Steps to be taken by the close relatives or friends

An interactive PDF format of this checklist is also available for download and printing and includes a note-taking section.

Death outside Québec or transportation of a body outside Québec

If the person died in Canada, but outside Québec, you must contact a Québec funeral home.

If the person died outside Canada, you must contact the Canadian office in the country where the remains are located to find out about the procedures in force.

To transport the body of a person outside the province who died in Québec, you must request authorization from a coroner.

For all the information you need, visit the page Death outside Québec or transportation of a body outside Québec .

Death requiring the coroner's intervention

The coroner intervenes in certain circumstances, including

• in the event of a violent, obscure or negligent death
• when the cause of death is unknown

The coroner is usually called by a doctor or a peace officer. However, if you have reason to believe that a violent, obscure or negligent death has escaped the coroner's attention, you can report it to them.

For all the information you need, see the section Death requiring the coroner's intervention .

If your deceased close relative or friend did not purchase funeral arrangements prior to their death, you must make arrangements through a licensed vendor.

For all the information you need, see the section Buying funeral arrangements .

If the deceased person held a joint account with a spouse or former spouse, the financial institution must pay the survivor their share of the account balance.

For all the information you need, see the section Measures for co-holders of a bank account .

As part of your job, you are entitled to days off in the event of the death of a close relative or friend.

For all the information you need, visit the page Deaths and funerals. 

You must sign the declaration of death and complete the Application for the simplified forwarding of information relative to the death form in the presence of the funeral services company representative. This form allows the Directeur de l’état civil to notify several government departments and agencies of the death in one single step. This way, you won't have to send them the death certificate. 

Next, you must complete the Application for a Certificate or Copy of an Act of Death  and send it to the Directeur de l’état civil. These documents are necessary for the liquidation of the succession.

The funeral services company representative can apply online for you or give you a paper form.

For all the information you need, visit the page Obtaining official documents related to the death .

If the deceased was insured by the health insurance plan, you must inform the RAMQ of the death and return the health insurance card.  If the death occurred in Québec, you can give it to the funeral director.

As soon as RAMQ cancels a deceased person's health insurance card, it also terminates their registration with the public drug insurance plan, if applicable.

If they were covered by a private plan, you must contact the insurer.

For all the information you need, visit the page Death of a loved one. 

If you completed the Application for the simplified forwarding of information relative to the death* in the presence of the funeral services company representative, the Directeur de l'état civil automatically notifies the following departments or agencies of deaths occurring in Québec:

• Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec
• Retraite Québec (for the Québec Pension Plan and Family Allowance)
• Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (for social assistance and social solidarity programs) 
• Revenu Québec (for benefits granted under the Taxation Act)
• Canada Revenue Agency
• Service Canada (to update the Social Insurance Register)

In addition to the above-mentioned government departments, other departments and agencies may be notified of the death if the Application for the simplified forwarding of information relative to the death form has been completed in the presence of the funeral services company representative:

• Retraite Québec (for public sector pension plans : RREGOP, RRPE or other)
• Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST)
• Sûreté du Québec – Bureau du contrôleur des armes à feu et des explosifs
• Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux – Direction des affaires autochtones
• Ministère de la Sécurité publique – Service d’immatriculation des armes à feu du Québec (SIAF)
• Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (for social assistance and social solidarity programs)
• Régie du bâtiment du Québec
• Indigenous Services Canada
• Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ)

If you have not completed the Application for the simplified forwarding of information relative to the death in the presence of the funeral services company representative, you must notify the appropriate government departments and agencies concerned . 

Government departments and agencies not notified by the Directeur de l’état civil

Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur - Student Financial Assistance 

In the event of the death of a student receiving a loan or bursary, you must must  notify  the Direction générale de l'Aide financière aux études. For contact details, visit Québec.ca.

Curateur public 

In the case of a protection mandate,   the mandataries of the deceased person must produce a final rendering of accounts and submit it to the heirs.

In the case of a tutorship to a minor  or to a person of full age,   the deceased's tutor must produce a final administration report and submit it to the liquidator of the succession or to the heirs, as the case may be.

You must notify the Curateur public  in both cases.

Terminate of power of attorney

It is advisable to write on any power of attorney that it is no longer valid.

If a power of attorney is notarized, indicate on your copy that it is no longer in effect and advise the notary to indicate this on the original and any copies.

Notify financial institutions and persons with whom the mandatary may have had dealings that the power of attorney is no longer valid.

For all the information you need, see the section Terminating services and adjusting benefits .

If the deceased was a tenant (lessee), you must notify the landlord (lessor) of the death.

For all the information you need, visit the page Death of the lessee .

You need to research whether or not the deceased left a will.

You are required by law to make a will search with the Chambre des notaires du Québec and the Barreau du Québec.

Holograph wills and wills made in the presence of witnesses must be probated. Probating the will  is carried out either by a notary or by the Superior Court.

If the deceased did not leave a will, the succession is liquidated according to the provisions of the Civil Code of Québec.

For all the information you need, see the sections Searching for a will  or Dying without leaving a will .

As a successor, you have 6 months to accept or refuse the succession, from the day it is opened (generally the date of death).

Before making your decision, it is advisable to wait for the notice of closure of the inventory published by the liquidator in the Register of personal and movable real rights (RDPRM) (French only). Consulting the inventory may reveal the existence of certain unknown assets or creditors.

For all the information you need, visit the page Accepting or refusing a succession .

If the deceased had unused or out-of-date medication, you must return it to a pharmacy.

For all the information you need, see the section Safe disposal of expired or unused medication .

As a close relative or friend of the deceased, you may be entitled to certain benefits in the following situations:

• You are the payer of the funeral expenses.
• You contributed to the enrichment of your deceased spouse.
• Your spouse contributed to a pension plan.
• You are receiving student financial assistance and the deceased was contributing financially to your education. 
• The deceased had life insurance.
• You or your deceased spouse receive the family allowance.
• The person died as a result of a road accident.
• The person died as a result of a hunting or trapping accident.
• The person died as a result of a work-related accident or illness.
• The person died as a result of a criminal offence or an act of citizenship.

For all the information you need, see the section Claiming an amount following a death .