Death is a time of crisis for one's family and friends no matter where it takes place. If death occurs overseas the experience can be even more traumatic, especially if the procedures involved are not clearly understood.

The Consulate can assist family and friends in the event of the death of an American Citizen in the State of Chihuahua. The Consulate maintains a list of funeral services  in the state. The Consulate can also assist in arranging disposition of remains and forwarding of personal effects. Please read our latest Disposition of Remains Report.

The below instructions are for deaths in the State of Chihuahua (please see our Embassy and Consulates contact information page if the death occurred elsewhere in Mexico.)

There are several important things that the Next of Kin must do in conjunction with the Embassy or the Consulates. We stand ready to assist you with any of these steps at any point.

Reporting the death of an American Citizen

Any death of a U.S. citizen in the State of Chihuahua should be reported immediately to the police and to the Consulate.

Deaths of U.S. military members should also be reported to the appropriate branch of service.

The U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua’s American Citizen Services Unit can be reached through by dialing (from Mexico) 656-227-3411 (from the U.S. 915-534-6060, ext. 3411). After hours, the duty officer is available at 044-656-215-0725 (from anywhere in Mexico other than Ciudad Juarez the 044 must be substituted with 045, and 011-52-1 if from the U.S.)

When reporting a death to us, if possible, please tell us the deceased person's name, date and place of birth, passport number, date and place of death, cause of death, and the location of the remains. We also need the full name and phone number of the next of kin if available.

In cases where we learn of the death of an American in the State of Chihuahua area, we will as quickly as possible determine who is the Next of Kin of the deceased and contact that person by telephone immediately.

In some situations, however, it may not be possible to immediately determine who the Next of Kin is. In these cases, we will work with authorities from the State of Chihuahua, the Department of State's Passport records and any other resources available to locate and contact the Next of Kin.

Communicating your relationship to the deceased

We seek to carry out the wishes of the Next of Kin. Generally, the Next of Kin is held to be the spouse, the adult children, the parent(s) or the siblings of the deceased (and it’s also determined in this order).

Our fax number is 656-227-3264. Our mailing address is American Citizen Services Section, American Consulate Ciudad Juarez, P.O. Box 10545, El Paso, TX 79995.

Decisions to be made by the Next of Kin

Article 348 of the Ley General de Salud (Health Law) states that the burial or cremation of a corpse can only be done with the authorization of the appropriate Civil Registry official, he will also require the Mexican Death Certificate, the burial or cremation should take place within 48 hours from the time of death, unless the appropriate authority approves otherwise. The scarcity of refrigerated storage facilities also dictates that the disposition of remains be completed as quickly as possible. The following paragraphs explain the options you have for making your decisions.

If the deceased was a retired member of the United States Armed Forces, please let us know so we can put you in touch with the appropriate service's Office of Mortuary Affairs in the United States.

Burial flags are available from the Veteran's Administration for most veterans who were honorably discharged. Contact the Department of Veterans Affairs website for details.

You have a couple of options regarding the disposition of your loved one's remains. You may have the remains cremated or buried in Mexico, you may have the remains embalmed and shipped to another location, such as the United States for burial or cremation.

Cremation, burial in Mexico

The cost for cremation or burial in Mexico can vary depending on the funeral service hired and the place of burial. Please note that Mexican law does not permit for the remains of a body that passed away from criminal action, suspicious circumstances or is part of an official investigation to be cremated.

Repatriation to the U.S.

Should you decide to have the remains returned to the U.S. for burial or cremation, the cost would be substantially greater due to the high cost of air freight/ground transportation. The total cost for preparation and air shipment also varies depending on the funeral service hired and the place where the remains will be shipped.

Funeral homes are usually unable to begin work until they have payment in hand. You can access our page with location, contact information and approximate pricing for Funeral services located in the State of Chihuahua.

Preparation and air shipment are carried out in accordance with the laws of and facilities available in Mexico and in some cases, the services fall short of those expected in the U.S. We recommend that you ask your home town funeral director to determine the advisability of viewing the remains.

Unless the funeral home you hire in Mexico has offices in the U.S., your loved one's remains will need to be received in the U.S. by a different, licensed funeral home. If this is the case you will need to make arrangements for receipt with your home town funeral director.

