Death of a US Citizen

Death of a U.S. Citizen in Chengdu Consular District

Notification and Report to the Consulate

The U.S. Consulate in Chengdu stands ready to assist family and friends in the event of the death of a U.S. Citizen in Chengdu Consular District which includes Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province, Guizhou Province, and Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Consulate is notified of the death of an American citizen by a relative, traveling companion, the China International Travel Services (CITS), the Public Security Bureau (PSB), or the foreign affairs office (FAO) of a sponsoring organization of the deceased person's travel to China, etc...  The Consulate is responsible for notifying the next of kin if they have not already been notified, and works with the next of kin on the disposition of the deceased U.S. citizen’s remains and property.

Even if no Consulate’s assistance is required, relatives or friends should report the death of a U.S. citizen to the Consulate, regardless of whether s/he was a resident or tourist in China. The Consulate will issue twenty copies of original  Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad, a document which serves as the official U.S. government report of death for U.S. citizens who pass away overseas, and will be needed to settle legal and estate matters in the United States. 

The 24 hour emergency telephone number is 010-8531 4000 .

Checking Chinese Visa Requirements  

Sometimes tour leaders of tour groups arrange for visitors to have a group visa to enter China. If the deceased and the NOK were with a tour group, the NOK must arrange to have their visa changed to an individual visitor visa. Tour leaders should assist NOK's to change their visas before the group moves on. Please make sure that the tour leader also leaves the passport of the deceased with the NOK or other approved agent.

Basic Steps for Dealing with the Death of an American Citizen Abroad

The next of kin should present valid document/s to prove the kinship with the deceased. Otherwise s/he should fill out and have notarized an “Affidavit of Next of Kin” to allow him/her to make decisions on arrangements and disposition of the remains. If the next of kin is in China, they can take care of arrangements themselves. If not, they will need to give power of attorney to a relative, friend or a funeral home to take care of the funeral arrangements. The Consulate is unable to act as an agent for American citizens in making funeral arrangements.

Typically, families will contact a funeral home to help them carry out their funeral arrangements.  The Consulate can help provide a guide with more details on disposition of remains and associated estimates of cost.

The Next of Kin/family or their legal representative will need to obtain a local official death certificate from the hospital or local police if the death occurred outside of the hospital.  After the NOK/family obtains the local death certificate, it is required to bring the death certificate and the deceased’s passport to the local Entry Exit Bureau (EEB) to cancel the Chinese visa.   See here for local EEB information.

When a death occurs outside a hospital, the police forensic authority should conduct a mandatory fundamental examination on the remains to rule out the possibility of criminal action. The examination normally takes at least 15 working days. The result of the examination report is general and vague. If the family needs a more detailed cause of death than that listed in this report, a request may be submitted to the police authority for an autopsy for a fee. The autopsy processing time will vary from several weeks to several months depending on the number of items required.

 The following steps can be followed:

• Obtain a death certificate/report from the hospital or from the police if the person died outside a hospital. 
• Fill out and have notarized an Affidavit of Next of Kin (can be done in the U.S. or the closest U.S. Embassy/Consulate) if the document of kinship, such as marriage certificate, may not be presented.
• Fill out and have notarized a Power of Attorney, if necessary, granting someone in China the legal authority to take care of all arrangements. 
• Work with a local funeral home to make arrangements for the disposition of remains. 
• Go to the local Entry Exit Bureau to cancel the current Chinese visa. 
• Obtain a Consular Report of Death Abroad at the U.S. Consulate.  This can be done by the next of kin or their legal representative, including a funeral home.

Consulate-Issued Reports of Death of an American Citizen Abroad:

Obtaining a Consular Report of Death Abroad

A Consular Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad (CRODA) is a document prepared by the U.S. Embassy/Consulate in English based upon a death certificate issued by a competent authority in China.  It can be used in U.S. courts and other institutions to settle estate matters.  Individuals should apply for the report at the Embassy/Consulate that has jurisdiction over the area in which the death occurred. In most cases, the following items will be required in order to issue the report of death:

• The original death certificate from the local hospital, with cause of death listed. (Note: some funeral homes require the hospital death certificate to be notarized with a Chinese notary public before cremation, or before shipping remains back to the United States).  
• The cremation report from the funeral home (or other documentation relating to the disposition of remains if cremation is not applicable).
• The American citizen’s U.S. passport.
• The American citizen’s social security number.
• The deceased’s last addresses in both China and the United States.
• The names of any individuals who lived with or were traveling with the deceased at the time the death occurred.

The Consulate will provide the next of kin with up to 20 copies of the Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad free of charge. 

Additional copies can be obtained subsequently by contacting the Department of State, Passport Services, Correspondence Branch, 1111 19th Street, N.W., Suite 510, Washington, D.C. 20522-1705, Tel.: (202) 955-0307. Submit a signed, written request including all pertinent facts along with requester's return address and telephone number.  For the most up to date contact information, please visit the Family Issues section of the State Department’s Travel Website: www.travel.state.gov.

Documentation Required to Ship the Cremated Remains

The Consular Mortuary Certificate is required for the shipment of remains, not of ashes. For the shipment of ashes, the cancelled passport, the Report of Death, a translated Chinese death certificate and a cremation certificate, which states that the body has been cremated in accordance with local law and that the urn contains only the remains of the deceased, must accompany the remains. The family is strongly recommended to confirm with the relevant airlines with regard to its requirement and procedure of shipping/bringing cremated human ashes in advance.

Disposition and Shipment of Remains

The following companies and funeral home can make all the necessary arrangements for disposition and shipment of remains. The Next of Kin or the agency should directly contact the specific company for the details of the arrangements.

• Chengdu Mortuary Home: (8628) 8351-6461/135-5013-4133, Fax: (8628) 8350-1234
• Yunnan Provincial Funeral and Interment Center: (86871) 6573-2613/130-853-61119, Fax: (8610) 6464-9111 
• Chongqing Mortuary Home: (8623) 6861-0585/136-083-50771, Fax: (8623) 6861-0006
• Guiyang Mortuary Home: (86851)6287-414/6287-424, Fax: (86851)6287-466

(Always instruct the morgue or the hospital to keep the remains in cold storage until officially notified as to how to dispose of the remains)

Please read Bereavement in China for additional information.