What to Do When a Citizen of Netherlands Dies in Turkey: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Medical Certification of Death and Forensic Clearance in Turkey

   Before official civil registration, burial, or international repatriation can begin, an authorized physician in Turkey must issue a Death Certificate (Ölüm Belgesi) and enter it into the national electronic system [1][2].

   • Death in a hospital or healthcare facility: When a death occurs in a public or private hospital, the attending physician issues and approves the electronic Death Certificate (Ölüm Belgesi) through the Death Notification System (Ölüm Bildirim Sistemi - ÖBS) of the Ministry of Health (Sağlık Bakanlığı) [1][2].
   • Death at home, in a hotel, or in a public place: If the death occurs outside a medical facility, the 112 Emergency Call Center (112 Acil Çağrı Merkezi) must be called immediately. In cases of natural death, the municipal physician (belediye tabibi), community health center (toplum sağlığı merkezi - TSM) doctor, or family physician conducts an on-site examination and issues the Ölüm Belgesi via the ÖBS system [1][2].
   • Forensic and suspicious cases: If the death is sudden, accidental, or suspicious, the Police (155 / 112) or Gendarmerie (Jandarma, 156 / 112) and the duty Public Prosecutor's Office (Cumhuriyet Savcılığı) intervene. Washing of the body, embalming (tahnit), burial, or international repatriation cannot take place until the public prosecutor completes any required autopsy (through the Forensic Medicine Institute, Adli Tıp Kurumu) and issues a forensic burial/transit permit [1][2].
2. 2

   Insurance Check, Selecting Licensed Funeral Providers, and Dutch Consular Support

   Before signing a private funeral or repatriation contract, check whether the deceased held travel insurance (reisverzekering), funeral insurance (uitvaartverzekering), or membership in a mutual funeral assistance fund operating in Turkey and the Netherlands (such as the funeral fund of the Hollanda Diyanet Vakfı or a similar mutual association) [3]. If insurance or fund coverage applies, the assistance center directly appoints the funeral providers in both Turkey and the Netherlands [3].

   • Coordinating funeral providers in Turkey and the Netherlands: In Turkey, you may work with municipal funeral services (ALO 188, such as the cemetery directorates of the Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, or Antalya Metropolitan Municipalities) or a funeral company licensed for international mortuary transport. If the body is to be repatriated to the Netherlands, the Turkish provider coordinates with a certified receiving funeral director in the Netherlands (gecertificeerde uitvaartondernemer, a member of the Dutch trade association Branchevereniging Gecertificeerde Nederlandse Uitvaartondernemingen - BGNU that can be verified through the official quality register Keurmerk Uitvaartzorg) [5]. Under the Dutch Burial and Cremation Act (Wet op de lijkbezorging), burial or cremation in the Netherlands must normally take place no earlier than 36 hours after death and no later than the 6th working day (for repatriations from abroad, the competent municipality grants an adapted timeframe).
   • Dutch consular notification and support: Through NederlandWereldwijd (the official consular information portal of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reachable 24/7 at +31 247 247 247), the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ankara, or the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Istanbul, you can report the death, arrange cancellation of the deceased's Dutch passport or identity card, and receive guidance on local procedures [3][4].
3. 3

   Civil Death Registration in Turkey and Document Recognition in the Netherlands

   The Death Certificate issued via the Ministry of Health's ÖBS system is transmitted electronically to the records of the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Citizenship Affairs, Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü (NVİ / District Civil Registry Office, İlçe Nüfus Müdürlüğü, within the Ministry of the Interior; certificates issued outside the electronic system must be reported to the civil registry within 10 days) [1][2].

   • Multilingual Death Certificate (CIEC Form C): Because both Turkey and the Netherlands are parties to the 1976 Vienna Convention (CIEC), request an internationally valid Multilingual Extract of the Death Record (Çok Dilli Ölüm Kayıt Örneği - Formül C / Meertalig uittreksel uit de overlijdensakte Model C) from any District Civil Registry Office (İlçe Nüfus Müdürlüğü) in Turkey [2][4]. Form C is accepted directly by Dutch authorities without requiring a separate apostille or sworn translation (whereas monolingual Turkish documents require an apostille from the district governorate/provincial governorate, kaymakamlık/valilik, plus a sworn translation) [4]. Information on consular procedures abroad can also be obtained via the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Call Center (+90 312 292 29 29).
   • Dutch population register (BRP) and registration in The Hague: If the deceased resided in the Netherlands, submit the Form C death certificate to the civil registry of their Dutch municipality of residence (Burgerlijke Stand van de gemeente) to update the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen - BRP) [4][6]. To be able to obtain Dutch civil status extracts of the death record in the future, you may also register the foreign death certificate in the Dutch national register through Gemeente Den Haag (Afdeling Landelijke Taken) (the National Tasks Department of the Municipality of The Hague) [6].
4. 4

   Choosing Between Repatriation to the Netherlands and Local Burial in Turkey

   Family members may choose between local burial in Turkey and international repatriation of the body to the Netherlands [3][7].

