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Applying for a death certificate (Sterbeurkunde)

Standesamt (registry office) · civil status matters

In personIn writing / online

The death certificate (Sterbeurkunde) is the official document recording a death. It is issued from the register of deaths under § 60 PStG (Civil Status Act, Personenstandsgesetz) – and exclusively by the Standesamt (registry office) in whose district the person died, not by the Standesamt of their place of residence. Without it, neither the funeral nor the estate can be settled: the Nachlassgericht (probate court), the pension insurance fund, the health insurance fund (Krankenkasse), banks, insurers and landlords all require it as proof. The death itself must be notified to the Standesamt under § 28 PStG at the latest on the third working day following the death – the deadline is not the very next day. In hospitals, care homes and nursing homes, the body running the institution makes the notification; elsewhere, this is usually done by the funeral director you have engaged.

Last updated25 August 2026
Legal basis§ 60 PStG · § 28 PStG
VerificationChecked by AmtsDeutschland.de
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information website: we are not the Standesamt, not an authority and not paid advice — we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in simple terms; the competent body is always the final authority. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither solicitors nor tax consultants: we document administrative procedures and check the information against the official source — this is information, not legal or tax advice.
Costs€10.00–15.00First copy, fee set by the local authority · free of charge for pension and health insurance purposes
Processing timeApprox. 5 working daysInitial registration once all documents have been submitted · later reorders usually issued immediately
MethodIn person, in writing or onlineStandesamt of the place of death (§ 28 PStG) · notification deadline 3 working days
Required documents

What you need to bring

Medical certificate of death (Leichenschauschein)

It is issued by the doctor who carries out the examination of the body (Leichenschau) and is the indispensable basis for the entry in the register of deaths. Unlike the death certificate itself, the examination of the body is not governed by the Civil Status Act but by the 16 federal states' laws on burial and on the examination of the dead – each federal state (Bundesland) sets its own form, content and deadlines, so these differ from state to state. The Standesamt requires the non-confidential part in the original; a copy or a replacement document is not sufficient. If the certificate indicates an unnatural or unexplained cause of death, the doctor notifies the police, and registration only takes place after written clearance from the public prosecution office.

Identity card or passport of the deceased

The identity document enables the Standesamt to establish identity beyond doubt and is invalidated or withdrawn as part of the registration process, since it loses its validity on death. Bring the original with you, even if it has expired. If the identity document cannot be found – for example because the death occurred away from home – tell the Standesamt: personal details are then established via civil status documents and the population register, but this makes the process take longer.

Valid identity document of the person making the notification or application

Anyone notifying the death, or later applying for a copy of the death certificate, must prove their own identity with an identity card or passport. At the same time, the Standesamt checks entitlement to apply under § 62 PStG: without a valid identity document, no notification will be accepted and no certificate handed over. The application itself can be made by anyone who has turned 16.

Birth certificate (Geburtsurkunde) or certified extract from the register of births

From it, the Standesamt takes the date of birth, place of birth and the parents' names into the death entry; this information later appears on the death certificate. Submit the original or a certified extract from the register – plain copies are not accepted. If the document is missing, the registering Standesamt must request it from the Standesamt where the birth was registered, which extends the process by several days to weeks; you can apply for a birth certificate here in advance.

Marriage certificate (Eheurkunde) or civil partnership certificate

If the deceased was married or in a civil partnership, the Standesamt needs this proof, because the marital status and the name of the spouse or civil partner are included in the death entry. The marriage certificate or a certified extract from the register of marriages is accepted. For widowed persons, the death certificate of the spouse who died first is also required, to evidence the marital status of “widowed”.

Final divorce decree (Scheidungsurteil) or annulment order

If the deceased was divorced, the court order with the certificate of finality must be submitted – without this certificate, the Standesamt cannot register the marital status. The certificate is issued by the competent family court; you can obtain a duplicate from the Amtsgericht (local court) that granted the divorce. If the divorce took place a long time ago, allow extra lead time to obtain it.

Proof of legal or legitimate interest

This proof is needed by anyone who is not a spouse, civil partner, ancestor or descendant. For siblings of the deceased, a legitimate interest is sufficient for the death certificate; nieces, nephews, creditors, estate administrators or insurers, on the other hand, must credibly demonstrate a legal interest – for example through a certificate of inheritance (Erbschein), a will, a power of attorney, probate file or proof of a claim. Without this evidence, the Standesamt will refuse the application.

