Consular Report of Death Abroad: Getting the CRODA from Spain

The CRODA Is Your Federal Death Record

When an American citizen dies in Spain, the family needs a death record that US institutions will accept: probate courts, the Social Security Administration, life insurance carriers, banks, and the VA. The Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (Form DS-2060) — known as the CRODA — serves that function.

Prepared by a consular officer at the US Embassy in Madrid or the US Consulate General in Barcelona, the CRODA is the official federal record of death for Americans who die outside the United States. It is widely accepted as the equivalent of a domestic death certificate.

Since June 2023, the CRODA is issued exclusively as an electronic document — a secure PDF with the consular officer's digital signature, an electronic timestamp, and the official digital seal of the US Mission Spain.

How to Start the Process

Report the death to the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) in Madrid by emailing fbu.madrid@ssa.gov with the subject line: "Request for instructions on how to report a death."

The FBU is the central intake point for Social Security and federal benefit death reporting in Spain. They will direct you to the next steps for both the CRODA and any survivor benefit claims.

If you are in Barcelona or the surrounding regions (Catalonia, Aragon, or Andorra), the US Consulate General in Barcelona handles consular processing:

• US Embassy Madrid: Calle de Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid — phone: +34 91-587-2200
• US Consulate General Barcelona: Paseo de la Reina Elisenda de Montcada 23, 08034 Barcelona — phone: +34 93-280-2227

Establishing Next-of-Kin Authority

Before the embassy compiles the CRODA or releases any personal effects, you must legally establish your relationship and authority as the rightful next of kin.

You need to complete Form DS-5511 (Affidavit of Surviving Spouse or Next of Kin). This affidavit requires you to:

• List all living relatives of the deceased in order of relationship seniority
• Swear under penalty of perjury that no other individual holds a superior legal claim
• Have the form notarized

Submit the notarized affidavit to the embassy alongside:

• The original Certificación Literal de Defunción from the Spanish civil registry
• The deceased's original US passport
• Your own valid government-issued photo ID

The Department of State uses a hierarchy to determine who has decision-making authority. If multiple family members are involved, confirm with the consulate who has priority and who should file the affidavit.

What the Embassy Can and Cannot Do

This is where expectations often collide with reality. Consular officers are authorized to:

• Confirm the citizenship of the deceased and officially notify the registered next of kin
• Issue the electronic CRODA (Form DS-2060)
• Issue a Consular Mortuary Certificate to permit the entry of remains into the US
• Temporarily secure and inventory personal property if no local representative is present

Consular officers are prohibited from:

• Investigating criminal acts or challenging local police findings
• Providing legal representation or acting as court interpreters
• Paying for funeral services, embalming, cremation, or air freight charges
• Overruling Spanish public health decisions or municipal regulations

The embassy facilitates paperwork. It does not fund repatriation, negotiate with funeral homes, or intervene in Spanish legal proceedings.

The Consular Mortuary Certificate

If you are repatriating the body, the embassy issues a separate document: the Consular Mortuary Certificate. This is the primary clearance document for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and CDC inspectors when the remains arrive in the United States.

The tanatorio submits a compiled document file to the embassy, which verifies and stamps:

• The Spanish Certificación Literal de Defunción
• The embalming certificate
• The Sanidad Exterior international transit permit
• The judicial release order (if applicable)
• The Spanish customs container sealing certificate
• The airline cargo air waybill with flight itinerary details

These documents are bound under the seal of the US Foreign Service and attached to the outer shipping crate. This packet travels with the casket and is what CBP inspects upon arrival at the US port of entry.

Getting Additional CRODA Copies Later

Once the embassy closes the case file, original records are archived. Future requests for certified copies are handled through the Department of State in Washington, D.C.

To obtain additional copies of a CRODA filed in 1975 or later:

1. Complete Form DS-5542 (Request for Document Relating to Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad) — electronically or in black ink, signed before a licensed notary public
2. Provide a photocopy (front and back) of your valid state-issued photo ID or US passport
3. Include a check or money order for $50 per copy, payable to "U.S. Department of State," drawn on a US financial institution
4. Mail the package to: US Department of State, Passport Vital Records Section, 44132 Mercure Cir, PO Box 1213, Sterling, VA 20166-1213

Standard processing takes four to eight weeks, excluding postal transit times.

Presumptive Death Abroad

If a US citizen is missing under circumstances that strongly indicate death but the remains have not been recovered, the embassy can issue Form DS-2060-P (Report of Presumptive Death Abroad). This allows the family to begin estate and benefit proceedings without physical recovery of the body.

The American Dies in Spain — Family Emergency Guide walks through the full CRODA process alongside the Spanish document sequence, so you know exactly which documents to gather and in what order.