How to Get a Death Certificate in Saudi Arabia for a Pakistani Family

The official Saudi death certificate — called the Shahada Al-Wafa — is the single most important document in the entire process. Without it, you cannot obtain an exit visa from Jawazaat, you cannot file a NADRA succession certificate in Pakistan, and you cannot claim GOSI occupational hazard compensation. Getting it right the first time saves weeks.

Where the Death Certificate Comes From

The Shahada Al-Wafa is issued by the Civil Affairs Department (Al-Ahwal Al-Madaniyyah), which operates under the Saudi Ministry of Interior. This is not the same as the hospital death report — the hospital's Tableegh e Wafat is the preliminary clinical record. The Civil Affairs certificate is the official Saudi record used in the later Saudi and Pakistani processes; Pakistani use may still require an Apostille or traditional attestations.

Documents You Need to Submit

The authorized local representative must submit a physical file to Civil Affairs containing:

• The original hospital Tableegh e Wafat
• Copies of the deceased's passport and Iqama
• The attested Arabic translation of the heirship affidavit (obtained free of charge from the Pakistan Embassy Welfare Wing)
• Clearance letters from the local police station or the Governor's Office (Ammara)

If the death resulted from a road accident, the clearance must come from the Traffic Police (Muroor) rather than the regular police station.

Electronic Registration for Employed Workers

For corporate employees, sponsors can initiate the death registration process electronically through the Ministry of Interior's online platforms — Absher and Muqeem. These portals allow hospitals to transmit death reports directly to Civil Affairs, which simplifies the verification process and links the death record to the deceased's digital profile. The bilingual certificate is then generated from this electronic submission.

The Legalisation Chain After Issuance

Getting the death certificate issued is only the first step. For use in Pakistan — for NADRA succession certificates, bank account access, or property transfers — confirm whether the receiving authority accepts an Apostille or requires the traditional attestation chain:

1. Saudi MOFA attestation — 30 SAR per document in the traditional route, handled by the representative
2. Pakistani Embassy or Consulate registration — the Welfare Wing records it in consular records
3. If the traditional route is required, Pakistani MOFA registration — once the document reaches Pakistan, it goes through MOFA Pakistan's liaison offices (available in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, and Gujrat) before submission to NADRA

Both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are members of the Hague Apostille Convention. An Apostille can provide the Convention route, but in practice local administrative bodies and banks in both countries may still demand traditional ministerial attestations. Running both tracks in parallel can avoid rejection at a downstream office.

The Pakistani Dies in Saudi Arabia — Family Guide includes the full document legalisation workflow and a tracker for sequencing every attestation step across both countries.