What to do now?

Have the death certified

Before anything else happens, a doctor must certify the death and issue the death certificate (the “Leichenschauschein”). This medical examination must take place first, before the deceased may be placed in a coffin or cared for further.

• In a hospital, care home or hospice: staff on site inform the responsible doctor and arrange the medical examination. You do not need to call anyone yourself.
• For an expected death at home: contact the treating doctor or family doctor. Outside surgery hours, the medical on-call service can help if needed: phone 116 117
• For a sudden or unclear death: dial the emergency number 112.
• Look for an organ donor card or a living will (Patientenverfügung), if one exists. These documents can be important for the doctor and the funeral director.
• Notify close relatives – you do not have to get through this alone. It is good not to be alone during these hours.
• You do not need to decide anything further yet. Keep the death certificate safe – the funeral director and the registry office will need it.

Choose a funeral director

The funeral director (Bestatter) is your greatest relief: they collect the deceased, report the death to the registry office, apply for the death certificates and guide you through nearly all the formalities.

• Choose a funeral home in your own time. You may take time and compare offers. There is no obligation to engage the first one you contact.
• Look for a will or a funeral directive (Bestattungsverfügung). Were there wishes about the type of burial (earth or cremation), the place, the music?
• Check whether a funeral insurance or prepaid plan exists.
• Practical tip if the person lived alone: who will look after pets, devices, mail and the letterbox in the short term?

These documents will be needed

Have these papers ready for the funeral director and the registry office. What exactly is required depends on marital status – the funeral director will tell you in detail what is missing.

• Medical death certificate
• Identity card of the deceased
• Birth certificate
• If married: marriage certificate or family record book
• If divorced: divorce decree
• If widowed: spouse’s death certificate
• Pension insurance number
• Health insurance card
• Will, if any

A will that is found must not be kept at home – it must be handed in to the responsible probate court (§ 2259 BGB).

Registering the death & deadlines in Bavaria

These steps are usually handled for you by the funeral director. For your orientation – this is how the deadlines are set in Bavaria:

• Report the death to the registry office (Standesamt) – no later than the third working day after the death (§§ 28, 29 of the Civil Status Act, Personenstandsgesetz). The registry office responsible is the one for the place where the person died. The funeral director usually handles this for you.
• Apply for death certificates – ideally several copies at once. They are needed for insurers, pension, bank and the estate. The first certificate costs around €10, each additional copy requested at the same time about €5.
• Earliest burial: a burial may take place at the earliest 48 hours after death.
• Latest point: the burial or cremation must take place within 8 days of the death being certified – or the transfer must have been initiated. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are not counted towards this deadline (Bavarian Burial Ordinance, since 2021).

Inform the relevant institutions

This can wait and need not happen in the first days. A list to work through later:

• The deceased’s employer
• Pension and health insurance, as well as long-term care insurance, professional pension schemes or company pension, where applicable.
• Check entitlement to a widow's/widower's pension, if a spouse has died. The German pension insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung) offers free advice. If the deceased was already receiving a pension, an advance of three months' pension can be requested within 30 days of the death from the pension service of Deutsche Post.
• Life, accident and other insurers
• Bank and ongoing contracts (rent, electricity, phone, subscriptions). Without a power of attorney valid beyond death (a "transmortal" power of attorney), banks often freeze accounts until a certificate of inheritance is issued – which can take weeks. Do not close accounts or transfer money too quickly: first clarify who is authorised to act or who the heir is.
• Check the tenancy agreement. A tenancy does not end automatically on death. Heirs and the landlord may terminate it with extraordinary notice within one month of learning of the death, subject to the statutory notice period (usually three months) (§ 564 BGB). This does not apply if a spouse or children living in the household automatically take over the tenancy (§ 563 BGB).
• Don't forget the digital estate. Digital accounts and devices are also part of the estate – secure the smartphone and computer, and consider email and social media accounts as well as subscriptions.
• Review the inheritance carefully before making any decisions about the estate. Anyone wishing to renounce the inheritance must observe the six-week deadline (§ 1944 BGB). A six-month deadline applies only where there is a foreign connection. If in doubt, contact the probate court or a lawyer/notary early on.