Learn more about death
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This death checklist summarizes the most important tasks to handle after a bereavement. You can print it out and check off each item one by one.
Deadlines are the most important part of any checklist for a death. Some are set by law, while others are stipulated in contracts. Missing them can, in the worst case, result in the loss of benefits or force you to accept an insolvent estate. You should be aware of these deadlines:
You can find the legal texts on the Federal Ministry of Justice website, for example Section 28 of the Civil Status Act (PStG), Section 1944 of the German Civil Code (BGB), and Section 30 of the Inheritance Tax Act (ErbStG). For questions regarding inheritance law, please consult a notary or a specialist lawyer for inheritance law.
In an emergency, we are available by phone for you 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. We offer our funeral services nationwide, with our headquarters in Berlin:
Here you can find all locations.
If someone dies at home, call their GP or the medical on-call service at 116 117. In an emergency, or if you are unsure whether death has already occurred, dial 112. The doctor will officially confirm the death and issue the death certificate.
If the person dies in a hospital or nursing home, the facility will take care of the medical examination. We explain the next steps in our guide on death in a hospital or nursing home.
In the event of an accident, suicide, or unexplained cause of death, the police must be involved. Please do not disturb the deceased or the surrounding area in such cases.
Notify the closest family members first, preferably in person or by phone. Share the calls if possible: one person does not have to handle all the conversations alone.
You can inform other friends, acquaintances, and clubs later, for example by sending an obituary or sympathy cards.
Time is of the essence here. In the event of death by accident, many accident insurance policies require notification within 48 hours. If this deadline is missed, the insurer may refuse to pay out.
Life insurance and funeral expense insurance policies must also be notified immediately. Report the death by phone and submit the death certificate in writing as soon as it is available.
Anyone in possession of a will that is not officially held in custody must submit it to the probate court immediately upon learning of the death. A sealed will should remain unopened. Notarized wills are generally already held in official custody.
Contact a funeral director as soon as the death has been officially confirmed by a doctor, ideally within the first few hours. The funeral director will discuss the next steps with you and arrange for the transfer of the deceased. The collection does not have to happen immediately: depending on local legal deadlines, you may still have time to say your goodbyes at home.
This is regulated by each federal state in its funeral laws. In most cases, the deceased may remain at home for 24 to 36 hours before they must be transferred to a mortuary or the funeral home. Some states allow for a longer period of viewing upon request.
We would be happy to tell you which deadline applies in your case. You can read about what to do if a death occurs at night in our guide Death at home during the night.
The death must be reported to the registry office of the place of death no later than the third working day following the death. In practice, if a death occurs at home, the funeral director usually handles the notification. In a hospital or nursing home, the facility often takes care of it. Relatives are primarily responsible for providing the necessary documents.
Which documents are required depends primarily on marital status and the status of the civil registry. Generally, you will need identification documents and civil status certificates. For married individuals, a marriage/civil partnership certificate is required; for widowed individuals, proof of the spouse's death is also needed; and for divorced individuals, proof of the dissolution of the marriage, such as a final divorce decree, is required.
We explain the application process in detail and the associated costs in our guide Applying for a death certificate. You can find the difference between the two documents under Medical death certificate vs. official death certificate.
Plan on needing about five to eight copies. Banks, insurance companies, pension providers, the probate court, and landlords often require their own original certificate. You can order more copies at any time, but it takes time to process.
Yes, you may make copies of death certificates. However, the respective authority decides whether a simple copy is sufficient. For cancelling subscriptions, memberships, or broadcasting fees, a copy is usually enough. Banks, insurance companies, and the probate court, on the other hand, often require the original or a certified copy.
It is best to ask in advance what is required and only send originals where absolutely necessary.
If the deceased was employed, notify their employer. Ask about outstanding salary, company pension, and any potential benefits for surviving dependents.
You should also inform your own employer. Many employees are entitled to time off; read more about this under Special leave in the event of a death.
Once the first few days are behind you, the organizational tasks begin. We have categorized what needs to be done during this phase after a death here.
Together with the funeral director, you will determine the type of funeral: burial, cremation, burial at sea, or a forest burial. Often, the deceased has recorded their wishes in a directive or expressed them verbally. You can find an overview under Types of funerals.
Next, plan the location, time, and order of the funeral service. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to decide everything in the first few days. The choice of cemetery or type of grave can often wait one to two weeks in the case of a cremation. For a burial, the date should be coordinated with the funeral director sooner, as statutory burial deadlines must be met.
If the deceased was receiving a pension, notify the Pension Service of Deutsche Post. The pension is paid until the end of the month of death. Overpaid amounts will be debited back from the account, so keep the account open for the time being.
Also notify the health insurance provider of the death and return the insurance card. If family members were covered under the deceased's policy, they will need to arrange for their own insurance.
Notify the bank with a death certificate. The account will not be automatically frozen, and standing orders will continue to run for the time being. Check which of these should be stopped.
If a power of attorney that remains valid after death (über den Tod hinaus) exists, the authorized person can continue to access the account and, for example, pay for the funeral. If no such power of attorney exists, the status as an heir must be proven to the bank. A certificate of inheritance (Erbschein) is not always required for this; depending on the case, a probated will with the opening record may suffice.
Spouses, registered partners, or children who lived with the deceased automatically enter into the lease agreement. Anyone who does not wish to do so must notify the landlord within one month of learning of the death.
If the deceased was the sole tenant, heirs and the landlord can terminate the lease extraordinarily within one month, subject to the statutory three-month notice period. You can read about how to clear out the apartment in our guide Clearing an apartment after a death.
