What to Do When a Citizen of United States Dies in United Arab Emirates: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain the Medical Notification of Death and Police Forensic Clearance in the UAE

   Every death in the UAE must first be medically certified and cleared by local police before any civil Death Certificate, burial/cremation permit, or repatriation permit can be issued [1][3][4]:

   • Death in a UAE hospital or healthcare facility: The attending physician verifies the death, issues the official electronic Medical Notification of Death (death declaration), and arranges the transfer of the deceased to a government-approved hospital or municipal mortuary [3][4]. Provide the deceased's original U.S. passport and UAE Emirates ID (if resident) [1][3].
   • Death at home, in a hotel, at a workplace, or in a public place: Call the Police immediately on 999 and the National Ambulance on 998, and do not move the deceased [3]. Police and forensic medical examiners (such as Dubai Police Forensic Medicine or Abu Dhabi Police Forensic Evidence) attend the scene and transfer the deceased to the government forensic morgue to establish the cause of death [1][3].
   • Police No-Objection Certificate (NOC) and Public Prosecution clearance: Whether the death occurred in a hospital or outside, the next of kin, employer/sponsor, or authorized representative submits the Medical Notification of Death and original passports through the local police smart app or service center (Dubai Police, Abu Dhabi Police, or the Ministry of Interior in the Northern Emirates) [3][6]. Once any forensic examination or Public Prosecution investigation is cleared, the police issue the official Police NOC authorizing local burial, cremation, or international repatriation [1][3][6].
2. 2

   Check Insurance/Employer Coverage, Appoint UAE and U.S. Funeral Providers, and Contact the U.S. Mission

   Before paying independent shipping or mortuary fees, check all applicable insurance and statutory employer obligations [1][3]:

   • Travel insurance and UAE employer obligations: Check whether your family member held travel medical or repatriation insurance [1]. If your family member was employed in the UAE, notify their employer or visa sponsor immediately; under UAE Labour Law, the employer is legally responsible for covering the costs of preparing and repatriating a deceased employee's remains to their home country (or place of recruitment) upon the family's request [3]. Note that the U.S. government cannot pay for funeral, cremation, or repatriation expenses [1][9].
   • Appointing a UAE mortuary/repatriation coordinator and U.S. receiving funeral home: In the UAE, an emirate-licensed mortuary and repatriation cargo agent coordinates with the municipal mortuary and public health embalming unit (such as Dubai Municipality, the preventative medicine unit of the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DOH), or Emirates Health Services (EHS) / Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP)) [1][3][5][6]. For casketed repatriation to the United States, the UAE agent coordinates with a licensed receiving funeral home in the destination U.S. state, which you can locate through the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA, phone +1 262-789-1880 or toll-free 800-228-6332) [7]. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC, phone +1 877-382-4357) enforces the federal Funeral Rule, guaranteeing your right to an itemized General Price List (GPL) and to purchase only the goods and services you choose [8]. Clarvia provides official directories and consular lists for orientation only and does not endorse, recommend, or rank specific providers.
   • Reporting to the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi or U.S. Consulate General in Dubai: Report the death immediately to the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the UAE: for deaths in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, contact the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi (phone +971 2 414 2200; email [email protected] with subject code E22); for deaths in Dubai, Sharjah, or the Northern Emirates, contact the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai (phone +971 4 309 4000; email [email protected] with subject code E11) [1][2]. If the legal next of kin is in the United States, they can execute a notarized Letter of Authorization / Next-of-Kin Affidavit naming a local representative or funeral coordinator in the UAE to complete all formalities [1][2].
3. 3

   Register the Death in the UAE, Cancel UAE Residency, and Obtain the U.S. CRDA (Form DS-2060)

   With the hospital's Medical Notification of Death and the Police NOC, register the death with the competent health authority in the emirate of death to obtain the official bilingual (Arabic and English) UAE Death Certificate [3][4][5][6]:

   • Emirate health authority registration:
     • Abu Dhabi and Al Ain: Apply digitally through the Abu Dhabi Government Services Portal (TAMM) under the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DOH) [4][5].
     • Dubai: Apply through the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) or Dubai's integrated bereavement service channels [2][3].
     • Sharjah and the Northern Emirates: Apply through Emirates Health Services (EHS) / Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) preventative medicine centers [3][6].
   • ICP residency visa/Emirates ID cancellation and MoFA UAE attestation: If the deceased held a UAE residency visa and Emirates ID, present the original passport and Emirates ID to the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP, or GDRFA in Dubai) to cancel the residency visa and obtain the visa cancellation confirmation required for exit clearance [2][3][4]. Have the official UAE Death Certificate attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA UAE) (available digitally via TAMM/MoFA channels) [3][4][5].
   • Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA, Form DS-2060): Present the attested bilingual UAE Death Certificate, the Medical Notification of Death showing cause of death, and the deceased's U.S. passport to the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the UAE (under the U.S. Department of State, phone +1 888-407-4747 in the U.S. or +1 202-501-4444 from abroad) [1][9]. The consular officer cancels the U.S. passport, issues a Consular No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for local authorities, and issues the electronic Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA / CRODA, Form DS-2060), which serves across all U.S. states as official English-language proof of death equivalent to a state or county Vital Records / Office of Vital Statistics certificate [1][9].
4. 4

   Choose Between International Repatriation to the United States and Local Burial or Cremation in the UAE