Funeral instruction or power of attorney (if instructing a funeral director)

In practice, the funeral director you have engaged handles the notification to the Standesamt and applies for the certificates at the same time. To do so, they need the funeral instruction you have signed, or a power of attorney, together with all the original documents listed above. Hand over the documents in full against an acknowledgement of receipt, and state in writing how many copies should be ordered – the fees will later be charged to you via the funeral invoice.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Have death confirmed by a doctor

    Call the GP, the out-of-hours medical service on 116117 or – if it is unclear whether help might still be possible – the emergency service on 112. Only a doctor may confirm death, carry out the examination of the body and issue the certificate of death; without this document there is neither registration in the register of deaths nor a funeral. The deadlines for examining the body follow from the burial act of the relevant federal state, not from the Civil Status Act. If an unnatural or unexplained cause of death is established, the police must be notified; the body is then secured and only released after clearance from the public prosecution office, which can delay registration by days.

  2. 2

    Establish who must notify the death

    The law does not go by degree of kinship but by closeness to the death. Under § 29 PStG, the first person obliged to notify is anyone who lived with the deceased in a shared household, then the person in whose home the death occurred, and finally any other person who was present at the death or has first-hand knowledge of it. A person named later is only obliged if no person named earlier exists or is unable to act. If someone dies in a hospital, care home or nursing home, under § 30 Abs. 1 PStG in conjunction with § 20 PStG the institution itself is obliged to notify – relatives need not take any action there. If there is no one obliged to notify at all, the municipal authority of the place of death makes the notification (§ 30 Abs. 2 PStG).

  3. 3

    Meet the deadline: the third working day after the death

    Under § 28 PStG, the death must be notified to the Standesamt at the latest on the third working day following the death. So if a person dies on a Monday, and all the following days are working days, the deadline runs until Thursday. Working days are all days except Sundays and statutory public holidays; how the relevant Standesamt treats Saturdays, and whether it accepts a notification outside opening hours, should be checked by phone if in doubt. In practice, the funeral director you have engaged handles the notification within the deadline. If the notification is not made, is incorrect, or is not made in time, this can be penalised as a regulatory offence under the fines provisions of the Civil Status Act.

  4. 4

    Identify the competent Standesamt and gather documents

    The only competent authority is the Standesamt in whose area the person died – not the one for their place of residence, the place of the funeral, or the relatives' address. Anyone who dies in a hospital in a neighbouring town, or while travelling, is registered there; the death entry remains permanently with that Standesamt. Beforehand, gather all the originals: the certificate of death, the deceased's identity document, their birth certificate and – depending on marital status – the marriage certificate, the spouse's death certificate, or the final divorce decree. An application to the wrong Standesamt leads to queries and delays, as does an incomplete set of documents.

  5. 5

    Have the death registered in the register of deaths

    The Standesamt checks the documents and enters the death in the register of deaths under § 31 PStG – only this register entry makes it possible to issue the certificate. For the initial registration, expect a processing time of around five working days after all documents have been submitted; the Standesamt in Munich states this period explicitly. It takes longer if documents are missing, if foreign certificates need to be translated or checked, or if the cause of death has not yet been established. The claim of “immediately” applies only to a later reorder of a further copy made in person.

  6. 6

    Request copies – free ones first

    When applying, state explicitly what you need the certificates for: death certificates are issued free of charge for the purposes of statutory pension and health insurance. The Standesamt in Munich issues one free certificate for each of these purposes, while further copies for private use cost €12.00. Chargeable copies range from €10.00 to €15.00 depending on the local authority, and further copies ordered at the same time are reduced in price. Consider in advance which bodies actually require an original and where a certified copy is sufficient – you can reorder at any time within the 30-year period during which the register is maintained.

  7. 7

    Pass on the certificates and stop ongoing payments

    You submit the death certificate to the Nachlassgericht (for example for the Erbschein or a disclaimer of inheritance), to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, the health insurance fund, banks, insurers, the landlord and, where applicable, the employer. Notify the pension insurance fund of the death as early as possible: pension payments made for the period after the month of death must be repaid, and the banks return them to the pension insurance provider on request. Also check the notification deadlines in life, accident and funeral expenses insurance policies; these are set out in the relevant policy terms and are often very short.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Fees

First copy€10.00–€15.00 (Cologne €10.00 · Berlin €12.00 · Munich €12.00 · Münster €15.00)
Further copy ordered at the same timereduced: Cologne €5.00 · Berlin €6.00 · Münster €9.00
For statutory pension and health insurancefree of charge (Munich: one certificate free of charge for each purpose)
Search fee for incomplete informationBerlin €20.00–€80.00 · Munich up to €100.00 – even if the search is unsuccessful
Legal basis for the feeState law under § 72 PStG – no uniform nationwide amount
Recommended number of copiesdepends on the competent authority and the individual case
Place and means of paymentStandesamt of the place of death · debit card (EC card), cash or bank transfer (depending on the local authority)

