What to Do When a Citizen of France Dies in Germany: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Medical Examination of Death and Medical Death Certificate in Germany (Immediately)

   First, the death must be certified in Germany by a physician during the statutory post-mortem examination (ärztliche Leichenschau) so that the official medical death certificate (Todesbescheinigung / Totenschein, comprising a confidential and a non-confidential part) can be issued [1][2]:

   • Death in a hospital, nursing home, or hospice: The treating facility arranges the medical examination of the body and the issuance of the Todesbescheinigung directly on site and provides initial care in its mortuary cooling room [1][2].
   • Death at home, in a hotel, or in a public place: Immediately contact the on-call medical service (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst, nationwide number 116 117), emergency medical services (emergency number 112), or the family doctor's practice to perform the post-mortem examination [2]. Only once the medical death certificate is available may a funeral director collect the deceased person and transfer them to a mortuary.
   • Unexplained or non-natural cause of death: If the physician records an unexplained or non-natural manner of death (such as a sudden death or accident), the police and the public prosecutor's office (Staatsanwaltschaft) are notified. Before any cremation, burial, or international repatriation to France can proceed, written clearance (Freigabe) from the competent German public prosecutor's office is mandatory [1][2].
2. 2

   Check Insurance Coverage, Appoint Funeral Directors, and Contact the French Consular Authorities

   Before placing individual fee-bearing orders, verify immediately whether the deceased person held travel or repatriation insurance (assurance voyage / assistance rapatriement), credit card assistance coverage, or a French pre-need funeral or supplementary health policy (contrat obsèques or mutuelle) that organizes and funds the return transport [6][7]:

   • Coordination between funeral directors in Germany and France: Operating in compliance with the applicable German state burial laws (Landesbestattungsgesetze) and Germany's mandatory cemetery interment rules (Friedhofszwang), appoint a licensed funeral director in Germany (Bestattungsunternehmen) that works closely with a funeral operator licensed by the prefecture in France (opérateur funéraire habilité en préfecture) for repatriation [2][7][8].
   • Neutral professional associations: Clarvia does not recommend, endorse, or rank commercial providers. You can find a qualified funeral director in Germany through the German professional association (Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V., telephone +49 211 16008-10, 24-hour emergency number +49 211 16008-86, email [email protected]) [2]. In France, you can search for a licensed funeral operator by contacting the French professional federations: the Fédération Nationale du Funéraire (telephone +33 1 55 43 30 00, email [email protected]) [3] or the Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres (telephone +33 1 46 60 24 24) [4].
   • Contacting the French consular authorities: Notify the consular representation of France in Germany (Ambassade de France à Berlin, telephone +49 30 590 03 90 00) or, in urgent emergencies outside office hours, the crisis center of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères - MEAE / France Diplomatie) through the Centre de crise et de soutien (24-hour number +33 1 53 59 11 10) [5][6][7].
3. 3

   Civil Registration in Germany and Transcription for France

   Under Section 28 of the German Civil Status Act (§ 28 Personenstandsgesetz - PStG), the death must be reported to the civil registry office (Standesamt) at the place of death in Germany no later than the third working day following the death [1]:

   • Declaration at the German Standesamt: When a death occurs in a hospital or nursing home, the institution submits the written notification; otherwise, the appointed funeral director handles the registration at the Standesamt upon presentation of the medical death certificate, the deceased person's French national identity card (carte nationale d'identité) or passport (passeport), and civil status certificates (birth certificate, and where applicable marriage certificate or French family record book livret de famille) [1][5].
   • Death certificate and multilingual CIEC Form C: Request from the German Standesamt both German death certificates (Sterbeurkunde) and several multilingual extracts from the death register on Form C (Formblatt C / extrait plurilingue d'acte de décès Formule C) under the 1976 Vienna CIEC Convention [1][5]. Because both Germany and France are contracting states to this convention and Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 also applies, Form C is recognized directly in France without an apostille or sworn translation [5].
   • Central transcription in the French civil status register (transcription de l'acte de décès): Whereas a death occurring within France is declared within 24 hours (excluding weekends and public holidays) at the town hall (mairie du lieu de décès) in accordance with the guidance on the official portal (Service-Public.fr, telephone 3939 from France or +33 1 73 60 39 39 from abroad) [7], all deaths of French citizens occurring anywhere in Germany fall under the centralized jurisdiction of the Consular Section of the French Embassy in Berlin (Ambassade de France à Berlin, Section consulaire - Service de l'état civil, Pariser Platz 5, 10117 Berlin) [5]. The application for free transcription (transcription) of the German death certificate into the French civil status registers (which issues the French death certificate, updates the livret de famille, and notifies the INSEE national register) is sent by post to Berlin together with the original German death certificate (or Form C) and proof of French nationality [5][6][7].
4. 4

   Choosing Between Repatriation to France and Burial or Cremation in Germany

   Depending on the wishes of the deceased person and the family, the funeral director coordinates one of the two options:

