Reporting a death: who confirms the insurance document list?

Start with the responsible insurer’s procedure

Zurich’s life claims page provides for notification through its intermediary or claims channel and submission of a death certificate. This is that insurer’s procedure. Confirm the complete list needed for a decision against the particular contract and circumstances rather than relying on a general checklist.

Sources: Zurich — Sinistros Vida — checked 22 October 2026 ↗

Current examples of documents and their purpose

Allianz's life insurance help page asks for the policy number, a brief description, the event date and supporting documents. It distinguishes death certification, medical evidence for death from illness and incident evidence for accidental death. This illustrates that insurer's process; confirm the requirements for the policy you have found.

Fidelidade's death-claim form, dated February 2024 and available on its portal, distinguishes documents according to the cause. It mentions an heirship document where no beneficiaries are designated, identification and evidence of bank-account ownership. Do not treat this as a universal checklist or assume that relative, heir and beneficiary always mean the same person.

Sources: Allianz — Life insurance help and claim notification; accessed 29 October 2026 ↗ · Fidelidade — Life insurance death-claim form, February 2024, p. 1; accessed 29 October 2026 ↗

Keep one reference for each process

Fictional example: António’s family finds two policies. One family member gathers insurer contacts and obtains two claim references, keeping the answers separate. They record documents supplied, dates and additional requests. An acknowledgement from one insurer does not show that the other has assessed the claim or agreed to make a payment.

Track the request through four document states

As a practical method, use four states: requested, available, sent and requiring clarification. For each item, record who requested it and the claim reference. This distinguishes a document that still needs to be obtained from one whose receipt needs confirmation, without resending the whole file with every enquiry.

Fictional example: Ana has the policy reference and a document relating to the death, but needs clarification about the requested medical report. She notifies through the indicated channel and asks about that item. She records it as outstanding rather than replacing the report with her own explanation of the cause of death. She also checks the applicable deadlines instead of waiting until every document is available.

Use the appropriate channel

Establish the capacity in which you are acting and which information is necessary. Avoid circulating personal or clinical documents in a large group to seek help. If a request is unclear, ask its purpose and intended recipient. Read RMACHADO GROUP’s life guide to organise policy information and prepare a focused follow-up contact.