   • International repatriation of the body from Turkey to the Netherlands: Both Turkey and the Netherlands are parties to the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses [7].
     • For international air or road transport, the appointed funeral company obtains a Road Transit Permit (Yol İzin Belgesi) from the relevant municipality or community health center, an official embalming report (tahnit raporu), and a certificate confirming the absence of contagious disease, and places the body in a soldered, hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin (lehimli çinko tabut / zinken binnenkist) [3][7].
     • At the departure airport or border crossing, the Directorate General of Health for Borders and Coasts (Türkiye Hudut ve Sahiller Sağlık Genel Müdürlüğü - THSSGM) of the Turkish Ministry of Health issues the international Mortuary Laissez-Passer (Cenaze Geçiş Belgesi / Laissez-passer voor lijken) [7].
     • Upon arrival in the Netherlands, the receiving funeral director presents this Laissez-Passer and the death certificates to the mayor (burgemeester) of the destination municipality to obtain the permit for burial or cremation (verlof tot begraven of cremeren) [7].
   • Local burial in Turkey: If the family prefers burial in Turkey, local interment is carried out through the municipal cemetery directorate (ALO 188) using the Burial Permit (Gömme İzin Belgesi) issued via the ÖBS system (as there are no operating crematoria in Turkey, local funerals are conducted by burial) [1][2][3].
5. 5

   Social Security, Pensions, Taxes, and Probate in the Netherlands and Turkey

   Once the death is registered, survivor benefit, tax, and estate procedures are completed with the social security agencies, tax authorities, and notarial or court bodies in both countries.

   • Social security, tax, and probate procedures in the Netherlands:
     • AOW and Anw notifications (SVB): If the deceased lived in the Netherlands, the municipal BRP update notifies public agencies automatically; however, if the deceased lived in Turkey or if registration is delayed, you must report the death within 4 weeks to the Dutch social insurance bank, Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) [8]. An eligible surviving partner or minor children can claim a one-off death grant (overlijdensuitkering, equal to 1 month of gross AOW pension) and, if statutory conditions are met, a survivor's benefit (Anw nabestaandenuitkering) from the SVB [8][9].
     • Dutch certificate of inheritance and accepting/renouncing the estate: You can check whether the deceased left a will registered in the Netherlands via the Central Register of Wills (Centraal Testamentenregister - CTR) and request a certificate of inheritance (verklaring van erfrecht) from a Dutch civil-law notary (Koninklijke Notariële Beroepsorganisatie - KNB / Notaris.nl) to access bank accounts and administer assets [12]. To protect their personal assets from potential estate debts, heirs can file a declaration of acceptance under benefit of inventory (beneficiair aanvaarden) or full renunciation (verwerpen) with the Dutch judiciary via de Rechtspraak (at the competent district court, rechtbank) [11][12].
     • Dutch tax returns: With the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration, Belastingdienst (Bereavement Tax Helpline, BelastingTelefoon voor nabestaanden: 0800 - 235 83 54), the heirs file the final income tax return for the year of death (F-biljet) and the inheritance tax return (aangifte erfbelasting) [10].
   • Social security, certificate of inheritance, and tax procedures in Turkey:
     • SGK funeral grant and survivor's pension: If the deceased had social security coverage or a pension in Turkey, you may apply to the provincial directorates of the Turkish Social Security Institution, Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu (SGK, helpline ALO 170), or via the e-Devlet portal for the funeral grant (cenaze ödeneği, set at 6,398.00 TRY for 2026, subject to a 5-year limitation period) and survivor's pensions (ölüm aylığı / widow's and orphan's pensions; insurance periods in both countries can be aggregated under the Turkey-Netherlands Social Security Convention) [13][14].
     • Turkish Certificate of Inheritance (Mirasçılık Belgesi) and Inheritance Tax: If the deceased held real estate or bank accounts in Turkey, heirs obtain a Certificate of Inheritance (Mirasçılık Belgesi / Veraset İlamı) from a Turkish notary (Türkiye Noterler Birliği) or from the Civil Court of Peace (Sulh Hukuk Mahkemesi, which has exclusive jurisdiction where there is a foreign element or where kinship cannot be verified directly from Turkish civil registry records). Heirs then file the Inheritance and Transfer Tax Return (Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi Beyannamesi) with the Turkish Revenue Administration (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı / Vergi Dairesi or İnteraktif Vergi Dairesi) within 4 months if the death occurred in Turkey and the heirs are in Turkey, or within 6 months if the heirs reside in a foreign country (documented funeral and repatriation expenses are deductible from the taxable estate).

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death Notification System (ÖBS) and Principles for Issuing Death Certificates — T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı
2. [2]
   Death Registration Procedures and Notification Deadlines — T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü (NVİ)
3. [3]
   What to do when a relative dies abroad (Overlijden in het buitenland) — NederlandWereldwijd (Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken)
4. [4]
   Reporting a death abroad and registering foreign certificates (Overlijden in het buitenland melden) — NederlandWereldwijd (Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken)
5. [5]
   Directory of certified funeral companies in the Netherlands (Keurmerk Uitvaartzorg / BGNU) — Stichting Keurmerk Uitvaartzorg
6. [6]
   Gemeente Den Haag - Afdeling Landelijke Taken (Registration of Foreign Civil Status Documents) — Rijksoverheid
7. [7]
   International mortuary transport and Laissez-Passer procedures — Gemeente Den Haag
8. [8]
   Death of an AOW pension recipient and the one-off death grant — Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB)
9. [9]
   Eligibility conditions for the Anw survivor benefit (Voorwaarden nabestaandenuitkering Anw) — Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB)
10. [10]
    Post-death income tax return (F-formulier) and inheritance tax steps — Belastingdienst
11. [11]
    Court procedure for accepting an estate under benefit of inventory (beneficiair aanvaarden) or renouncing (verwerpen) — de Rechtspraak
12. [12]
    Certificate of inheritance (verklaring van erfrecht) and acceptance under benefit of inventory — Koninklijke Notariële Beroepsorganisatie (Notaris.nl)
13. [13]
    Funeral Grant Application Requirements and 2026 Benefit Amount — T.C. Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu (SGK)
14. [14]
    Application for Death Benefit and Widow's / Orphan's Pension — e-Devlet Kapısı / Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu