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Report of Death
 

The U.S. Consulate in Shenyang stands ready to assist family and friends in the event of the death of a U.S. Citizen in our consular district. That district comprises Liaoning Province, Jilin Province and Heilongjiang Province.

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 (Waiban) of a sponsoring organization of the deceased person's travel to China. The Consulate is responsible for notifying the next of kin (NOK) 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.

The next of kin should fill out and have notarized an “Affidavit of Next of Kin” to allow them to make decisions on arrangements and disposition of 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 next arrangements. Consulate staff members are 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 provide a guide with more details on disposition of remains and associated costs.

After this step, the family or their legal representative will need to obtain an official local death certificate from the hospital or local police if the death occurred outside of the hospital. After the NOK obtains the local death certificate, he or she 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.

If the family needs a more detailed cause of death than that listed on the Chinese death certificate in order to execute the deceased American’s estate, they are able to request an autopsy for a fee.

If the cause of death is uncertain or related to a criminal case, an autopsy is usually required by local police. The autopsy processing time will vary from several days to one or two months depending on local police facilities.

Checking Chinese Visa Requirements

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 generally assist NOK 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.

Even if no Consulate 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. Consular officers can issue a Consular Report of Death 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. See details on how to obtain this report here.

A consular officer can help explain to the next of kin what is needed in each case.

The basic steps for dealing with the death of an American abroad are:

  1. 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).
  2. Fill out and have notarized a Power of Attorney form, if necessary, granting someone in China the legal authority to take care of all arrangements.
  3. Work with a local funeral home to obtain the necessary forms and make arrangements for the disposition of remains.
  4. Obtain a death report from the hospital, or from the police if the person died outside a hospital.
  5. Go to the local Entry Exit Bureau to cancel the current Chinese visa.
  6. 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. Consulate in English and is 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 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:

  1. The 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).
  2. The cremation report from the funeral home (or other documentation relating to the disposition of remains if cremation is not applicable).
  3. The American citizen’s U.S. passport.
  4. The American citizen’s social security number.
  5. The deceased’s last addresses in both China and the United States.
  6. 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.

Disposition and Shipment of Remains

The following companies can make all the necessary arrangements for disposition and shipment of remains.

  • Medex Assistance Beijing: (8610) 6595-8510 fax: (8610) 6595-8509
  • SOS International: (8610) 6462-9112/6462-9100 fax: (8610) 6464-9111
  • World Access: (8610) 6441-4916 fax: (8610) 6441-4911
  • Babaoshan Mortuary Home (embalming/cremation): (8610) 8825-7512 (Chinese only)
  • Roseates Beijing:cell phone: (86) 13911075392 fax: (8610) 87955196 website: http://www.roseates.com/

(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)