A death certificate is a document that certifies the death of a person. 

You can obtain the application for the issuance of a death certificate as 

• the last spouse
• the last civil partner within the meaning of the Civil Partnership Act
• ancestors and descendants of the deceased person, or
• siblings with a legitimate interest, and
• closer relatives with a legal interest, for example by means of a letter from the probate court

You can submit the application at any registry office. The certificate will be issued by the registry office that keeps the register.

The death certificate contains the following information about the deceased person: 

• first names and surname, maiden name,
• place and date of birth,
• last place of residence and marital status,
• the first names and surname, maiden name of the spouse or partner, 
• place and time of death.

The death certificate may be important, for example, for:

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

• For close relatives:
  • Proof of relationship, for example
    • birth certificate
    • marriage certificate
    • Civil partnership certificate
  • Identity card or passport
• For siblings of the deceased person:
  • Proof of family relationship
  • Proof of legitimate interest, for example family or genealogical research
  • Identity card or passport
• If collected by a representative:
  • Written power of attorney from the authorized person
  • Your own ID card or passport
• For other persons without any family relationship:
  • Proof of legal interest, for example
    • certificate of inheritance
    • land registry extract
  • ID card or passport
     

• Death certificate (DIN A4 size): 15 euros
• Death certificate, family register format: 15 euros
• Death certificate, multilingual format: 15 euros
• Certified copy from the death register: 15 euros
  
• Each additional certificate of the same type: 7.50 euros

No fees apply for

• pension purposes
• Recipients of Unemployment Benefit II, if you need the certificate for official purposes
• Social assistance
• Basic income support (for people with reduced earning capacity and those of retirement age)

• On site: Card payment (debit, credit, Visa, Mastercard, etc.), mobile payments, cash payments are not possible!
• For online applications: PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, Giropay, Paydirekt
• When applying by mail or fax: Invoice