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

1. 1

   Obtaining the Medical Certificate of Death

   • Death in a hospital or at home under medical care: When a death occurs in a hospital, mutual health clinic, or at home under clinical supervision within the National Integrated Health System, the attending physician verifies the death and issues the electronic medical death certificate in accordance with the protocols set by the Ministry of Public Health (Ministerio de Salud Pública) [3]. This electronic record feeds into the national registry system that notifies state agencies of the death [1] [3].
   • Death without medical attendance, sudden death, or violent cause: If the deceased person died in a public place, at home without recent medical supervision, or under accidental or suspicious circumstances, a private physician must not issue the certificate immediately [3]. You must notify the local police precinct and the Public Prosecutor's Office immediately so that a forensic examiner from the Technical Forensic Institute under the Judiciary of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (Poder Judicial de la República Oriental del Uruguay) can perform the medico-legal examination or autopsy and subsequently authorize the certificate [3] [6].
   • Documentation required by the physician or health facility: The family must present the Uruguayan identity card or valid passport of the deceased person, along with relevant medical records if the death took place outside a hospital facility [1] [3].
2. 2

   Registering the Death with the Civil Registry and Obtaining Certificates

   • Statutory registration deadlines: In Uruguay, formal registration of the death before the General Directorate of the Civil Status Registry (Dirección General de Registro de Estado Civil) must be completed within 10 working days following the death when it occurs in an urban area, or within 20 working days when it occurs in a rural area [1]. If these statutory deadlines are exceeded, a special late death registration procedure must be initiated [1].
   • Competent office and requirements: In Montevideo, the procedure is handled at the offices of the General Directorate of the Civil Status Registry (Dirección General de Registro de Estado Civil), whereas in the interior departments of the country it is completed before the civil registry offices of the respective departmental governments or municipalities [1]. You must submit the medical certificate of death, the identity card and civic credential of the deceased person, the declarant's identity document, and the appearance of two witnesses aged 18 or older holding valid identification [1].
   • Issuance of official death certificates: Once the registration entry is recorded, it is advisable to request several certified copies of the death certificate (partida de defunción) through the official state procedures portal [2]. These certificates are essential for claiming survivor pensions, insurance policies, bank account closures, and succession proceedings in Uruguay or abroad [2].
3. 3

   Funeral Arrangements, Burial or Cremation Permits, and International Repatriation

   • Engaging a licensed funeral home and municipal permits: The family or an authorized funeral service provider obtains the municipal burial or cremation permit from the relevant departmental government by submitting the medical certificate of death and civil registry registration [1] [3]. For cremation, the cause of death must be clearly established on the medical certificate, no judicial investigation may be pending, and there must be either prior written authorization left by the deceased or signed consent from the next of kin in the statutory order [3].
   • Mutual health coverage, cooperatives, or funeral subsidies: Before paying private funeral expenses out of pocket, you should verify immediately whether your family member had prepaid funeral coverage through their healthcare provider, mutual association, cooperative, or private insurance policy [4].
   • International repatriation of remains or ashes and Hague Apostille: If mortal remains or cremated ashes must be repatriated to another country, or if Uruguayan civil certificates must produce legal effect before foreign authorities, you will need a sanitary transit authorization from the Ministry of Public Health (Ministerio de Salud Pública), preparation in a regulation hermetically sealed coffin or sealed urn, and the Hague Apostille affixed to the death certificate issued by the General Directorate of the Civil Status Registry (Dirección General de Registro de Estado Civil) [1] [2] [3].
4. 4

   Notifying the Social Security Bank, Pension Funds, Banks, and Insurers

   • Funeral expense subsidy and supplementary funeral costs: The Social Security Bank (Banco de Previsión Social) receives electronic notification of deaths recorded by the health system, but family members or the person who paid for the funeral must file an application for the funeral expense subsidy (subsidio por expensas funerarias) or reimbursement of supplementary funeral costs within the statutory 180-day deadline from the date of death, attaching official funeral invoices [4].
   • Survivor pensions and accrued estate benefits: A surviving spouse or recognized cohabiting partner, minor children or children up to age 21 pursuing tertiary education, and family members with absolute work incapacity may apply for a survivor pension before the Social Security Bank (Banco de Previsión Social), as well as before parastatal pension funds or the relevant pension savings fund administrator (AFAP) if an individual retirement savings account existed [4] [5]. Any pension or benefit amounts accrued and unpaid up to the date of death are claimed as accrued estate benefits (haberes sucesorios) [5].
   • Banks, financial accounts, and insurance policies: You should notify the Bank of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (BROU), private banks, card issuers, and insurance companies such as the State Insurance Bank (BSE) by providing a certified copy of the death certificate to stop automatic debits, check credit life insurance coverage on outstanding loans, and claim designated life insurance policies [2] [5].
5. 5

   Estate Administration, Declaration of Heirs, and Applicable Taxes

   • Judicial opening of succession proceedings: In Uruguay, the formal transfer of an estate, whether under a will or in intestate succession, is conducted through a judicial probate proceeding (proceso sucesorio) before the Family Courts of First Instance in Montevideo or the Departmental Courts of First Instance in the interior under the Judiciary of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (Poder Judicial de la República Oriental del Uruguay), with the mandatory legal representation of a lawyer or public notary (escribano público) [6].
   • Probate stages and Certificate of Probate Findings: The judicial process includes searching the National Registry of Personal Acts to verify whether any wills or matrimonial property agreements exist, publishing official notices summoning interested parties and creditors, filing the sworn inventory of estate assets, and obtaining the judicial declaration of heirs [2] [6]. Upon completion, the court issues the Certificate of Probate Findings (Certificado de Resultancias de Autos), which the notary registers in the public property registries to update ownership of real estate, vehicles, and other assets [6].
   • Succession taxation and coordination with foreign heirs: Uruguay does not levy a general inheritance tax as such, but the transfer of real estate and certain registrable rights upon death is subject to the Property Transfer Tax (Impuesto a las Trasmisiones Patrimoniales), in addition to applicable court and registry fees [6]. If heirs reside abroad, they may participate in the Uruguayan succession through a special power of attorney granted before a Uruguayan consulate or before a foreign notary duly apostilled and recorded in a Uruguayan notarial protocol [2] [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death Registration - Official State Procedures — Dirección General de Registro de Estado Civil (gub.uy)
2. [2]
   Application for Certified Death Records — Dirección General de Registro de Estado Civil (gub.uy)
3. [3]
   Health Regulations and Patient Rights — Ministerio de Salud Pública (gub.uy)
4. [4]
   Funeral Expense Subsidy and Supplementary Costs — Banco de Previsión Social (BPS)
5. [5]
   Accrued Estate Benefits and Survivor Entitlements — Banco de Previsión Social (BPS)
6. [6]
   Institutional Portal and Family Courts Competence — Poder Judicial de la República Oriental del Uruguay