) [5]. If renunciation of inheritance (reddi miras) is being considered, the statutory deadline is 3 months from learning of the death.
   • Inheritance and Transfer Tax Return (Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi Beyannamesi - 4-month deadline): When the death occurred in Turkey and the heirs are in Turkey, the Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi Beyannamesi must be filed within 4 months following the date of death with a local tax office under the central tax authority, Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı (Turkish Revenue Administration), or online via the Interactive/Digital Tax Office (İnteraktif/Dijital Vergi Dairesi) [6].
   • Banks and Land Registry (Tapu) transfers: Using the tax clearance letter (ilişiksizlik / temiz yazısı) issued by the tax office together with the Mirasçılık Belgesi, heirs can release frozen bank funds in proportion to their inheritance shares, collect private insurance payouts, and complete property title transfers at Land Registry Directorates (Tapu Müdürlükleri) [5][6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death Registration and Notification Procedures (Ölüm İşlemleri ve Ölüm Bildirimi) — T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü (NVİ)
2. [2]
   Survivors Insurance, Survivor Pension, and Funeral Grant (Ölüm Sigortası, Ölüm Aylığı ve Cenaze Ödeneği) — Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu (SGK)
3. [3]
   Submission of Income, Pension, and Allowance Claim Form: Survivor Pension and Funeral Grant — e-Devlet Kapısı (turkiye.gov.tr)
4. [4]
   Certificate of Inheritance Inquiry (Veraset İlamı / Mirasçılık Belgesi Sorgulama) — e-Devlet Kapısı (turkiye.gov.tr)
5. [5]
   Procedures for Issuing a Certificate of Inheritance (Mirasçılık Belgesi Verilmesi İşlemleri) — Türkiye Noterler Birliği (TNB)
6. [6]
   Inheritance and Transfer Tax (Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi) — Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı (GİB)
7. [7]
   Funeral Repatriation Procedures (Cenaze Nakil İşlemleri) — T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı