Register a US death in Ecuador: two consular routes and their fees

When an Ecuadorian dies in the United States, the death is recorded in the system of Ecuador’s Civil Registry (DIGERCIC) through an Ecuadorian consulate. gob.ec publishes two procedures with different fees: recording the death from the health professional’s death certificate (inscripción: free within 48 hours, US$5.00 after) and registering a death already recorded by a foreign authority (registro: US$50.00), and both pages also list a US$5.00 DIGERCIC service charge (fees published by Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry on gob.ec, checked October 3, 2026). gob.ec does not say which one applies when the family has a death certificate issued by a US state: ask your consulate before paying.

Versión en español

The two routes

Recording the death (inscripción)Registering a death recorded by a foreign authority (registro)
What the consulate doesThe consul “INSCRIBE” (records) the death in the DIGERCIC systemThe consul “REGISTRA” (registers) a death “inscrita ante autoridad extranjera”
US document“Certificado de defunción o su equivalente otorgado por el profesional de la salud que atendió la defunción en el extranjero” (death certificate from the attending health professional)“Copia del acta de inscripción de defunción certificada por el ente emisor del país de origen” (copy of the death record certified by the issuing office)
FeeFree if ordinary (within 48 hours); US$5.00 if extraordinary (after 48 hours)US$50.00
Additional charge listedUS$5.00 “Prestación de Servicio de DIGERCIC”US$5.00 “Prestación de Servicio de DIGERCIC”
2023 Fee Schedule item6.1.2 (free) and 6.1.8 (US$5.00)6.1.16 (US$50.00)
gob.ec pageUpdated June 17, 2024Updated June 17, 2024

The inscripción page does not say whether the US$5.00 DIGERCIC charge also applies to the free ordinary inscripción. The registro page says the 100% exemption applies to people with a disability of 30% or more.

The Civil Registry FAQ, for registering at a consulate a death that happened abroad, asks for a “certificado de defunción emitida por autoridad competente del país de origen, debidamente apostillado o legalizado y traducido” (death certificate issued by the competent authority, apostilled or legalized and translated), the applicant’s valid cédula, and a special power of attorney if a third party applies. That page does not say which fee applies.

Ordinary and extraordinary

gob.ec defines an ordinary inscripción as one made “de 0 a 48 horas desde que ocurrió el hecho” (within 0 to 48 hours of the death); after 48 hours it is extraordinary. gob.ec’s summary of Articles 64 to 69 of the Organic Law on Identity and Civil Data Management says a death must be registered before burial or cremation, that close family must request it “normalmente dentro de las primeras 48 horas” (normally within the first 48 hours), and that if it happens in another country it can be done at a consulate.

Who can request it

According to gob.ec, the people obliged to declare and request the inscripción are:

  1. The surviving spouse or partner.
  2. Sons or daughters over 18.
  3. The father or mother.
  4. Relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second of affinity.
  5. Other relatives over 18.

If none of them is available, gob.ec lists directors of health, social-assistance or prison facilities, among others.

Documents

For either route, gob.ec asks for:

  • The US death document that matches the route (see the table), apostilled or legalized and translated into Spanish if needed. For the registro, gob.ec adds that a translation made abroad must be apostilled or legalized.
  • Cédula (physical or digital) or passport, Ecuadorian or foreign, of the applicant.
  • Special power of attorney if a third party handles it (gob.ec’s page for registering a death already recorded by a foreign authority lists the power of attorney as an “alternative” document when the applicant is a foreigner — confirm with the consulate which applies).
  • Proof of payment.

The New York consulate says on its page (undated) that any US-issued document presented for a consular procedure, including death records, “deberán estar traducidos al Español, notarizados y apostillados” (must be translated into Spanish, notarized and apostilled), and that “la apostilla deberá realizarse tanto en el documento original como en la traducción notarizada” (both the original and the notarized translation must be apostilled).

To order the death certificate in the US, see vital records by state. For the apostille, see how to apostille a US document.

Step by step

According to gob.ec:

  1. Contact the nearest consulate. The Foreign Ministry appointment system is at citas.cancilleria.gob.ec.
  2. Go to the consular office and hand the documents to the consular officer.
  3. Pay under the Consular and Diplomatic Fee Schedule.
  4. Review and confirm the death record data.
  5. Sign the records.

The result is the death record in the DIGERCIC system, valid “indefinida” (indefinitely). To find your consulate, see Ecuador consulates in the US.

The alternative in Ecuador

gob.ec’s summary of Articles 23, 24 and 34 of the Organic Law on Identity and Civil Data Management says consulates can register deaths that happened in other countries and that “si el registro no se hizo en el exterior, también puede realizarse en el Registro Civil del Ecuador, presentando los documentos necesarios, traducidos y legalizados cuando corresponda” (if not done abroad, it can be done at Ecuador’s Civil Registry with the necessary documents, translated and legalized where applicable). A relative in Ecuador can ask the Civil Registry about that route.

After the registration

Your US immigration status

The gob.ec requirements for these procedures are the applicant’s cédula or passport and the death document; they do not ask for the applicant’s US immigration documents.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Consular fees and requirements change, and gob.ec does not say which route applies to each US document. Verify directly with your Ecuadorian consulate before paying. Not legal advice.