Consular Report of Death Abroad

Consular Report of Death Abroad: The U.S. Record of a Death Overseas

A Consular Report of Death Abroad, issued on Form DS-2060 and usually shortened to CRDA, is the official United States record of the death of a U.S. citizen in another country. It is prepared by the U.S. embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over the place of death, based on the local death certificate issued by the foreign authorities.

The CRDA is the document U.S. agencies, courts, banks and insurers accept as proof of a death that happened outside the country. It serves the same function a state-issued death certificate serves for a death within the United States.

What It Contains

The report records the decedent’s full name, date and place of birth, date and place of death, cause of death as certified by the foreign authority, the disposition of the remains, and the name of the person who reported the death. It is issued in English and does not require translation.

Why the Foreign Death Certificate Is Not Enough

The local certificate remains the legal record in the country where the death occurred, but it will typically be in another language, follow an unfamiliar format, and carry no authentication a U.S. institution can verify. The CRDA converts that record into a form U.S. institutions recognise, which is why Social Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, life insurers and probate courts ask for it rather than the foreign original.

How to Obtain Copies

The consulate issues the first set of certified copies to the next of kin or legal representative at no charge, usually around twenty. Additional copies are requested afterwards from the U.S. Department of State’s Vital Records Office in Washington, not from any state vital records office — no U.S. state holds this record. Order generously at the outset: institutions frequently keep the copy they are given.

Deaths on Military Installations Overseas

A death on a U.S. military base abroad is still a death in a foreign country for records purposes. No state will issue a death certificate for it, and the CRDA is the record that exists.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a CRDA the same as a death certificate?

It performs the same role for a death abroad, and U.S. institutions treat it as equivalent. It is issued by the State Department rather than a state registrar.

Can I get one from my state vital records office?

No. No state holds it. Additional copies come from the U.S. Department of State.

Does a CRDA need an apostille?

For use inside the United States, no. If a foreign authority requires it, the State Department can authenticate the document.

What if the death was never reported to the embassy?

No CRDA exists until it is. Contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate to the place of death; a report can be prepared later, though it takes longer.

How is this different from a Consular Report of Birth Abroad?

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad records the birth of a U.S. citizen overseas and is evidence of citizenship. A CRDA records a death and is evidence of that death. They are separate documents on separate forms.

Related Terms

Death Certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Decedent, Cause of Death, Apostille