   • Option A - International repatriation of the body or urn to France:
     • German mortuary passport (Leichenpass) and international agreement: Both Germany and France apply the 1937 International Berlin Agreement on the Conveyance of Corpses (supplemented by European transfer rules such as the Strasbourg Agreement) [7][8]. For the transport of a body, the competent German authority at the place of death (public order office Ordnungsamt, Standesamt, or health authority Gesundheitsamt) issues a multilingual mortuary passport (Leichenpass / laissez-passer mortuaire) based on the medical death certificate and civil death certificate; for this purpose, the body is placed in a hermetically soldered zinc-lined coffin (cercueil hermétique, with embalming care soins de conservation where required by the mode of transport) [2][7][8]. While exporting a body from France requires a prefectural order (arrêté préfectoral de laissez-passer mortuaire), for importation from Germany into France the German Leichenpass suffices together with the death certificate and the burial or cremation permit issued by the mayor (maire) of the French destination municipality [7][8].
     • Repatriation of an urn following cremation in Germany: Because of Germany's mandatory cemetery interment law (Friedhofszwang), a German crematorium releases the sealed urn only upon proof of planned interment or to a commissioned funeral director; for entry into France, the death certificate and the cremation certificate (Einäscherungsbescheinigung / certificat de crémation) must accompany the urn [2][7][8].
   • Option B - Burial or cremation in Germany: If the funeral takes place in Germany, the waiting period (generally no earlier than 48 hours after death), the mandatory second post-mortem examination prior to cremation, and compulsory cemetery interment are governed by the applicable German state burial law (Landesbestattungsgesetz) [2].
5. 5

   Survivor Benefits, Health Insurance, Taxes, and Estate Administration in France and Germany

   Using the multilingual death certificate (Form C) and the transcribed French death certificate, initiate the follow-up procedures in both countries:

   • Procedures in France:
     • Health insurance (capital décès) and pension funds (pension de réversion): If the deceased person was insured under the French social security system or received French pensions, report the death to the French health insurance fund (Assurance Maladie, CPAM / ameli.fr, telephone 3646 from France or +33 1 84 90 36 46 from abroad) to check entitlement to a lump-sum death grant (capital décès) [9], as well as to the statutory pension fund (Assurance Retraite, CNAV, telephone 3960 or +33 9 71 10 39 60 from abroad) and the supplementary scheme Agirc-Arrco to apply for a survivor's pension (pension de réversion) [10].
     • Notarial estate administration and inheritance tax deadline in France: Where assets or a last habitual residence were located in France, the family appoints a French notary through the official professional body (Notaires de France, telephone +33 1 44 90 30 00) to draw up the deed of heirship (acte de notoriété) and administer the estate [7][11]. When a death occurs outside France (in Germany), the statutory deadline for filing the French inheritance tax return (déclaration de succession with the tax authority Direction générale des Finances publiques) under Article 641 of the French General Tax Code (Code général des impôts) is 12 months from the date of death (instead of 6 months for a death occurring in France) [7].
   • Procedures in Germany:
     • German statutory pension insurance and three-month transition period (Sterbevierteljahr): If the deceased person received a German pension or accrued German insurance periods, notify the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (toll-free service number 0800 1000 4800 within Germany or +49 30 865 0 from abroad) regarding a widow's, widower's, or orphan's pension [12], and immediately notify the Renten Service der Deutschen Post (telephone +49 221 569 2777), where surviving spouses or registered partners can apply within 30 days of the death for the advance on the Sterbevierteljahr [12][13].
     • Health insurance, banks, and German probate court (Nachlassgericht): Report the death to any German statutory health insurance fund (GKV) and German banks (which can pay funeral invoices in advance from the estate account upon presentation of the death certificate). Where the last habitual residence or estate assets were in Germany, the Nachlassgericht beim Amtsgericht is responsible for opening wills via the official Central Register of Wills (Zentrales Testamentsregister der Bundesnotarkammer, telephone 0800 3550700) and for issuing a German certificate of inheritance (Erbschein) or European Certificate of Succession (under EU Succession Regulation No 650/2012) [14].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   German Civil Status Act (Personenstandsgesetz - PStG) § 28 Reporting a Death to the Civil Registry Office — Bundesministerium der Justiz (Gesetze im Internet)
2. [2]
   Contact and Immediate Bereavement Assistance - Federal Association of German Funeral Directors (Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V.) — Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V.
3. [3]
   Legal Notice and Contact Details - National Funeral Federation (Fédération Nationale du Funéraire - FNF) — Fédération Nationale du Funéraire
4. [4]
   Contact the French Federation of Funeral Directors (Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres - FFPF) — Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres
5. [5]
   Death in Germany: Transcription and Declaration in the French Civil Status Registers — Ambassade de France à Berlin (de.diplomatie.gouv.fr)
6. [6]
   Declaring a Death Abroad and Assistance from the Crisis and Support Center (Centre de crise et de soutien - CDCS) — Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères (France Diplomatie)
7. [7]
   Death of a Relative Abroad: Formalities, Repatriation, and Procedures in France (F911) — Direction de l'information légale et administrative (Service-Public.fr)
8. [8]
   Transport of a Body Before or After Coffining and Mortuary Transit Permit (F35706) — Service-Public.fr
9. [9]
   Reporting the Death of a Relative and Applying for the Lump-Sum Death Grant (Capital Décès) — L'Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr)
10. [10]
    Reporting the Death of a Pensioner and Applying for a Survivor's Pension (Retraite de Réversion) — Assurance Retraite (CNAV)
11. [11]
    Settlement of Estates and Official Directory of Notaries — Conseil supérieur du notariat (Notaires de France)
12. [12]
    Survivor Pensions - Widow's Pension, Widower's Pension, and Orphan's Pension — Deutsche Rentenversicherung
13. [13]
    Renten Service der Deutschen Post - Reporting a Death and Applying for the Three-Month Transition Period (Sterbevierteljahr) — Deutsche Post AG - Renten Service
14. [14]
    Central Register of Wills (Zentrales Testamentsregister - ZTR) of the Federal Chamber of Notaries — Bundesnotarkammer / Serviceportal Bund