Necessary process for recovering remains.

In order to recover and have the remains prepared for burial/cremation or transport to the U.S. the body has to be officially identified with the Mexican authorities, for this they require that a direct family member presents himself in their offices bringing picture id, from the deceased the documents needed are: birth certificate and form of identification (passport, birth certificate or picture ID). A representative from the funeral home that will provide the service has to be present as well so by this time the establishment of your choosing must have been notified, usually the Funeral Service will be the one who will issue a Mexican Death Certificate, otherwise it can be obtained through the Mexican Civil Registry.

In some instances, the Next of Kin is unable to travel to Mexico for any number of reasons, in these cases we ask that we are contacted so we can go through different options to conduct this process.

Mortuary Arrangements in Mexico

Absent any special circumstances (such as the death having occurred as the result of a crime), Mexican law allows remains to be cremated or embalmed immediately following death and a suitable funeral home should be contacted.

While you are free to contact any funeral home you wish, and while we cannot endorse any private business, we are aware of several establishments in the Chihuahua area that can assist and have provided adequate embalming services in the past. See List of Funeral Homes in the State of Chihuahua.

Timing

Many factors can affect how much time will be needed to prepare your loved one's remains for return to the United States. Because of these many variables, it is best not to make plans for ceremonies and the like until the funeral home you are working with can provide a firm timetable.

Here are some estimates of the time various steps of the process may take.

• The identification of the remains can be done in several ways including visual, fingerprints, dental records and DNA testing, these processes can take from a couple of hours to several weeks.
• The police may withhold permission to cremate or embalm for as long as necessary if they believe the death was as the result of a crime which they need to investigate. This investigation may in some instances require an autopsy, which by itself may require one or more days.
• Embalming or cremation may take several days depending on the location of the remains and the schedule of the mortuary company.
• Cremated remains properly prepared may be taken by the Next-of-Kin on a commercial flight. Embalmed remains must be transported as cargo, and require processing by the Mexican airline. The arrangements for shipping may take several days.
• Embalmed remains must be turned over to a licensed mortician at the airport or Port of Entry in the U.S.
• In some cases, no space may be available on outgoing flights for embalmed remains, introducing delays.
• The paper work necessary from the Consulate can typically be issued within one business day once we have the proper documentation from the Mexican authorities.

The Report of Death

The Consulate prepares a Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad for every civilian American who dies in the State of Chihuahua. This certificate is based on the Mexican Death Certificate and is valid for use in the United States.

In order to issue a Report of Death abroad, we need the following documents: Mexican Death Certificate and proof of U.S. citizenship (copy of U.S. Passport, birth certificate or Naturalization Certificate) of the deceased, picture ID of the Next of Kin. These documents can be submitted in person, by fax (from the U.S.) to 011-52-656-227-3264 or by email to cdjamericancitizens@state.gov, we anticipate an interval of about two to three business days for processing.

Some U.S. insurance companies, other agencies, and courts in the U.S. request information on our legal authority to issue such reports. That authority is contained in 22 U.S. Code 4196; 22 Code of Federal Regulations 72.1.

Twenty copies of the Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad, issued at the time of death, will be provided to the Next of Kin free of charge and the original will be sent to the Department of State for permanent filing. If in the future you find you need additional copies, they can be obtained for a fee of 50 dollars per copy. Please send a signed and notarized written request including all pertinent facts of the occasion along with a copy of the requester's valid photo identification to the following office. For more details on how to make a request, please visit the State Department's travel site.

U.S. Department of State
Passport Vital Records Office
1111 19th Street NW, Suite 510
Washington, DC 20522-1705

Transporting crematory remains to the U.S.

Visit the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website for information on traveling with crematory remains. 

In Case of Emergency

DO NOT Call This Line For Visa Inquiries.

American Citizen After-Hours Emergency Line

(656)215-0725

If calling from a Ciudad Juarez phone dial 044 before the number.

If calling from other parts in Mexico dial 045 before the number.

If calling from the U.S. dial 011- 521 before the number.

or Non-Emergency Issues and all visa related inquiries, please see our Contact Information Page to contact the Consulate during regular business hours.