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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

    In order to register a death, the necessary documents – accompanied by a German translation where required – must be submitted to the registry office.

    Depending on the marital status of the deceased, the following documents are required:

    • Single: Birth certificate
    • Married: Marriage certificate or an extract from the register of marriages
    • Divorced: Marriage certificate from the most recent marriage, together with proof of its dissolution (e.g. a final divorce decree or an extract from the marriage register showing the divorce)
    • Widowed: Marriage certificate and proof of the dissolution of the marriage (e.g. the spouse’s death certificate or an extract from the marriage register showing the dissolution)
    • If a civil partnership existed, this must be proven by means of the relevant documents.

    In addition, the following must be submitted:

    • the medical certificate of death,
    • proof of the deceased person’s last place of residence.

    Please bring the required documents with you, preferably the originals. If available, you may also present the family register and the deceased person’s identity card.

    To speed up the process and avoid waiting times, you can email the documents relating to the deceased to the registry office in advance.

    Please note that, in certain cases, the registry office may require you to provide further documents or evidence, provided these are necessary for the registration of the death.

  • 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