Death

  • Performance specification

    The registry office in whose district the death occurred is responsible for notarising the death. The death must be reported to the relevant registry office no later than the third working day following the death.

    The obligation to report a death verbally applies to

    • any person who lived in the same household as the deceased,
    • the person in whose home the death occurred,
    • any person who was present at the death or who is informed of the death from his or her own knowledge.

    A person is deemed to have knowledge of a death if he or she can recognise on the basis of his or her own perception that a particular person has died, e.g. if he or she has seen the corpse, is convinced of who the deceased was and presents the civil status documents and evidence required for the certification of the death.

    In the case of deaths, e.g. in hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, the organisation responsible for the facility is obliged to provide written notification.

  • Required documents

    The notifying party submits documents and, if necessary, translations to the registry office if the deceased was

    • unmarried - the birth certificate must be presented,
    • married - the marriage certificate or a copy of the marriage register must be submitted,
    • divorced - the marriage certificate of the last marriage and proof of its dissolution, e.g. in the form of a final divorce decree or a copy of the marriage register with a note of divorce, must be submitted,
    • widowed - the marriage certificate and proof of dissolution, e.g. in the form of the spouse's death certificate or a copy of the marriage register with a note of dissolution, must be submitted.
    • Furthermore, proof of the last place of residence and the death certificate issued by the doctor must be submitted.

    If the deceased was in a civil partnership, this must be evidenced by appropriate documents.


    The Beckum registry office will be happy to provide the documents from its own civil status registers. It is advisable to bring the above-mentioned documents and proofs in the original or the family record book and the identity card of the deceased. The registry office may request the submission of further documents if this is necessary to verify information.

  • Costs

    Death certificate: 10,00 Euro

    Each additional death certificate: € 5.00

    Death certificates for social security purposes: Free of charge


Responsible departments

Responsible staff