The American Citizen Services Unit (ACS) of the Consular Section can assist family and friends in the event of the death of an American Citizen in Haiti. The ACS Unit can act as liaison in arranging the disposition of remains and help with forwarding personal effects if there is no one present to do so on your behalf.
Even if no assistance is needed in making funeral arrangements, the death of an American citizen, whether resident or tourist in Haiti, should be reported to the ACS Unit so that a “Consular Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad” can be issued. This document is necessary to settle legal and estate matters in the United States. You may contact ACS at 509-2229-8000 or by email at acspap@state.gov.
The Disposition of Remains Report (Updated on April 2022) contains estimates of cost and other services related to the death of American citizens in Haiti. The information is updated tri-annually. The next update is scheduled for April 2025.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENT
The American Citizen services has information on mortuaries, local requirements and costs of shipping remains to the U.S. Whether or not family members are present, ACS can assist in making arrangements for the disposition of the remains, based on the wishes of the next-of-kin. It is important to remember, however, that no U.S. government funds are available to cover or defray any of the expenses involved.
One of the most important and first decisions the family needs to make is whether to bury their loved one locally or have the remains returned to the United States. Whatever the family opts for local burial, a funeral home should be selected to either do the service and burial according to the family’s wishes or prepare the remains for shipment to the United States. The family should be aware that costs for preparing and returning a body to the U.S. may be high and must be paid by the family.
CDC requirements for importing human remains depend upon if the body has been embalmed, cremated, or if the person died from a quarantinable communicable disease.
At this time, COVID-19 is a quarantine communicable disease in the United States and the remains must meet the standards for importation found in 42 Code of Federal Regulations Part 71.55 and may be cleared, released, and authorized for entry into the United States only under the following conditions:
- The remains are cremated; OR
- The remains are properly embalmed and placed in a hermetically sealed casket; OR
- The remains are accompanied by a permit issued by the CDC Director. The CDC permit (if applicable) must accompany the human remains at all times during shipment.
- Permits for the importation of the remains of a person known or suspected to have died from a quarantinable communicable disease may be obtained through the CDC Division of Global Migration and Quarantine by calling the CDC Emergency Operations Center at 770-488-7100 or emailing dgmqpolicyoffice@cdc.gov.
Please see CDC’s guidance for additional information.
CONSULAR REPORT OF DEATH ABROAD
The Consular Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad is an official report that provides the essential facts concerning the death of a U.S. citizen and is based on the Haitian death certificate.
In order to assist you with legal matters that may arise as a result of the death of your relative, certified copies of the “Consular Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad” prepared by the U.S. Embassy will be forwarded to you as soon as possible. This document is in English and can generally be used in U.S. courts to help settle estate matters, bank accounts, insurance policies, and similar matters.
To complete the Report of the Death Abroad, the next-of-kin or legal representative will have to complete and submit a list of information and documents. To obtain this list, please send an email to: acspap@state.gov or call our unit at 509-2229-8900.
There is no charge for preparing the death report and sending up to 20 copies each to the legal representative and the closest known relative(s). Additional copies may be obtained free of charge at the Embassy’s Consular Section in Port-au-Prince at the time of preparation.
Additional copies can be obtained by contacting:
Department of State
Passport Vital Records Section
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1213
Sterling, VA 20166-1213
Tel. (202) 485-8300
You must submit a notarized written request to the above address, with the following information:
- Full name of the deceased;
- Date and place of death;
- A copy of requester’s valid identification;
- The requester’s return address and telephone number;
- The Requester’s signature; and
- Appropriate fees, payable to the “Department of State” by check or money order
- There is a $50 fee for each certified copy of a Report of Death.
- Overnight Delivery: To cut down on the processing time, you may send your request to the above address using overnight delivery. To have your records returned to you using overnight delivery, include an additional $17.13 to cover overnight delivery or include a pre-paid envelope for the delivery service provider of your choice.
To schedule an appointment in order to complete the necessary paperwork for reporting the death of an American abroad, please email ACSPAP@state.gov or call the ACS Unit at 2229-8900.
