Without a death certificate, it is impossible to carry out any transaction related to the death, such as receiving a funeral benefit, managing the obligations of the deceased, or even organizing the funeral.

The death certificate is provided free of charge by the civil status acts registration authorities based on an application.

• In the event of an autopsy of the deceased's body, the death certificate is issued based on a free conclusion regarding the cause of death.
• Without an autopsy, the death certificate can be issued based on a certificate from a physician providing a conclusion on the cause of death.

If a child is stillborn or dies within the first 4 weeks of life, the CSAR body must be notified of the death by:

• The head of the medical organization where the birth took place or where the child died,
• in the event of a birth outside of a medical organization, the head of the medical organization or the physician who confirmed the fact of the stillbirth or the death of the child within the first 4 weeks of life.

For the state registration of death, it is necessary to submit the following documents:

• The identification document of the person receiving the death certificate and its copy,

• the passport of the deceased,

• the number of the conclusion on the cause of death, which is issued by a doctor or a pathological center.

To organize the funeral of the deceased, you can visit the "Special Service of the Population" State Private Limited Company (SPJC), more commonly known as the Funeral Bureau (address: 6/1 Erebuni Street).

The cemetery, as well as the day and time of the funeral, is determined according to the application. Additionally, you can make the necessary service payments on-site.

Please note that cemeteries operate without days off, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

To organize a funeral service according to religious traditions, it is necessary to choose the church where you wish to hold the service and contact that specific church to become familiar with all the conditions for organizing the funeral.

Registration is made in the register of burials and burial plots based on the death certificate, and a cemetery certificate is issued to the person undertaking the organization of the funeral.

A burial plot with an area of 2.5 square meters is provided free of charge for the interment of the remains of the deceased.

For a family grave, a maximum area of 12.5 square meters is provided on a free-of-charge basis.

You can find the list of Yerevan's cemeteries here.

• In an active cemetery at the deceased's place of residence or registration. If there is no space available there, then in the nearest open cemetery.
• If the deceased had no residence address, in the community where the person organizing the funeral resides or is registered.
• In a location previously certified by a notary according to a preference or will, provided there is free space or a relative's grave there.
• In a family grave, provided there is consent from the person using that specific grave.
• In private cemeteries or state cemeteries (in special cases).

A funeral benefit is assigned in the event of:

• The death of a pensioner,
• the death of a person with a disability, if they died within 3 months after the expiration of their disability re-examination period without having appeared for the examination,
• the death of a person recognized as having a disability who had not yet applied for the benefit and died within 3 months from the date of being recognized as having a disability,
• the death of a former serviceman discharged from service who had a disability and had acquired the right to a pension but had not applied for its assignment within 6 months after discharge or after being recognized as having a disability.

Attention

• In the case of the death of a beneficiary residing in a social protection institution, the funeral benefit is not paid if the funeral is carried out by that institution.
• A mandatory condition for assigning the benefit is that the beneficiary must have passed away and the burial must have taken place in the Republic of Armenia.

The funeral benefit is provided by the Unified Social Service (USS) of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia (formerly the State Social Security Service). The benefit is assigned based on a corresponding application submitted to any regional center of the USS.

The funeral benefit is provided exclusively to the person who organized the funeral and only if a death certificate is available.

The lump-sum funeral benefit is AMD 200,000.

To apply for the funeral benefit, it is necessary to submit:

• Passport or identification card,
• death certificate and its copy,
• in the event of the death of a person whose disability period had expired and who had not appeared for re-examination, in addition to the documents mentioned above, a certificate regarding the deceased person's failure to appear for re-examination is also submitted.

The certificate is provided by the competent state body performing the medical-social examination.

You can apply for the funeral benefit within 6 months after the death of the relative.

If the application is submitted later than 6 months, the application for the funeral benefit is rejected.

The funeral benefit is provided within 5 working days after the application is submitted.

Heirs by law are individuals who have a kinship tie with the deceased.

First-order heirs are:

• the spouse,
• the children,
• the parents. Grandchildren may receive an inheritance in place of their parent if their parent died before the deceased (the testator).

Second-order heirs are:

• brothers,
• sisters. The children of brothers and sisters may receive an inheritance in place of their parent if their parent died before the deceased (the testator).

Third-order heirs are:

• grandmothers,
• grandfathers.

Fourth-order heirs are:

• the parents' brothers (uncles),
• the parents' sisters (aunts). The cousins of the deceased may receive an inheritance in place of their parent if their parent died before the deceased (the testator).

According to a will, an heir can be anyone to whom the deceased person decides to bequeath any property.

Yes. A will can be appealed in court and declared invalid through a lawsuit filed by an individual whose rights or interests have been violated by the will, or if doubts have arisen regarding its authenticity.

For example, the inheritance received via a will can be modified in cases where the deceased has children with disabilities, an incapacitated spouse, or parents and children who have reached the age of 60. These individuals are considered "mandatory heirs" and, regardless of the contents of the will, have the right to claim at least half of the inheritance by court order.

Yes. To waive an inheritance, the heir must appear at the notary office in the deceased's (testator's) last place of residence and submit an application to the notary regarding the waiver of the inheritance.

By waiving the entitled inheritance, the heir can no longer withdraw the waiver application from the notary.

If no will was made, the right of inheritance primarily extends to the person's spouse, children, and parents. They have equal rights to manage the inherited property.

Second-order heirs are the deceased's biological brothers and sisters, as well as their children through the principle of representation (if the parents are deceased). Finally, only then can the deceased's paternal and maternal grandmothers and grandfathers be recognized as heirs.

If the deceased had credit obligations, after their death, those obligations are transferred to the first-order heirs or to the guarantor specified in the loan agreement.

After the loss of a relative, the following are not transferred to the heirs:

• alimony rights and obligations,
• the right to receive compensation for damage caused to life or health.

The inheritance must be accepted within 6 months from the date the succession is opened (the date of death). During this 6-month period, heirs must visit the notary office at the deceased's (testator's) last place of residence and submit an application to the notary regarding the acceptance of the inheritance.

If a will is certified by a notary, it is already considered authentic. Before confirming a will, the notary verifies the identity documents of the person writing it, ensures that they are indeed the author, and then validates the document.

In this way, the notary certifies that the person writing the will is aware of their actions and that the will is credible. (On the last line of the document, the person signs a statement confirming they are acting consciously and are intentionally transferring the inheritance to the individuals mentioned in the will).

If the will was not certified by a notary—for example, it was written at home—or even if it was certified but it is later discovered that the person had mental health issues and did not truly comprehend their actions, the affected parties can apply to the court to determine the credibility of the will by appealing it through the judicial process.