There is no uniform nationwide price for the death certificate: § 72 PStG leaves the setting of fees to state law, so each local authority applies its own fee ordinance. In practice, the first copy ranges from €10.00 in Cologne, to €12.00 each in Berlin and Munich, to €15.00 in Münster; the frequently cited lower limit of “from €12” is therefore not accurate. If you order several copies in the same application, each further copy is reduced in price – to €5.00 in Cologne, €6.00 in Berlin, and €9.00 in Münster. A second point is decisive for your wallet: certificates for the purposes of statutory social insurance are issued free of charge. Munich expressly issues one free death certificate for the health insurance fund and one for pension purposes. Anyone who instead buys ten chargeable copies as a matter of course will quickly pay around €120, part of which could have been avoided. There is no officially prescribed number of copies; how many certificates you need depends on the individual case and the competent authority. Ask each body whether an original is required or whether a certified copy is sufficient, and reorder later if in doubt. Also expect search fees if you cannot state the exact date or place of death: Berlin charges between €20.00 and €80.00 depending on the effort involved, and Munich up to €100.00 – even if the search in the register is unsuccessful. Find out in advance which means of payment are accepted; many Standesamt offices accept only debit card (EC card) or cash, while for written orders the fee is charged by bank transfer or invoice.

Good to know

Important notes

The notification deadline is three working days, not one day. § 28 PStG requires notification “at the latest on the third working day following the death”. So you have more time than is often claimed – time you can use to choose a funeral director and gather the certificates together. The deadline applies to the Standesamt of the place of death; burial deadlines themselves, by contrast, follow the burial act of the federal state.

In hospitals and nursing homes, the institution notifies the death. Under § 30 Abs. 1 PStG in conjunction with § 20 PStG, the obligation to notify falls on the institution there, not on relatives. In these cases you do not need to monitor any deadline, but you should have it confirmed which Standesamt the notification was sent to – that Standesamt is then responsible for all certificates.

Not everyone may apply for a death certificate. Under § 62 Abs. 1 PStG, those entitled to apply are the deceased's spouse, civil partner, ancestors and descendants; everyone else must credibly demonstrate a legal interest. For siblings of the deceased, a legitimate interest is expressly sufficient for the death certificate. The entitlement to apply arises once a person has turned 16.

The register of deaths is only maintained for 30 years. Under § 5 Abs. 5 PStG, the register of deaths ceases to be maintained after 30 years – the shortest period in civil status law. After that, under § 7 Abs. 3 PStG, the entry passes to the competent public archive, which no longer issues death certificates but only provides (certified) copies of the register entry. This is crucial for probate proceedings and genealogical research. An exception applies to the special Standesamt in Bad Arolsen, which has a period of 80 years.

A death certificate and a certified register extract are not the same thing. The death certificate is issued as a civil status document under § 55 Abs. 1 Nr. 4 PStG; which details it contains is determined by § 60 PStG. It is limited to the data essential for legal transactions and is the document that banks, insurers and authorities require. The certified extract from the register of deaths, on the other hand, reproduces the complete register entry together with all subsequent entries and notes; this is needed mainly by courts, estate administrators and genealogical researchers. Both are issued by the same Standesamt, but must be applied for separately.

You do not need an apostille within the EU. Under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, public documents concerning death are exempt from legalisation and the apostille; on request, the Standesamt additionally issues a multilingual form as a translation aid. For states outside the EU, on the other hand, an apostille or legalisation may be required – check this in advance with the receiving body before paying additional fees.

Death abroad: subsequent registration is possible. If a German national dies abroad, the local authority there registers the death first. The death can then, on application under § 36 PStG, be subsequently registered in the German register of deaths; the competent Standesamt is the one at the last place of residence in Germany, or failing that, Standesamt I in Berlin. Only after this subsequent registration will you receive a German death certificate.

Examination of the body and burial deadlines are matters of state law. The Civil Status Act regulates only the notification, the register entry and the certificate. Who must examine the body and when, what details the certificate of death contains, and within what period the burial must take place, is set out in the federal states' laws on burial and on the examination of the dead, and therefore differs considerably. The decisive law is always that of the federal state in which the death occurred.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Notification to the Standesamt not made at all, or made too late. The decisive rule is § 28 PStG, with the deadline running to the third working day following the death. If the notification is not made, is incorrect, or is not made in time, this can be penalised as a regulatory offence under the Civil Status Act; above all, however, it delays the whole chain – without a register entry there is no death certificate, and without a death certificate there are neither funeral documents nor estate administration.

Application made to the Standesamt of the place of residence. The only competent authority is the Standesamt of the place of death. Anyone who addresses the application to the place-of-residence Standesamt will receive a query or have it referred to the correct body – in the worst case this costs one to two weeks, while deadlines for insurers and the pension insurance fund keep running.

