Dealing with a Death Abroad in Lithuania

A death abroad involving Lithuania, whether a foreign national dies while living or travelling there or a person with ties to Lithuania dies in another country, leaves the family with formalities in two systems at once. People search for it as the death of a relative abroad or what to do when someone dies in Lithuania. In Lithuanian the registration is mirties įregistravimas, done by the municipal civil registry office (civilinės metrikacijos skyrius), and the document issued is the mirties liudijimas, the death certificate. Some older lists and lawyer pages call this service “Managing the Death Abroad of a Loved one”.

Who it is for

Relatives of a foreigner who died in Lithuania; families of Lithuanian citizens who died in another country and whose death has to be recorded in Lithuania; and heirs who need the death certificate and other papers to deal with property, bank accounts or pensions.

How it works in Lithuania

When someone dies in Lithuania, a doctor or health institution issues a medical certificate of death, and the death is registered with the civil registry of the municipality on the basis of that certificate and the deceased's identity document. The passport is usually passed to the deceased's embassy, which informs the authorities at home; the family then has the death recorded in the home country. A funeral director arranges a burial or cremation locally, or the transport of the remains abroad, which needs its own documents. When a Lithuanian citizen dies abroad, the foreign death certificate, apostilled or legalised and translated, can be registered in Lithuania through a civil registry office or a Lithuanian consulate. The estate is a separate step, handled by a notary.

What to watch for

• Requirements for documents, translations and certified copies differ between municipalities and consulates and change from time to time; a lawyer or the consulate confirms the current list.
• A travel or life insurance policy may cover repatriation costs; the insurer usually expects to be told early.
• Bank accounts are often frozen once the bank learns of the death; access then comes through the inheritance procedure.
• The period for heirs to accept an inheritance in Lithuania is short and runs while the family is still busy with practical matters.

What a lawyer does

An English-speaking lawyer deals with the civil registry and the consulate, obtains and translates certificates, coordinates with the funeral director and the insurer, notifies banks and, under a power of attorney, opens the inheritance with a notary. Related pages: birth, marriage and death certificates, inheritance, power of attorney and closing a bank account.

Questions and answers

Where is a death in Lithuania registered?

At the civil registry office of the municipality, based on the medical certificate of death; a family member or a representative can apply.

Is the Lithuanian death certificate available in English?

The certificate is issued in Lithuanian; for use in other countries families commonly rely on a certified translation or, within the EU, a multilingual standard form.

How is the death of a Lithuanian citizen abroad recorded in Lithuania?

The foreign death certificate is submitted, with an apostille or legalisation and a translation, to a civil registry office in Lithuania or through a consulate.

Does the family need a lawyer?

Not for the registration itself, but a lawyer saves time when the family is abroad, documents are in several languages or property is involved.