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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death and Coroner or Medical Examiner Clearance in the United States

   Before a funeral director can register the death or prepare the deceased for repatriation or cremation, an authorized physician or county medico-legal authority must pronounce the death and certify the cause of death [1][2]:

   • Death in a hospital, nursing home, or under hospice care: The attending physician or authorized medical staff pronounces the death, completes the medical cause-of-death certification in the state's Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS), and authorizes release of the body to the family's appointed funeral home [1][2]. If the death occurs at home under registered hospice care, contact the hospice nurse on duty rather than 911 so the hospice team can pronounce the death directly [1].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unattended death outside a hospital: Call 911 immediately and do not disturb the scene [1]. Local police and emergency medical services respond and refer sudden, accidental, unexplained, or unattended deaths to the county Coroner or Medical Examiner (for example, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York City, the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department, or the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner) [1][2]. The Coroner or Medical Examiner investigates the cause and manner of death, performs an autopsy if required by state statute, issues the official medical certification of death, and releases the body to your funeral director [1][2].
2. 2

   Check Insurance, Appoint U.S. and Brazilian Funeral Providers, and Contact the Brazilian Consulate-General

   Before committing to private international shipping contracts, check whether insurance coverage applies and establish coordination between funeral providers in both countries [3][4][5]:

   • Travel or repatriation insurance: Check whether your family member held international travel medical insurance, credit-card travel protection, or a life/funeral policy with international repatriation coverage, and notify the insurer's 24-hour assistance center immediately. Note that under Brazilian law, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) and Brazilian Consulates have no legal or budgetary authority to pay for funeral, cremation, embalming, or repatriation expenses [3][5].
   • Appointing a U.S. funeral home and a receiving provider in Brazil: Appoint a state-licensed U.S. funeral home (searchable through the National Funeral Directors Association directory at +1 262-789-1880 or 800-228-6332) experienced in international air cargo repatriation, coordinated with a municipal funeral service (serviço funerário municipal) or licensed funeral company in the destination Brazilian municipality (represented sectorally in Brazil by the Associação Brasileira de Empresas e Diretores do Setor Funerário - ABREDIF) to receive the coffin at the arrival airport [3][5][6]. Clarvia provides public directory information for orientation only and does not endorse, recommend, or rank specific providers. Under the federal Funeral Rule enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (phone +1 877-382-4357), every U.S. funeral provider must give you a written itemized General Price List (GPL) at the start of discussions, quote prices by telephone on request, and allow you to purchase only the specific goods and services you select [7].
   • Contacting the Consulate-General of Brazil in the United States: Contact the Brazilian diplomatic or consular post with jurisdiction over the U.S. state where the death occurred - such as the Consulates-General of Brazil in Miami (Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Miami), New York (Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Nova York), Atlanta (Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Atlanta), Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Orlando, or San Francisco, or the Consular Section of the Embassy of Brazil in Washington, D.C. [3][4][5]. If immediate family members are in Brazil and cannot travel to the United States, they may execute a notarized Power of Attorney (procuração) or written authorization naming a representative in the United States or the appointed funeral director to sign the consular death declaration and arrange shipment or cremation [4][5].
3. 3

   Register the Death with U.S. Vital Records, Obtain a Hague Apostille, and Complete Brazilian Consular Registration

   The death must be officially recorded in the U.S. state of death and registered for legal validity in Brazil [1][2][4][5]:

   • U.S. state or county Vital Records registration: Your U.S. funeral director files the official death record with the county health department or state Office of Vital Statistics / Vital Records within the statutory state deadline (typically 3 to 5 days after death) [1][2]. Order 5 to 10 certified copies of the official U.S. Death Certificate (explicitly stating the medical cause of death) through the funeral director or via the state Vital Records office listed on USA.gov (+1 844-872-4681) [1][2][4].
   • Hague Apostille and Brazilian Consular Registration of Death (Certidão Consular de Óbito):