   Depending on your family member's wishes, you may arrange international shipment to the United States or local burial or cremation in the UAE [1][2][3][10]:

   • Repatriating casketed human remains to the United States: Your UAE mortuary coordinator obtains the official public health Embalming Certificate and Certificate of Non-Contagious Disease from the municipal/health authority mortuary unit, the Police NOC for export of human remains, MoFA UAE attestation, and the Consular Mortuary Certificate & NOC from the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the UAE, and seals the body in a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin for air cargo transport [1][2][3]. Under the federal rules of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 42 CFR 71.55, phone +1 800-232-4636), embalmed human remains in a hermetically sealed casket accompanied by the official death certificate stating the cause of death do not require a separate CDC import permit unless the person died of a quarantinable communicable disease [10]. At the U.S. arrival airport, the receiving U.S. funeral home clears the shipment through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and obtains the state burial-transit permit [7][10].
   • Local burial or cremation in the UAE and transporting ashes: Local Muslim and non-Muslim burials and non-Muslim cremations take place at municipality-designated cemeteries and crematoria in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and other emirates upon issuance of the Police NOC, Embassy NOC, and municipal permit [1][2][3]. If you transport cremated ashes to the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not require a CDC import permit for cremated remains; carry the ashes in a sealed, non-metallic X-ray-scannable urn accompanied by the UAE Death Certificate, the Certificate of Cremation, Police/Health clearance, and the CRDA [1][2][10].
5. 5

   Complete Benefit Claims, Tax Filings, and Estate Probate in the United States and the UAE

   Once the UAE Death Certificate and the U.S. CRDA (Form DS-2060) are issued, complete the financial, benefit, and estate procedures in both countries:

   • In the United States (SSA, VA, IRS, and State Probate Court):
     • Social Security Administration (SSA): Report the death immediately so monthly payments stop (any benefit paid for the month of death or later must be returned) and to apply for monthly survivor pensions or the $255 lump-sum death payment for eligible family members by calling the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (or through the regional Federal Benefits Unit serving the UAE via the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the UAE) [1][11].
     • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): If your family member served in the U.S. Armed Forces, contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (phone +1 800-827-1000) regarding national cemetery interment, government headstones, burial allowances (VA Form 21P-530EZ), or Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) [12].
     • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and State Probate Court: The court-appointed executor or administrator files the deceased's final federal income tax return (Form 1040) with the Internal Revenue Service (phone +1 800-829-1040) by the applicable filing deadline (plus Form 1041 if the estate earns $600 or more in gross annual income) [13], and petitions the county Probate Court (or Surrogate's Court) in the U.S. state of domicile for Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
   • In the United Arab Emirates (MOHRE / Free-Zone Gratuity, Bank Freeze Clearance, and UAE Estate Courts):
     • End-of-service gratuity and workplace insurance: If the deceased was employed in the UAE private sector or a free zone, notify the employer and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) (or the relevant free-zone authority such as DIFC or ADGM) [3]. Under UAE Labour Law, the employer must settle unpaid wages, accrued leave, and statutory end-of-service gratuity within 10 days of death (paid to the employee's designated family beneficiary or into the court treasury), alongside any employer group life or workplace accident insurance [3].
     • Bank account freeze clearance and UAE Wills / Personal Status Courts: UAE banks freeze individual and joint accounts upon learning of an account holder's death until a UAE court order is presented [3][14][15]. If the deceased registered a non-Muslim will with the DIFC Courts Wills Service or the Non-Muslim Wills Registry at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), the named executor applies directly to that court for a Grant of Probate [14][15]. If no local will was registered, legal heirs apply to the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court (under the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD)) or the Personal Status & Non-Muslim Estate Court at Dubai Courts for a Succession / Legal Heirs Certificate (Hasr Irth) and estate distribution order (under Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 on Civil Personal Status for non-Muslims, or by petitioning to apply the law/probate grant of the deceased's U.S. nationality) [3][14][15].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death of a U.S. Citizen in the United Arab Emirates (CRODA and Consular Assistance) — U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the United Arab Emirates
2. [2]
   Disposition of Remains Report: United Arab Emirates — U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the United Arab Emirates
3. [3]
   Handling Death in the UAE (Medical Notification, Police NOC, Repatriation, and Gratuity) — UAE Government Portal (u.ae)
4. [4]
   Request to Issue a Death Certificate — Abu Dhabi Government Services Portal (TAMM)
5. [5]
   Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DOH) and MoFA Death Certificate Services on TAMM — Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DOH)
6. [6]
   Issue of a Death Certificate — Emirates Health Services (EHS)
7. [7]
   National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Directory — National Funeral Directors Association
8. [8]
   The FTC Funeral Rule — Federal Trade Commission
9. [9]
   Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA Form DS-2060) — U.S. Department of State
10. [10]
    Bringing Human Remains into the United States (42 CFR 71.55) — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
11. [11]
    Social Security Survivor Benefits and Reporting a Death — Social Security Administration
12. [12]
    VA Burials and Memorials — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
13. [13]
    Filing a Final Federal Tax Return (Form 1040) for Someone Who Has Died — Internal Revenue Service
14. [14]
    Wills and Probate Registry — DIFC Courts
15. [15]
    Abu Dhabi Judicial Department - Civil Family Court and Inheritance Services — Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD)