Administrative services A-Z

The death certificate is a document that certifies the death of a person. Every death must be reported to the registry office in whose jurisdiction the death occurred.

You can apply for a death certificate as a family member in the event of death. You can submit the application as soon as the death has been recorded in the death register.

The death certificate is important, for example, for

• the funeral and its preparation, for example for coffining and repatriation,
• the settlement of the estate and
• claiming statutory or private insurance benefits.

You can apply for a death certificate at the relevant registry office.

However, you may have to present a German death certificate in other European countries. In this case, you can request a multilingual form from the registry office. The form replaces the translation of the German death certificate that is generally required.

• You are the last spouse, or
• You are the last civil partner within the meaning of the Registered Civil Partnership Act or
• You are an ancestor or descendant of the deceased person or
• You are a sister or brother with a legitimate interest or
• You are part of the immediate family, for example aunt and uncle, who can credibly demonstrate a legal interest, for example by means of a letter from the probate court.
• You are at least 16 years old.

• for close relatives:
  • Proof of relationship, such as
    • birth certificate
    • marriage certificate
    • civil partnership certificate
  • Identity card or passport
• for siblings of the deceased person:
  • Proof of the family relationship
  • Proof of legitimate interest, such as family or genealogical research
  • Identity card or passport
• if collected by a representative:
  • written power of attorney from the authorized person
  • their identity card or passport and
  • their own identity card or passport
• for other persons without any relationship:
  • Identity card or passport
  • Proof of legal interest, such as
    • certificate of inheritance
    • extract from the land register

You can also obtain the multilingual death certificate if you do not yet have a death certificate. It is important that the deceased person is entered in the death register. As soon as they are entered there, you can also apply directly for a multilingual death certificate.

The 30-year period for keeping the register of deaths by the registry office must not have expired.

Registry office

• § Section 55 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)
• § Section 60 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)
• § Section 62 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)
• Act on the Convention of 08.09.1976 on the issue of multilingual extracts from civil status records of 16.04.1997 (Federal Law Gazette II p. 774) Articles 6-10 EU Regulation 2016/1191

Federal Ministry of the Interior and for Home Affairs (BMI)