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

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death (Giay Bao Tu)

   • Hospital or clinical facility deaths: When a person dies in a public or private hospital or healthcare center overseen by the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, the head of the medical facility issues the official Death Notice (Giay bao tu) confirming the time and medical cause of death [3] [4]. This document is required before the hospital mortuary releases the body and before civil registration can take place [3] [4].
   • Deaths at home from natural causes: If your family member died at home outside a medical facility, notify the local commune, ward, or township health station under the Ministry of Health of Vietnam and the local residential group leader so an authorized health official or Commune-level People's Committee officer can confirm the death and issue the document replacing a hospital Death Notice [3] [4].
   • Unexpected, sudden, or non-natural deaths: If the death occurred suddenly, in an accident, or under unexplained circumstances, you must report it immediately to the local Public Security (police) agency [3] [5]. Forensic medical examiners and the investigating authority conduct an inquiry and, where necessary, a forensic autopsy before issuing written confirmation clearing the remains for release and civil registration [3] [5].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry (Dang Ky Khai Tu)

   • Statutory deadline and competent authority: Under the Law on Civil Status administered by the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam, a close relative or household member must register the death within 15 days from the date of death [3] [5]. For Vietnamese citizens residing domestically, registration is completed at the Commune-level People's Committee (Uy ban nhan dan cap xa) of the deceased's last place of residence; for foreign citizens or Vietnamese citizens residing abroad who die in Vietnam, registration falls under the District-level People's Committee (Uy ban nhan dan cap huyen) [3] [5].
   • Issuance of the Death Certificate Extract: Submit the civil death declaration form together with the original Death Notice (Giay bao tu), the deceased's citizen identity card (Can cuoc cong dan) or passport, and the informant's identification via the Government Portal of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or in person at the one-stop civil registry counter [3] [5]. Upon recording the entry in the civil status book, the registrar issues the official Death Certificate Extract (Trich luc khai tu) [3].
   • Ordering certified copies: Request multiple certified copies (ban sao trich luc khai tu) at the time of registration, as separate originals or certified extracts are required by Vietnam Social Security, commercial banks, insurers, and notary offices [1] [3].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Local burial and cremation permits: When registering the death, the Commune-level or District-level People's Committee notes the death registration clearance required by municipal cemetery boards or crematoria [3] [5]. Licensed funeral service providers coordinate mortuary storage, coffin preparation, burial plot allocation, or cremation in compliance with sanitation regulations issued by the Ministry of Health of Vietnam [4] [5].
   • International repatriation of remains or ashes: If your family member was a foreign national or if the remains or cremated ashes must be transported out of Vietnam, engage an authorized international funeral director to obtain a border health quarantine certificate from the Center for Disease Control under the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, an embalming and hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin certificate (for bodily remains), and customs export clearance [4] [5].
   • Consular legalization of documents: Because Vietnam is not currently a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, Vietnamese Death Certificate Extracts intended for official use abroad must be certified by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations) and then legalized by the relevant foreign embassy or consulate in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City [3] [5].
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pension, Tax, Banking, and Identity Authorities

   • Funeral allowance and survivor benefits: Under the Law on Social Insurance administered by Vietnam Social Security, the family or person organizing the funeral of an insured worker or pensioner is entitled to a lump-sum funeral allowance (tro cap mai tang) equal to 10 times the statutory reference level, alongside either a monthly survivor pension (tro cap tuat hang thang) for eligible dependents or a lump-sum survivor benefit (tro cap tuat mot lan) [1] [2]. Submit the claim dossier, including the Death Certificate Extract and social insurance records, to the provincial or district office of Vietnam Social Security within 90 days of the death [1].
   • Commercial banks, insurers, and tax clearance: Present the Death Certificate Extract to all commercial banks in Vietnam where the deceased held accounts [2] [5]. Banks will freeze sole accounts in the deceased's name and issue date-of-death balance certificates required for notarial succession, while tax authorities and employers settle final personal income tax obligations and unpaid wages [2] [5].
   • Cancellation of Citizen Identity Card and residence registration: Through electronic data linkage between the civil status database of the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam and the National Population Database tracked via the Government Portal of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the deceased's permanent residence record and Citizen Identity Card (CCCD) are updated and canceled upon death registration [3] [5].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate and Notarial Succession

   • Notarial agreement or declaration of inheritance: Under Part Four of the 2015 Civil Code of Vietnam, succession opens at the time of death at the deceased's last place of residence [2] [5]. Where there is no dispute among heirs, the executor and heirs appear before a public Notary Office (Phong cong chung) or private Notary Office supervised by the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam to execute a notarized Written Agreement on Division of Estate (Van ban phan chia di san thua ke) or Written Declaration of Acceptance of Estate [3] [5]. The notary posts a mandatory 15-day public notice at the Commune-level People's Committee where the deceased last resided and where any real estate is located to verify that no omitted heirs or creditors object before certifying the succession instrument [3] [5].
   • Compulsory heirs and court resolution of disputes: Even when a valid written will exists, Article 644 of the Civil Code protects compulsory heirs (minor children, parents, spouse, and adult children incapable of working), guaranteeing them at least two-thirds of the share they would have received under statutory intestate succession [5]. If heirs cannot reach an agreement or a will is contested, succession is adjudicated by the competent People's Court [5].
   • Tax treatment and cross-border heirs: In Vietnam, inheritance of real estate and registrable assets between spouses, biological or adoptive parents and children, parents-in-law and children-in-law, grandparents and grandchildren, and biological siblings is exempt from Personal Income Tax, whereas other heirs pay a 10% tax on inherited asset value exceeding VND 10 million upon registration [2] [5]. Foreign nationals and overseas heirs who are not permitted to hold direct land-use right titles in Vietnam are legally entitled to receive the monetary value from the sale of inherited real property, and heirs residing abroad may execute a consular-legalized power of attorney so a representative in Vietnam can complete notarial and land-registry formalities [2] [5].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Social Security Programs Throughout the World: Asia and the Pacific - Vietnam (Survivor and Funeral Benefits) — U.S. Social Security Administration / International Social Security Association
2. [2]
   Viet Nam Country Overview: Governance, Legal Institutions, and Social Protection Systems — World Bank Group
3. [3]
   Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Country Profile: Viet Nam (Death Registration under the Law on Civil Status) — UNICEF Data / Ministry of Justice of Viet Nam CRVS Profile
4. [4]
   World Health Organization Country Profile: Viet Nam Health System and Ministry of Health Framework — World Health Organization (WHO)
5. [5]
   Government Portal of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam - National Administration and Public Services — Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (vietnam.gov.vn)