After a death, there are often more contracts to cancel than you might initially think. Review bank statements from the last twelve months: almost all recurring payments will appear there. In addition to the death checklist above, you should notify these entities:
For most providers, an informal letter with a copy of the death certificate is sufficient. Upon request, we can assist you with the most important cancellations, such as with pension insurance and health insurance providers.
You must present the national ID card and passport when registering the death at the registry office. They are usually confiscated or invalidated there. If you would like to keep the documents as a memento, just ask: relatives are often given them back once they have been voided.
You do not need to return the driver's license. You should send the severely disabled person's pass back to the issuing social services office.
Heirs have six weeks to disclaim an inheritance. The period begins as soon as you learn of the death and your status as an heir. If the deceased lived abroad or if you are abroad when the period begins, the deadline is six months.
If you let the deadline pass, the inheritance is considered accepted, including any potential debts. You must declare a disclaimer at the probate court or in notarized form. Therefore, check early on whether the estate might be over-indebted.
The certificate of inheritance identifies you as the heir to banks, insurance companies, and the land registry. You apply for it at the probate court. Fees are based on the value of the estate.
You do not always need a certificate of inheritance. If a notarized will with an opening protocol is available, or if there is a power of attorney that remains valid after death, that is often sufficient.
Work with the other heirs to get an overview of assets and liabilities. This includes:
In many cases, anyone who inherits or receives a life insurance payout as a beneficiary must notify the tax office within three months. For the year of death, the heirs are also often required to file the deceased's final income tax return. There are legal exceptions to this notification requirement.
Email accounts, social media profiles, and online contracts are also part of the estate. According to a 2018 ruling by the Federal Court of Justice, heirs generally inherit these contracts.
If you do not have login credentials, contact the provider and include a copy of the death certificate. If you do have access, you can delete profiles yourself or, where offered, set them to a memorial status.
When a spouse passes away, several personal tasks are added to the general responsibilities. You should keep the following points in mind:
Costs depend primarily on the type of funeral, the cemetery, and the scope of the funeral service. Cemetery fees vary significantly from one municipality to another. At Memovida, we therefore work with transparent fixed prices for funerals, which include all standard services. The only additional costs are those for the burial site itself.
Funeral costs are generally borne by the heirs and paid out of the estate. If the estate is insufficient and the relatives cannot afford the costs, you can apply to the social welfare office for coverage. We explain who is legally responsible for funeral arrangements in Germany under Funeral obligations.
If a relative dies while on vacation or during a stay abroad, different procedures apply. The most important contacts are the local German embassy or consulate, and arrangements must be made for repatriation to Germany. You can find all the steps in our checklist for a death abroad.
In addition to the many tasks at hand, your grief also needs space. Accept help wherever it is offered and share responsibilities among family members.
You can find support through grief counselors, hospice associations, support groups, or pastoral care workers. If the burden becomes too great, talking to your family doctor or a psychotherapist is also a good first step.
Call a doctor to certify the death and issue the death certificate: at home, call your GP or the medical on-call service at 116 117, or 112 in an emergency. Afterward, inform the closest relatives and hire a funeral director. In the event of an accidental death, also report the case to the accident insurance provider immediately, as a 48-hour deadline often applies there.
In practice, the funeral director usually handles the death registration and applies for the death certificates; if the death occurs in a hospital or nursing home, the facility often handles the registration. The law specifies who is responsible for reporting the death in each case. The registration must be made at the registry office of the place of death no later than the third working day following the death.
Call the medical on-call service at 116 117, or 112 in an emergency. The funeral director does not need to come in the middle of the night: depending on the federal state, the deceased may remain at home for 24 to 36 hours. Nevertheless, we are available 24/7 if you have questions or would like the collection to take place immediately.
Deadlines are set by the federal states in their funeral laws and vary significantly. For cremation, the deadline usually applies to the cremation itself. The burial of the urn can often take place later. We would be happy to tell you which rules apply to your situation.
Initially, the heirs cover the costs from the estate. If that is insufficient, the relatives responsible for the funeral—usually spouses and children—are required to pay. If payment is not reasonable for them, they can apply to the social welfare office to cover the necessary costs. If possible, submit the application before you hire the funeral director.
In that case, wishes and often the costs are already taken care of. Check the documents for a funeral pre-arrangement contract, funeral insurance, or a trust deposit and provide these to the funeral director. If you would like to make your own arrangements, you can find information under funeral pre-planning.
Yes. You can download and print our bereavement checklist for free as a PDF. It contains all the tasks and deadlines from this guide, organized from the first day through to dealing with the tax office, so you can check them off as you go.
You can delegate many of the tasks from our bereavement checklist to us. We will collect the deceased, register the death with the registry office, apply for death certificates, and support you with further administrative procedures. We will arrange the funeral according to your wishes and at a fixed price.
We are available 24/7, nationwide, with locations in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Leipzig, and Munich. Simply call us at 030 75436955 or request a no-obligation quote. In any case, we provide free advice and are happy to discuss all your questions at your own pace.
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Special thanks to Mr. Manuel Kaiser.
Thank you Mrs. Haan, I was unable to arrange for my beloved husband's funeral elsewhere. What all that happens to you and what you have to manage. Suddenly you're all alone but thanks to Mrs. Haan, I've overcome the hardest time of my life. The funeral service was very emotional and thanks also for The Funeral Speaker. My laundering after the resting place was also
fulfilled. You can't thank them enough as sensitively as they were for me during this difficult time.
Much love to you.
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In a difficult phase for me, your company was extremely committed,
absolute reliability as well as competent execution and exact compliance with all
The promises made provide me with indispensable support and help.
In particular, dear Mrs. Lübbert, I would like to thank you for your empathy, the sensitive
cordiality, understanding of every detail and everything you've done for me and
have implemented the greatest thanks and express the highest appreciation.
They were simply always there!
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