Death of a Honduran in the US: registering it with the RNP
When a Honduran dies in the United States, the death is registered with Honduras’ Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP) through one of two routes the RNP publishes: “vía Consulado” and “vía Secretaría General del RNP”. On both, a relative, representative or legal attorney-in-fact files the documents at the windows of the Villatoro building, bulevar Morazán, Tegucigalpa, and no TGR-RNP fee is paid (undated RNP requirement sheets, checked October 3, 2026). If the US certificate is in English, it must be translated and the translation validated at the Foreign Ministry (SRECI), which charges L. 100.00 per document to approve a translation (fee published by SRECI, checked October 3, 2026).
Registration is a civil-registry procedure. It is not the same as repatriating the body, which has its own procedure and state fund: see repatriation of remains to Honduras.
Costs and timing
| Item | What the official source publishes (checked October 3, 2026) |
|---|---|
| RNP registration (both routes) | “No paga TGR-RNP” — no TGR-RNP fee (undated RNP sheets) |
| Translation validation at SRECI | L. 100.00 per document, TGR-1 receipt (SRECI FAQ) |
| Apostille on the US certificate | Charged by the US authority; see apostilling a document |
| Deadline to register a death that occurred abroad | The RNP sheets mention none |
| RNP processing time | Not published |
Watch out for the RNP page’s “3 months, free”
The RNP’s death page says: “El término para realizar la inscripción de defunción es de 3 meses y es un servicio gratuito” (the deadline to register a death is 3 months and it is a free service), and that a death certificate from the municipal civil registry is valid for 3 months. Those sentences sit in the section describing the death of a Honduran in national territory. The RNP sheets for deaths that occurred abroad do not repeat that deadline or that validity period; what they say about cost is that no TGR-RNP fee is paid. If you need to know whether a deadline applies to your case, ask the RNP.
The two routes the RNP publishes
| “Vía Consulado” route | “Vía Secretaría General del RNP” route | |
|---|---|---|
| Death certificate | “Certificado de defunción extendida por el consulado del país de procedencia y autenticado por la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores en Honduras” | “Certificado de defunción debidamente apostillado en el país donde ocurrió la defunción” |
| Translation | Not mentioned | “Si viene en idioma extranjero, traducir al español, validar en la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores” |
| Birth certificate | Of the deceased | Of the deceased |
| Who appears | A relative, representative or legal attorney-in-fact | A relative, representative or legal attorney-in-fact |
| Application | At the Secretaría General, addressed to the RNP Commissioners | At the Secretaría General, addressed to the RNP Commissioners |
| Where | Windows in the Villatoro building, bulevar Morazán, Tegucigalpa | Windows in the Villatoro building, bulevar Morazán, Tegucigalpa |
| Payment | No TGR-RNP fee | No TGR-RNP fee |
The practical difference is the certificate: the Secretaría General route starts from a certificate apostilled in the country where the death occurred; the consular route starts from a certificate issued by the consulate and authenticated by the Foreign Ministry in Honduras. The consular sheet explains nothing further; if you are unsure which applies, ask the RNP or the Honduran consulate before sending documents.
Documents
“Vía Secretaría General del RNP” route (RNP sheet):
- Death certificate duly apostilled in the country where the death occurred.
- If it is in a foreign language, a Spanish translation validated at the Foreign Ministry.
- The deceased’s birth certificate.
- Appearance of a relative, representative or legal attorney-in-fact.
- ID of the person filing the documents, plus a carta poder if they are a representative or attorney-in-fact.
- Application completed at the Secretaría General, addressed to the RNP Commissioners.
- Original and copy of every document.
“Vía Consulado” route (RNP sheet): the same items, except that the certificate is the one issued by the consulate of the country of origin and authenticated by the Foreign Ministry in Honduras, and the sheet does not mention translation.
The US death certificate is ordered in the state where the death occurred; see vital records by state. The deceased’s Honduran birth certificate is covered in Honduran birth certificate from the US.
Step by step
- Order the US death certificate in the state where the death occurred.
- Apostille it in the US if you will use the Secretaría General route; see apostilling a document.
- Have it translated and the translation validated by SRECI. For in-person filing, SRECI’s FAQ page says to first pay a TGR-1 receipt of L. 100.00 per document at any bank branch except Ficensa, then attach that receipt to the photocopies and translations handed in at SRECI windows 6 and 7. SRECI’s online portal lists a “Certificación de Traducción” procedure that asks for the TGR payment receipt, the translated documents and the originals: tramitedigital.sreci.gob.hn. SRECI does not say whether the TGR-1 can be paid from the US.
- Get the deceased’s birth certificate (certificación de acta de nacimiento).
- If no family member is in Honduras, grant a power of attorney to a representative; see Honduran power of attorney at a consulate.
- The person appearing completes the application at the RNP Secretaría General, addressed to the Commissioners, and files originals and copies of everything at the Villatoro building windows.
What the RNP does not offer from the US
The RNP sheets only describe filing in person in Tegucigalpa, at the Villatoro building windows. They mention no online filing, no mail filing and no filing at a consulate in the US for the registration itself. They do provide for a relative, a representative or a legal attorney-in-fact to appear, so someone in Honduras can file on the family’s behalf.
Your US immigration status
The RNP sheets for this procedure ask for no US immigration document: they ask for the death certificate, the deceased’s birth certificate and the ID of the person appearing.
RNP contact
The RNP publishes the email centrodecontacto@rnp.hn and the phone number 2247-9898 (as shown on its site). For translations and apostilles, SRECI publishes apostillas.traducciones@sreci.gob.hn and the phone numbers (504) 2236-0200 and (504) 2236-0300.
Related information
- Repatriation of remains to Honduras
- Registering a US marriage in Honduras
- Honduras consular procedures
- Honduran consulates in the US
- Apostille and authentication of Honduran documents
- Consulates by state
- Find pro bono immigration help
Official sources
- RNP — Defunción: https://www.rnp.hn/sites/rnpweb/Defuncion
- RNP — Requirements, death abroad via consulate (undated PDF): https://www.rnp.hn/sites/rnpweb/contenidos/REQ_DEF_HND_EXTJR_CONSUL_Requisitos_para_la_inscripcion_de_defuncion_de_hondurenos_ocurrido_en_el_extranjero_via_Consulado.pdf
- RNP — Requirements, death abroad via Secretaría General (undated PDF): https://www.rnp.hn/sites/rnpweb/contenidos/REQ_DEF_HND_EXTJR_SECGEN_Requisitos_para_la_inscripcion_de_defuncion_de_hondurenos_ocurrido_en_el_extranjero_via_Secretaria_General_del_RNP.pdf
- SRECI — FAQ (translation approval): https://sreci.gob.hn/preguntas-frecuentes
Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. The RNP requirement sheets are undated and can change without notice. Verify directly with Honduras’ Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP). Not legal advice.