A relative has died abroad

When a Bulgarian citizen dies abroad, the death is certified by the local authorities under that country’s law. The family chooses a funeral director, who handles the documents and the burial, cremation or transport to Bulgaria. The embassy or consulate helps with contacts and documents, but does not organise or pay for repatriation. The death must then be registered in Bulgaria — within 6 months.

deadline

6 months

to register in Bulgaria

costs

the family

the mission does not pay

translations at the mission

free

for first registration

First steps

1. Local authorities and the local death record

   The death is confirmed by a doctor or the police and a local death record is drawn up. Ask for a multilingual extract (Form C) if the country issues one, or a copy that will later need an apostille.

2. Inform the embassy or consulate

   By phone or email: the name of the deceased, date and place of birth, date and place of death, and your contact details. In a disaster or crisis you can also call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Situation Centre 24/7: +359 2 948 24 04, [email protected].

3. Decide on the funeral

   Burial locally, cremation or repatriation to Bulgaria. The decision follows the wishes of the deceased first.

4. Choose a licensed funeral director

   Repatriation is carried out only by licensed funeral agencies. You can appoint a local funeral director or a Bulgarian agency that works with that country.

5. Register the death in Bulgaria

   Within 6 months — through the mission or directly at the municipality of the deceased’s last permanent address.

Who decides

The manner and place of the funeral follow the wishes of the deceased. If these are not known, the right to decide passes in turn to the spouse, adult children, parents, brothers and sisters. If there are no such relatives, it passes to the person who shared a household with the deceased.

What the mission does and does not do

The Bulgarian embassy or consulate:

• helps with contacts for funeral directors, cremation or repatriation;
• issues the civil-status documents the local authorities require, where the data are in the registers (in Berlin, for example, free of charge);
• accepts the local death record and sends it to the municipality in Bulgaria for registration;
• legalises the local death record where needed;
• can forward money from the family to the hospital or funeral director if a direct bank transfer is not possible — the amount is paid in to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The mission does not fund or carry out the care and transport of the deceased and cannot act for the family in private legal disputes.

Repatriation, cremation or local burial

If the death was violent, a suicide or unexplained, a post-mortem is usually carried out. The agency then obtains the prosecutor’s permission and the identity documents of the deceased through the police.

Costs

All costs — funeral director, documents, transport — are paid by the family. Repatriation can only go ahead once payment is secured. Check whether the deceased had insurance (travel, credit card or employer cover) that includes repatriation.

Registering the death in Bulgaria

The death of a Bulgarian citizen abroad is registered at the municipality of their last permanent address (as shown on the ID card). A certified copy or extract of the local death record is submitted or sent within 6 months to the embassy or consulate, with an application stating the permanent address. Relatives can also take the document directly to the municipality.

• A multilingual extract (Form C) from a country party to the Convention on multilingual extracts needs no legalisation; the municipality may ask for a translation.
• A document from a Hague Convention country needs an apostille.
• Documents from other countries are legalised unless a legal assistance treaty waives this.
• The Bulgarian translation is made at the mission or in Bulgaria, with the translator’s signature notarised.

Certificates and translations made by the mission for the first registration of the death are free (Art. 6 of Tariff No. 3).

Inheritance

After registration the municipality issues a certificate of heirs. The heirs use it to deal with accounts, property and pensions in Bulgaria. If the estate is abroad, the mission can assist in establishing it — the fee for this service is €50 under Tariff No. 3. See the guide on inheriting property in Bulgaria.