Form DS-5511 at a glance
What it is: U.S. Consular Officers request the information on this form to fulfill the requirements of 22 U.S.C. 2715c and to determine the next-of-kin of an American citizen who dies abroad.
Notary: The notary public signs on the Signature of Notary Public line, with the Type Name of Notary Public and the Address of Notary Public.
A filled-in Form DS-5511 example: a widow lists the survivors
How to fill out Form DS-5511, box by box
Tap a group of boxes to open it, and a picture to see it full size.
Venue
Under VENUE, fill in the State and the City.
Your name, where you reside and the date of death
After I, write Your Name; being duly sworn according to law, you declare that you reside at the Street Address you enter (Including City, State/or Country).
Enter the Date of Death as mm-dd-yyyy.
The deceased
Write the Name of Deceased and the Complete Address of the Deceased, where the deceased had permanent legal residence.
After "I am the", specify what you are: widow, widower, child, father, mother, sibling or other.
Name the state in the United States or the foreign country where the deceased last had a permanent legal residence, under whose laws you are entitled to receive the decedent's estate.
Write the Name of Deceased on the line in "To the best of my knowledge, ... did/did not have a will or trust specifying the disposition of his or her estate", and mark did or did not on the form.
The survivors, in order of kinship
Under NAME(S) OF SURVIVORS, IN ORDER OF KINSHIP, insert the names of living relatives in this order of relationship: surviving spouse, children, father and/or mother, brothers and/or sisters, other.
For each of the survivors, enter the Name, Date of Birth (mm-dd-yyyy), Address, Telephone Number and Relationship.
Signing with the notary public there
Sign on the Signature of Affiant line with the notary public there to see you sign (the notary public is the "me" in "Subscribed and sworn to before me by"), and fill in Type Name of Affiant and the Date (mm-dd-yyyy).
The notary public signs on the Signature of Notary Public line, with the Type Name of Notary Public and the Address of Notary Public.
More rules for Form DS-5511
Provide the information to the extent that it is available.
A U.S. Consular officer may only release the decedent's personal effects to a person who has qualified legally to take care of the decedent's estate or, in appropriate circumstances, to the next of kin.
Providing the information in the affidavit is voluntary, but failure to complete this form will require the person claiming to be next-of-kin to obtain and present alternative documents such as certified copies of Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or trust documents.
Common questions about Form DS-5511
Does a next of kin affidavit need to be notarized?
Sign on the Signature of Affiant line with the notary public there to see you sign (the notary public is the "me" in "Subscribed and sworn to before me by"), and fill in Type Name of Affiant and the Date (mm-dd-yyyy).
Sources
[1] Form DS-5511 (12-2024), Affidavit for the Surviving Spouse or Next of Kin, U.S. Department of State (the Official source link on this page).