Power of Attorney and Estate Settlement After a Death in Saudi Arabia

Why the PoA Comes First

When an Ethiopian or Eritrean national dies in Saudi Arabia, the Power of Attorney is a key legal instrument for appointing a local representative. The Ethiopian and Eritrean embassies require a notarized PoA from the next of kin before issuing the No Objection Certificate needed to release the body. Registered heirs can submit GOSI claims through the online portal, but Saudi-side court, labor, and estate matters may require an authorized representative. Without a local representative, coordination with the sponsor and Saudi authorities can stall.

The PoA designates a specific person — usually a trusted relative or community member already in Saudi Arabia — to act on the family's behalf for all legal, administrative, and physical disposition decisions. It must be notarized and, for Ethiopian families, can be executed through the Digital MOFA mobile app.

Executing the PoA: Ethiopia vs. Eritrea

Ethiopian families have a digital option. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Digital MOFA and e-POA mobile applications allow families in Ethiopia to execute and transmit a legalized Power of Attorney to Saudi Arabia within 24–48 hours. The system works, but it is prone to glitches — duplicate payment processing errors, unresponsive customer service, and intermittent outages. Keep physical copies of all payment receipts and application IDs, and be prepared to visit the Ethiopian Embassy in Riyadh in person if the digital portal stalls beyond 48 hours.

Eritrean families face the additional barrier of the 2% Recovery and Rehabilitation Tax. The Eritrean embassy will not process a Power of Attorney — or any consular service — until both the deceased and the claiming heirs prove compliance with this mandatory tax on all foreign-earned income. If there are outstanding tax debts, the entire estate administration freezes at the consular level. Families must be prepared to settle these liabilities through the embassy or through authorized proxies in Asmara.

Cross-Border Estate Settlement

Once the PoA is in place, estate settlement can proceed in parallel with repatriation (or local burial) — and it plays out across jurisdictions.

In Saudi Arabia: The family's representative, armed with the legalized PoA, can claim End-of-Service Benefits from the employer, file GOSI survivor benefit applications, collect unpaid wages, and — if applicable — pursue diyya or compensation claims through the Saudi court system. Each Saudi-side claim follows its relevant employer, GOSI, or court process.

In Ethiopia: Municipal courts require the legalized Saudi death certificate to issue a Declaration of Heirs (heirship certificate). This certificate freezes the deceased's Ethiopian bank accounts and allows the court to retitle property. The death certificate must have completed the full four-stage legalization chain — Saudi MOFA, embassy consular stamp, and domestic MOFA authentication — before any Ethiopian court will accept it.

In Eritrea: The Eritrean Civil Code governs succession. The family must submit the legalized death certificate, obtain court confirmation of heirship, and prove next-of-kin status — all contingent on 2% tax compliance. High Court authentication is required to make Saudi-issued documents enforceable in Eritrean courts.

The Timeline Problem

Estate settlement across borders is inherently slow. Cross-border estate settlement is estimated at 4–8 weeks for a natural death and 3–6 months for an unnatural or accident death. Eritrean tax compliance and court requirements can add delay.

If the death was unnatural and triggers a GOSI or diyya claim, the Saudi side of the estate settlement runs on the investigation timeline, which can stretch independently for months.

Families who execute the PoA immediately, begin document legalization during the repatriation process, and file court applications in parallel rather than sequentially save months.

Common Pitfalls

Waiting for repatriation before starting the estate process. The PoA and document legalization can — and should — begin while the body is still in Saudi Arabia. These are parallel tracks, not sequential ones.

Assuming the sponsor will handle finances. Sponsors are legally obligated to pay EOSB and unpaid wages, but they will not voluntarily initiate GOSI claims, diyya proceedings, or bank account releases on the family's behalf. The family's representative must pursue each claim independently.

Relying entirely on digital portals. Both the GOSI online portal and the Digital MOFA app are useful shortcuts, but neither is fully reliable. Always maintain physical copies of every document and be prepared for in-person visits.

The Ethiopian/Eritrean Dies in Saudi Arabia Family Guide includes a document tracking checklist and estate settlement timeline that coordinates the Saudi and domestic sides of the process.