DS-2060 Consular Report of Death Abroad: How to Get an eCRODA

The Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad — Form DS-2060, now issued electronically as the eCRODA — is the single most important document for settling a deceased American's affairs back in the United States. US probate courts, banks, life insurance companies, and the Social Security Administration all treat it as the legal equivalent of a domestic death certificate.

Without it, almost nothing moves on the US side of the estate.

What the eCRODA Is

The eCRODA is a digitally signed PDF issued by a US consular officer at the embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over the place of death. Since July 19, 2023, the US Embassy in Manila has issued DS-2060 exclusively in electronic format — no paper copies, no embossed seals.

The document contains the deceased's identifying information, cause and place of death, and the consular officer's digital signature and seal. Because it's a standard PDF, the executor can distribute it electronically to multiple US institutions simultaneously — a meaningful advantage over the old system where families needed to order multiple physical certified copies.

The eCRODA is issued at no cost.

How to Get One From the Manila Embassy

Email the American Citizen Services (ACS) unit at ACSInfoManila@state.gov with the subject line "Death of a U.S. Citizen." Attach scanned copies of:

1. Registered death certificate — the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) or Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) version. The LCR copy is sufficient to initiate the eCRODA, though the PSA version on SECPA security paper is stronger for US institutional use.
2. Deceased's US passport or other proof of US citizenship (naturalization certificate, CRBA).
3. Photo ID of the next of kin — a valid passport or government-issued ID.
4. Proof of relationship — a notarized or certified marriage certificate, birth certificate, or court appointment as executor/administrator.
5. Informational sheet — the embassy provides a form requesting the deceased's last US address, surviving relatives, Social Security number, and the designated representative if multiple family members share equal legal standing.

Processing time varies, but the Manila embassy typically issues the eCRODA within 5–10 business days after receiving complete documentation. Incomplete submissions — missing the proof of relationship is the most common gap — restart the clock.

What You Can Do With It

The eCRODA unlocks nearly every US-side administrative action:

Probate courts: File it to open probate proceedings in the deceased's state of residence. The eCRODA is universally accepted by US courts as proof of death, eliminating the need to authenticate the Philippine death certificate through separate channels.

Banks and financial institutions: Present it to close accounts, access safe deposit boxes, and initiate beneficiary distributions. Most US banks now accept the electronic PDF directly; some may ask you to certify a printed copy through a notary, but the original electronic file is the authoritative document.

Life insurance: Attach it to the claim filing along with the policy, proof of beneficiary status, and (for accidental deaths) the police or medico-legal report.

Social Security Administration: Submit it when applying for survivor benefits. The SSA needs the eCRODA to stop the deceased's benefit payments and initiate the $255 lump-sum death benefit and ongoing survivor benefits.

IRS: Use it as supporting documentation for the deceased's final Form 1040 and any estate tax filings. Separately, the executor must address FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR) if the deceased held foreign accounts exceeding $10,000.

The eCRODA vs. the Philippine Death Certificate

These are not interchangeable. The Philippine death certificate (PSA version with eApostille) is the authoritative document for Philippine proceedings — estate settlement, bank account unfreezing, property transfers. The eCRODA is the authoritative document for US proceedings.

You need both. The eCRODA depends on the Philippine death certificate existing first — the embassy won't issue it without a registered local death certificate. The eCRODA is the document the Embassy issues for US-side administration; individual courts, banks, and insurers may also ask for the Philippine certificate or an apostille.

The Philippine-side sequence runs: LCR death certificate → PSA SECPA certificate → DFA eApostille. The eCRODA is a separate US-side process that can begin with the registered LCR or PSA death certificate and the required consular documents; it does not depend on the eApostille.

The American Dies in the Philippines — Family Emergency Guide maps this document chain with expected processing times for each step and tracks which documents each US institution requires.