[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 25, Volume 1] [Revised as of April 1, 2003] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 25CFR15.101] [Page 66-67] TITLE 25--INDIANS CHAPTER I--BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PART 15--PROBATE OF INDIAN ESTATES, EXCEPT FOR MEMBERS OF THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES--Table of Contents Subpart B--Starting the Probate Process Sec. 15.101 How do I begin the BIA probate process? As soon as possible you should contact the nearest BIA agency or regional office where the decedent was enrolled to inform us of the decedent's death. You must provide a certified copy of the death certificate, if one exists. If a death certificate does not exist, you may provide one or more of the following: (a) A copy of the obituary notice from a local newspaper; or (b) Any other document that we accept that verifies the death, such as a church record or a court record; and (c) An affidavit of death prepared by the tribe with whom the decedent was [[Page 67]] associated or someone who knows about the decedent's death that supports the information in paragraph (a) or (b) of this section.