US Embassy Brazil After-Hours Emergency — Death of a Citizen

Deaths Do Not Wait for Business Hours

Most deaths in hospitals happen outside of embassy operating hours — nights, weekends, holidays. Brazilian funeral homes operate around the clock, and the family needs to know how to reach the U.S. consulate immediately, not during the next available appointment slot. The 60-day inventário deadline, if Brazilian assets are involved, is the key statutory deadline.

The U.S. maintains an Embassy in Brasília and Consulates General in four cities. Each has a 24-hour emergency contact system for American citizens in crisis — including death notifications.

After-Hours Duty Officer Access

Every U.S. Embassy and Consulate General in Brazil has an after-hours duty officer who handles emergency calls when the ACS (American Citizens Services) unit is closed. The process is the same at all five posts:

1. Call the main switchboard number for the nearest consular post
2. Listen for the after-hours emergency prompt — the automated system offers an option to be connected to the duty officer (sometimes called the Marine Security Guard post)
3. State that you are reporting the death of a U.S. citizen — this is classified as an emergency and will be transferred to the duty officer
4. Provide basic information: the deceased's full name, date of birth, passport number (if available), location of the body (hospital name, city), and your relationship to the deceased

The duty officer can:

• Open a consular case file so the ACS unit has the information first thing the next business day
• Provide the general outline of next steps (do not expect detailed procedural guidance at 2 AM — that comes from ACS during office hours)
• Confirm which consular post has jurisdiction based on the city where the death occurred

The duty officer cannot:

• Process the e-CRODA (that requires the full ACS unit and document review)
• Intervene with Brazilian police or the IML
• Arrange or pay for funeral services, repatriation, or legal representation
• Provide medical or legal advice

The ACS Navigator Portal

The ACS Navigator is the online appointment and document submission system used by U.S. consular posts in Brazil. For death cases, it serves two purposes:

Scheduling an appointment: Once the consular case file is open, the family or their representative (funeral director, attorney, despachante with procuração) books an ACS appointment through the portal. For death cases, ACS may prioritize scheduling; confirm the current appointment timing with the post.

Document submission: The portal accepts uploaded copies of required documents for the e-CRODA application:

• The Brazilian certidão de óbito (official death certificate)
• The declaração de óbito (medical death declaration) or IML autopsy report
• The deceased's U.S. passport
• Proof of the requestor's identity and relationship to the deceased
• The deceased's Social Security Number

Submitting documents through the portal before the appointment allows the consular officer to review the file in advance. Any issues — missing documents, name discrepancies, incomplete information — can be flagged before the family or representative makes the trip to the consulate.

Which Consular Post to Contact

Jurisdiction is based on where the death occurred, not where the family is located:

• Embassy Brasília — Federal District, Goiás, Tocantins, and northern states
• Consulate General São Paulo — São Paulo, Paraná, and southern regions
• Consulate General Rio de Janeiro — Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, and Bahia
• Consulate General Recife and Consulate General Porto Alegre — Use the mission's current jurisdiction instructions for these posts; if uncertain, call either post and ask to be redirected.

If the death occurs in a state that falls between two consular districts, calling either post will work — they will redirect you to the correct jurisdiction.

From the United States: The Overseas Citizens Services Hotline

If you are in the United States and cannot reach the Brazilian consular post directly, the State Department's Overseas Citizens Services (OCS) office in Washington, D.C. can relay your notification:

• From the U.S.: 1-888-407-4747 (toll-free)
• From outside the U.S.: +1 202-501-4444

OCS operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They will contact the appropriate consular post in Brazil on your behalf and open the case file. This is a relay service — the actual case processing still happens at the consular post in Brazil.

What ACS Does After the Death Notification

Once the death is formally reported and the case file opened, the ACS unit:

1. Verifies the identity of the deceased through passport records
2. Confirms the circumstances of the death with the attending hospital or local authorities
3. Processes the e-CRODA application; allow 2–4 weeks after document submission for standard retrieval, with longer timing possible for incomplete or forensic cases
4. Issues the consular mortuary certificate if repatriation is planned
5. Can provide a list of local English-speaking funeral directors, attorneys, and translators (these are referrals, not endorsements)

The consulate does not contact the next-of-kin proactively — the family must initiate the notification. If the deceased was traveling alone and the hospital or police cannot identify or reach the next-of-kin, the consulate may attempt to locate family through passport records, but this process takes time.

The American Dies in Brazil — Family Emergency Guide includes the consular contact workflow with after-hours instructions, the ACS Navigator walkthrough, and the complete e-CRODA application checklist.