Dealing with a Death Abroad in Latvia

Dealing with a death abroad in Latvia (also death of a relative abroad, what to do when someone dies in Latvia, death certificate abroad or repatriation of remains) covers the practical and legal steps after a foreign national dies in Latvia, or after someone with a home or money in Latvia dies in another country. In Latvian the death certificate is the miršanas apliecība, issued by a civil registry office (dzimtsarakstu nodaļa). Some older lists and lawyer pages call this service “Managing the Death Abroad of a Loved one”.

When someone dies in Latvia

If a person dies in hospital, the hospital informs the relatives; a death at home or in an accident involves a doctor and the police. When the cause is unclear, a forensic examination may be ordered before the body is released. The death is registered at a civil registry office, which issues the death certificate. The family, or a funeral bureau (apbedīšanas birojs) on its behalf, then informs the consulate of the deceased’s country.

Burial, cremation or repatriation

Burial and cremation are both possible in Latvia. Taking the body home is arranged by a funeral bureau together with the consulate, with the death certificate, a permit to transport the body and the papers the receiving country asks for. Travel or life insurance may cover part of the costs.

When a resident of Latvia dies abroad

The death is registered in the country where it happened. That certificate is then used in Latvia, with a translation and, from outside the EU, an apostille, to enter the death in Latvian records, deal with accounts and open the inheritance case with a sworn notary.

What to watch for

• Families abroad usually need several certified and translated copies of the certificate; between EU countries a multilingual standard form can stand in for a translation.
• Bank accounts and property stay blocked until the heirs prove their rights.
• An accident may raise questions of liability and insurance claims.

What a lawyer does

A lawyer can deal with Latvian authorities for relatives who cannot travel, obtain certificates, follow a police or prosecutor’s file and start the inheritance case. Related pages: power of attorney and close a bank account.

Questions and answers

Who registers a death in Latvia?

A relative or the person arranging the funeral, often through the funeral bureau, at a civil registry office, with the medical certificate of death and the deceased’s identity document.

Can the body be flown home?

Yes, through a funeral bureau that handles international transport, working with the consulate of the deceased’s country.

Is a Latvian death certificate accepted abroad?

Outside the EU it usually needs an apostille and a translation. Within the EU an apostille is not needed, and the multilingual standard form often replaces the translation.

Does the estate have to be dealt with in Latvia?

Property in Latvia, such as real estate or a Latvian bank account, is usually transferred through a Latvian inheritance case. Which country’s law governs the estate as a whole depends on where the person lived.