Leistungen A-Z

Deceased persons or stillbirths weighing 500 grams or more must be buried in accordance with Section 19 (1) sentence 1 of the Brandenburg Funeral Act. Miscarriages are to be buried if one of the two parents so wishes (§ 19 paragraph 1 sentence 2 Brandenburg Funeral Act).  

Who is the next of kin responsible for the funeral can be found in § 20 paragraph 1 of the Brandenburg Funeral Act. If the deceased person has not designated anyone, the relatives can decide for themselves who should take care of the funeral. In doing so, they are not bound by the order of § 20 paragraph 1 of the Brandenburg Funeral Act.

The relative who takes care of the funeral should hire a funeral home to organize and carry out the funeral.

Types of burial include the burial of the deceased person in a coffin (= burial) or the cremation of the deceased person with subsequent burial of the ashes (= cremation). The funeral should take place as the deceased person wished. However, this only applies if the request does not violate legal regulations or compelling public interests. In the case of children under 14 years of age or in the case of unknown will, the person who commissions the burial decides on the manner.

There is a cemetery compulsion. Exceptionally, if there is an important reason and public interests do not conflict with this, the local regulatory authority may, in agreement with the lower health authority, grant an exception to the cemetery requirement.

An urn with the ashes can also be buried from a ship on the high seas if the deceased person wished to be buried at sea and other legal provisions do not conflict with this.

Every municipality in Brandenburg must ensure the burial of its inhabitants. A burial in a cemetery in the last place of residence of the deceased person is therefore always possible. In another place, burial in a cemetery of your choice is possible under the condition that the sponsor of the cemetery (municipality or church) provides you with a grave site. A burial at sea is only allowed on the high seas and not in Brandenburg waters.

• Carrying out the post-mortem examination,
• notarization of the death,
  • in the case of stillbirths, the certification of the birth must be proven by a civil certificate before burial
  • in the case of miscarriages, a medical certificate must be submitted stating the date, circumstance of the miscarriage and the name and address of the mother,
• Expiry of the waiting period or approval of the lower health authority to carry out the funeral before the expiry of the waiting period,
• Acquisition of a right to use a grave site (if not burial at sea). 

For further requirements for a burial at sea, please contact your funeral home.

Death certificate or proof from the competent registry office that the notarization has been deferred.

What other documents and evidence are required, please ask your commissioned funeral home or the municipality or church in whose cemetery the burial is to take place.

There are costs for:

• the post-mortem examination (in the case of cremation, two post-mortem examinations must be carried out),
• the notarizations,
• the right to use the grave ("acquisition" of the grave site),
• cremation in the crematorium,
• the coffin (which is also required for cremation),
• the urn (only in the case of cremation),
• the funeral home.

If you hold a funeral service, there will be additional costs, e.g. for the funeral hall, the person giving the funeral speech, catering, etc.).

The amount of the costs depends on the type of burial and must be obtained from the funeral home commissioned by you and the owner of the cemetery where the burial is to take place.

If you cannot afford the costs, contact your local social welfare office quickly.

Quickly hire a funeral home you trust to carry out a funeral in accordance with the law. He will take care of everything else.

A funeral may take place no earlier than two days after the occurrence of death. Burial or cremation must be carried out within ten days of death. The urn must be buried immediately after cremation. Deviations from the deadlines are possible by the decision of the lower health authority (= district or district-free city).

Kreisfreie Stadt, amtsfreie Gemeinde, Amt, Verbandsgemeinde

Kreisfreie Stadt, amtsfreie Gemeinde, Amt, Verbandsgemeinde,

Funeral directors

• §§ 3, 19 to 25 Brandenburg Funeral Act

Ministry of the Interior and Municipal Affairs of the State of Brandenburg, Department 24