Chargeable certificates bought for the pension and health insurance fund. It is precisely for these purposes that death certificates are issued free of charge – in Munich, one for the health insurance fund and one for pension purposes. Anyone who does not state the purpose and instead buys ten copies as a matter of course pays around €120 at €12.00 each, even though part of that could have been obtained free of charge.

Incomplete details given when reordering. If the date or place of death is missing, the Standesamt has to search the register and charges search fees for doing so: in Berlin between €20.00 and €80.00 depending on the effort involved, in Munich up to €100.00. This fee is charged even if no entry is found – so you pay for a result you cannot use.

Entitlement to apply not proven. Nieces, nephews, partners without a registered civil partnership, creditors or acquaintances do not belong to the group covered by § 62 Abs. 1 PStG. Without an Erbschein, a will, a power of attorney or other evidence of a legal interest, the application will be refused – the trip to the Standesamt and the appointment will then have been for nothing.

Reordered too late – after 30 years there is no longer a certificate. Once the period under § 5 Abs. 5 PStG during which the register is maintained has expired, it is no longer the Standesamt but the public archive that is responsible (§ 7 Abs. 3 PStG). The archive does not issue death certificates, only certified copies of the register entry. For a late case of inheritance or a land register correction, this can mean that you can no longer obtain the expected proof in this form.

Pension insurance fund informed too late. Pension payments for the period after the month of death are not due to the surviving relatives and will be reclaimed; the bank returns amounts already credited to the pension insurance provider on request. Anyone who has emptied the account in the meantime is personally liable for repayment.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

By when must a death be notified?

Under § 28 PStG, the death must be notified to the Standesamt in whose area the person died at the latest on the third working day following the death. So if someone dies on a Monday, the death must be notified by Thursday at the latest; in practice, the funeral director you have engaged handles the notification.

Who is obliged to notify a death?

§ 29 PStG does not go by degree of kinship but by closeness to the death: the first person obliged is anyone who lived with the deceased in a shared household, then the person in whose home the death occurred, and finally any other person who was present at the death or has first-hand knowledge of it. If someone dies in a hospital, care home or nursing home, under § 30 Abs. 1 PStG in conjunction with § 20 PStG the institution itself is obliged to notify.

What does a death certificate cost?

The fee is governed by state law (§ 72 PStG) and, for the first copy, is in practice between €10.00 and €15.00: Cologne €10.00, Berlin €12.00, Munich €12.00, Münster €15.00. Further copies ordered at the same time are reduced in price, for example €5.00 in Cologne, €6.00 in Berlin and €9.00 in Münster.

Are death certificates available free of charge?

Yes. Death certificates are issued free of charge for the purposes of statutory social insurance; the Standesamt in Munich expressly issues one free certificate for the health insurance fund and one for pension purposes, while further copies for private use cost €12.00. So state explicitly in your application what you need the certificates for.

How many death certificates do I need?

There is no officially fixed number of copies; how many copies make sense depends on the individual case and the competent authority. First use the free certificates for pension and health insurance purposes, check which bodies accept a certified copy, and reorder later if in doubt — this is possible at any time within the 30-year period during which the register is maintained.

Who may apply for a death certificate?

Under § 62 Abs. 1 PStG, the deceased's spouse, civil partner, ancestors and descendants are entitled to apply; anyone aged 16 or over can make the application themselves. All other persons must credibly demonstrate a legal interest — for siblings of the deceased, a legitimate interest is expressly sufficient for the death certificate.

How long does it take to issue the death certificate?

For the initial registration of a death, the Standesamt must first create the entry in the register of deaths; the Standesamt in Munich generally processes deaths within five working days of all documents being submitted, and it takes longer if the cause of death is unclear or documents are missing. Only a later reorder of a further copy, made in person, is usually issued immediately.

Can I reorder a death certificate later?

Yes, but not indefinitely: under § 5 Abs. 5 PStG, the register of deaths is maintained for only 30 years, after which it is handed over to the public archive (§ 7 Abs. 3 PStG). Once this period has expired, no one issues a death certificate any longer; the archive only provides (certified) copies of the register entry.

Do I need an apostille for use abroad?

Not within the European Union: under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, public documents concerning death are exempt from the apostille, and the Standesamt issues a multilingual form as a translation aid on request. For states outside the EU, on the other hand, an apostille or legalisation may be required.

Related official procedures

Apply for a birth certificate (Geburtsurkunde)
At the Standesamt of the place of birth
€10–€15 depending on the local authority
Apply for an Erbschein (certificate of inheritance)
Nachlassgericht at the Amtsgericht
By estate value
Applying for an apostille
For states outside the EU
€19–40 depending on the country
Applying for a marriage certificate (Eheurkunde)
Proof of marriage
€10–€15 depending on the local authority

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