Emergency Checklist: American Dies in Turkey

First 24 Hours

Confirm the death and secure the remains. If the death occurred outside a hospital, Turkish emergency services (112) dispatch a municipal doctor to certify the death and issue the Ölüm Belgesi. Tell the responding authorities and funeral director your wishes before local burial arrangements proceed.

Call the US Embassy. Ankara: +90 312-294-0000. Istanbul: +90 212-335-9000. After hours: +90 312-455-5555. Provide the deceased's full legal name, passport number, date and place of death, cause, location of remains, and next-of-kin contact. State military affiliation if applicable.

Hire a funeral director licensed for international repatriation. Standard municipal funeral services cannot handle cross-border logistics. The US consular officer can provide a list of licensed operators.

Notify insurance. Travel insurance, credit card travel protection, global health plan, life insurance — all of them. Notify each immediately; most require pre-authorization before covering repatriation.

Days 2–5

Civil registration. The funeral director files the Ölüm Belgesi at the local Nüfus Müdürlüğü within the 10-day statutory window. The office issues the Formül C — the multilingual international death certificate.

Document legalization. The Formül C goes to the Kaymakamlık for the Hague Apostille, then to a sworn translator, then to a notary. If you translate before apostilling, the Kaymakamlık will refuse to apostille the translation, requiring a fresh original.

CRODA application. Provide the Formül C, the deceased's passport, and the required proof of U.S. citizenship to the US Embassy. A consular officer prepares the CRODA (Form DS-2060) — the document US courts, banks, and insurers commonly use for estate and death claims.

Embalming and casket. The funeral director arranges embalming to IATA standards and procures the zinc-lined inner container and wooden outer coffin for air transport.

Days 5–10

Export clearance. The funeral director presents the complete document pack — Formül C, embalming certificate, Yol İzin Belgesi, Defin Ruhsatı, Consular Mortuary Certificate, Air Waybill — to Turkish Customs at the exit airport.

Air transport. Remains ship as HUM cargo via Turkish Airlines or another carrier. A US receiving funeral home clears customs on arrival.

Or: local burial. If the family chooses burial in Turkey, the funeral director arranges a municipal plot. Non-Muslim plots may be limited outside major cities.

Within 30 Days

Social Security notification. Report the death to the SSA at 1-800-772-1213. If the surviving spouse never filed for benefits due to the old GPO/WEP (both repealed January 2025), file a new manual application — this cannot be done online. The date of filing affects how far benefits can be paid retroactively; SSA generally limits new retirement and survivor claims to six months before the month of application.

Life insurance claims. File with the CRODA as primary proof of death. If the Turkish autopsy report is pending (standard processing: 6–9 months), note this on the claim and ask the insurer whether it can proceed with the preliminary cause from the CRODA.

US probate initiation. File the CRODA (or e-CRODA) with the local probate court. The apostilled and translated Formül C serves as supplementary proof.

Within 6 Months

Turkish inheritance tax filing. Heirs abroad have 6 months from the date of death to file the Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi Beyannamesi (inheritance tax declaration) with the competent Turkish tax office. Missing this deadline triggers automatic penalty interest.

Turkish bank account release. Requires the court-issued Veraset İlamı, valid identification, and the Tax Clearance Certificate (Vergi Borcu Yoktur).

Property transfer. If the deceased owned Turkish real estate, a Turkish attorney must file for the Veraset İlamı in the Sulh Hukuk Mahkemesi. Foreign wills cannot transfer Turkish title deeds directly.

The Complete Framework

This checklist covers the critical milestones. The American Dies in Turkey Family Emergency Guide expands each step into detailed instructions with fillable worksheets — an agency communication log, document legalization tracker, repatriation cost worksheet, and inheritance tax tracker — so nothing falls through during the worst weeks of your life.