   1. U.S. Secretary of State Apostille: Obtain a Hague Apostille on the certified U.S. Death Certificate (and mortuary/cremation certificates) from the Secretary of State of the U.S. state where the death occurred (for example, the Florida Department of State or the New York Department of State) [3][5]. 2. Brazilian Consular Registration via e-consular: Submit an application through the electronic e-consular portal of the competent Brazilian Consulate-General (for example, the Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Nova York or the Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Miami) presenting the Death Registration Form, the original U.S. Death Certificate stating the cause of death, the Cremation Certificate (if applicable), the deceased's Brazilian passport or birth/marriage certificate (plus CPF, voter registration, or INSS number if available), and the declarant's photo ID [4][5]. The declarant (family member or authorized funeral representative) attends the scheduled consular appointment to sign the registry term and receive the Certidão Consular de Óbito [4][5]. 3. Transcription (Traslado) at the 1st Civil Registry Office in Brazil: To produce full legal, banking, pension, and inheritance effects inside Brazil, the Certidão Consular de Óbito (or the apostilled U.S. Death Certificate with a sworn translation into Portuguese by a tradutor público juramentado) must be transcribed (trasladada) at the Cartório do 1.º Ofício de Registro Civil das Pessoas Naturais of the deceased's last domicile in Brazil (or the 1st Office of the Distrito Federal), integrated nationally through the Portal Oficial do Registro Civil (ARPEN Brasil) and regulated by the Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ) [4][10][12]. (Note: the ordinary 24-hour to 15-day direct registration deadline applies when a death occurs domestically inside Brazil [10].)

4. 4

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

   Whether you ship casketed remains to Brazil, carry cremated ashes, or hold a local service in the United States, follow the required U.S. and Brazilian health clearances [3][5][8][9]:

   • Repatriating casketed (embalmed) human remains from the United States to Brazil:

   1. U.S. mortuary, health, and apostille documents: The U.S. funeral home embalms the body, places it in a hermetically sealed metal/zinc-lined casket inside a shipping container (urna zincada lacrada), and obtains: (a) the certified U.S. Death Certificate showing cause of death; (b) the state or county Burial-Transit Permit (livre-trânsito mortuário); (c) a notarized Embalming Certificate (ata de embalsamamento/conservação); and (d) a Non-Contagious Disease Certificate from the local U.S. health department confirming the absence of communicable diseases [3][5][8]. Have the Death Certificate, Embalming Certificate, and Non-Contagious Disease Certificate apostilled by the U.S. state's Secretary of State, and complete the Brazilian consular registration (in conjunction with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention export/import rules under 42 CFR 71.55 at 800-232-4636 and U.S. Customs and Border Protection air cargo clearance) [5][8]. 2. Brazilian airport sanitary clearance (ANVISA): Upon arrival at the international airport in Brazil (such as São Paulo/Guarulhos, Rio de Janeiro/Galeão, Campinas/Viracopos, or Belo Horizonte/Confins), sanitary inspection and release are conducted by the Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA, phone in Brazil 0800 642 9782, governed by the framework of RDC n.º 33/2011 and updated RDC n.º 662/2022) upon presentation of the airway bill, the Brazilian Consular Death Certificate (or apostilled U.S. Death Certificate), the embalming/conservation certificate, the non-contagious disease certificate, and the transit permit to the receiving Brazilian funeral company [5][9].

   • Transporting cremated remains (ashes) from the United States to Brazil: If the family chooses cremation in the United States, obtain the certified U.S. Death Certificate, the official Cremation Certificate (notarized and apostilled by the U.S. state Secretary of State), and the Brazilian Certidão Consular de Óbito [4][5]. Place the ashes in a sealed, waterproof, X-ray-screenable urn accompanied by the certificates for airline security and ANVISA/customs inspection upon arrival in Brazil [5][8][9].
   • Local burial or cremation in the United States: If final burial or cremation takes place in the United States, the U.S. funeral home completes the state burial or cremation permit steps, while the family still registers the death at the Brazilian Consulate-General and transcribes the Certidão Consular de Óbito in Brazil to update the deceased's CPF, civil status, and estate records [1][4][10].
5. 5

   Complete Survivor Benefits, Tax Filings, and Estate Administration in Brazil and the United States

   Once the death is registered in the United States and transcribed at the Brazilian Cartório de 1.º Ofício, complete the pension, tax, and probate steps in both jurisdictions:

