Embassy of the United States

Death and Disposition of Remains

In the event that you are faced with the death of a fellow American in Bulgaria, please contact the Embassy as soon as possible.  The Embassy/Consulate can provide information on local law and procedure, assist in notifying the deceased’s next-of-kin, help you find a funeral home that has experience handling repatriation of remains, and advise on the transfer of funds connected with these activities.  The U.S. Embassy will also issue a consular death certificate for use with U.S. institutions. 

Under Bulgarian law, an autopsy must be done when the cause of death is unknown or the police suspect a criminal act or foul play.  After the autopsy, the decedent is moved to the local morgue in advance of preparation by a local funeral director. At this stage, the next-of-kin may choose either to bring the decedent’s full remains back to the United States, to have the decedent cremated and the ashes returned to the United States, or to arrange for local burial/cremation. Please see below for more details about disposition of remains.

Consular Report of Death Abroad

Bulgarian authorities issue a Death Certificate that lists the individual’s name, time and place of death and cause of death.  The Embassy will request the decedent’s passport(s) as well as this Death Certificate in order to issue a death certificate in English that can be used in the United States.  The Consular Report of Death Abroad is the equivalent of a U.S. Death Certificate for resolving legal matters in the United States including estate and insurance proceedings.   The Embassy can provide up to 20 copies of the Consular Report of Death Abroad to the decedent’s next-of-kin free of charge. Additional copies are $6.00 each. Such reports are prepared within one to two days at the Embassy but may take four to eight weeks to reach a mailing address in the United States.  The Embassy will also cancel the decedent’s U.S. passport and return it to the next-of-kin and report the death to the appropriate government agencies if the decedent was receiving federal benefits.

Property

In rare cases, a consular officer from the Embassy can take temporary possession of a recently deceased American’s personal effects/property if no family members were traveling with the decedent. The Embassy will make a complete inventory of such possessions and will hold them for a limited period until the next-of-kin makes arrangements for assuming possession of the property. In these circumstances, the Embassy may charge storage fees and/or maintenance fees if the amount or property exceeds an ordinary amount of personal luggage or if special circumstances exist.

The deceased’s next of kin or spouse may be entitled to a lump sum death payment from the Social Security Administration and possibly other benefits.  The Embassy can advise and assist with the application(s).

All payments for preparation of the remains and repatriation may be arranged directly with the local funeral agent.  A U.S. Embassy or Consulate cannot provide this funding but can assist in locating and transferring funds should this service be required.  Most funeral homes accept bank transfer or Western Union payments.  There will be some deviation in prices depending on the region of Bulgaria where services are rendered. 

Disposition of Remains – Burial, Cremation, Repatriation