Death certificate in the event of death abroad

Description

A proper foreign death certificate is considered proof of the death.

However, it can happen that the details of the deceased person are not shown correctly or that no death certificate has been issued. It is then advisable to submit an application for subsequent authentication.

According to German law, a death must be notarised at the registry office of the place of death. Death certificates are issued from the death register, which are conclusive for and against anyone in Germany.

Foreign death certificates are subject to the free evaluation of evidence by German authorities and courts. If the name or marital status of the deceased person is incorrectly stated in a foreign certificate, this can lead to problems.

In some countries, relatives do not receive a death certificate, but only a medical certificate.

In this case, it makes sense to have the death certified at the German registry office. All data will be checked from the perspective of German law and, if necessary, missing information will be added.

However, there is no obligation to obtain a subsequent certificate!

Responsible is:

1. The registry office in whose district the deceased person was resident
2. If the deceased person lived abroad, the registry office in whose district they last lived
3. If there was never a place of residence in Germany, the registry office in whose district the applicant lives
4. If they live abroad, the registry office in whose district they last lived
5. if none of these apply, the registry office I in Berlin

Prerequisites

The subsequent certification of a death is possible if the deceased person had German citizenship by descent, naturalisation or adoption. The same applies to stateless persons, homeless foreigners and foreign refugees.

Parents or children of the deceased person or the person who was married or partnered with the deceased at the time of death are eligible to apply.

Required documents

Please contact us via our contact form for advice and to submit your existing documents in advance. These can be

• Death certificate
• Birth certificate of the deceased person
• Marriage certificate/ civil partnership certificate of the deceased person
• Death certificate of the predeceased spouse/partner
• Court order on the dissolution of the last marriage/ civil partnership
• Other documents relating to individual cases
• Foreign-language documents in multilingual form or together with a translation (publicly appointed and sworn translators)

Legal basis

§ 36 PStG