   • In Brazil (INSS Pensão por Morte, FGTS/PIS, 2-Month Inventory / ITCMD, and Receita Federal):
     • INSS survivor pension (Pensão por Morte) and FGTS/PIS: If the deceased contributed to or received benefits from Brazil's social security system, eligible dependents (spouse, domestic partner, children under 21 or with a disability, or economically dependent parents/siblings) can apply for Pensão por Morte with the Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS) via the Meu INSS portal (gov.br) or by calling 135 in Brazil (filing within 90 days of death secures payments retroactive to the date of death, or 180 days for minor children under 16) [11]. Under the U.S.-Brazil Social Security Agreement, coverage periods in both countries can be totalized to qualify for survivor benefits [11][13]. Eligible heirs may also claim remaining FGTS or PIS/PASEP balances at Caixa Econômica Federal.
     • Estate inventory (inventário) within 2 months (ITCMD) and Cartório de Notas: Under Article 611 of the Brazilian Code of Civil Procedure, if the deceased left real estate, vehicles, or bank accounts in Brazil, the estate inventory (inventário) must be opened within 2 months (60 days) of the date of death to avoid state tax penalties on the inheritance tax (ITCMD) [10][12]. If all heirs agree and are assisted by a lawyer, an extrajudicial inventory can be completed quickly by public deed at any Notary Office (Cartório de Notas) in Brazil or online via the e-Notariado platform of the Colégio Notarial do Brasil (CNB); otherwise, file a judicial inventory in the Brazilian state court, followed by the final estate tax declaration (Declaração Final de Espólio) with the Receita Federal [12].
   • In the United States (SSA, VA, IRS, and State Probate Court):
     • Social Security Administration (SSA): Report the death immediately to stop monthly payments and apply for U.S. Social Security survivor benefits or the $255 one-time lump-sum death benefit by calling the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (or through the competent U.S. Embassy Federal Benefits Unit if surviving claimants reside in Brazil) [13].
     • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): If the deceased served in the U.S. Armed Forces, contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at +1 800-827-1000 for veteran burial and survivor benefits [14].
     • IRS final tax return and State Probate Court: File the deceased's final U.S. federal income tax return (IRS Form 1040 or Form 1040-NR) with the Internal Revenue Service (+1 800-829-1040) by April 15 of the year following death (and Form 1041 if post-death U.S. estate income is $600 or more) [15]. For U.S. bank accounts or property without payable-on-death beneficiaries, complete probate or administration (or use a state Small Estate Affidavit if below the statutory threshold) in the county Probate Court (or Surrogate's Court) of the U.S. state of domicile [1].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   What to do when someone dies — USA.gov
2. [2]
   How to get a certified copy of a death certificate — USA.gov
3. [3]
   Falecimento de Brasileiro nos Estados Unidos - Assistência Consular e Traslado — Ministério das Relações Exteriores - Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Atlanta (Gov.br)
4. [4]
   Registro Consular de Óbito (e-consular) e Transcrição no Brasil — Ministério das Relações Exteriores - Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Nova York (Gov.br)
5. [5]
   Registro de Óbito e Trâmites para Traslado de Corpo ou Cinzas para o Brasil — Ministério das Relações Exteriores - Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Miami (Gov.br)
6. [6]
   National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Directory — National Funeral Directors Association
7. [7]
   The FTC Funeral Rule — Federal Trade Commission
8. [8]
   Human Remains Importation and International Transport Rules (42 CFR 71.55) — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
9. [9]
   Traslado de Restos Mortais Humanos em Portos, Aeroportos e Fronteiras — Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA - Gov.br)
10. [10]
    CNJ Serviço: Legal Procedures After a Death and Civil Registry Rules in Brazil — Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ)
11. [11]
    Solicitar Pensão por Morte Urbana (INSS) — Portal Gov.br - Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS)
12. [12]
    Serviços Notariais - Inventário Extrajudicial e Apostila da Haia — Colégio Notarial do Brasil - Conselho Federal (CNB/CF)
13. [13]
    Social Security Survivor Benefits and Reporting a Death — Social Security Administration (SSA)
14. [14]
    VA Burials and Memorials — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
15. [15]
    Filing a Final Federal Tax Return (Form 1040) for Someone Who Has Died — Internal Revenue Service (IRS)