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

1. 1

   Medical examination of the body, death certificate, and official clearance in Germany

   Before any transfer or civil registration can take place, the death must be medically established and officially certified in Germany.

   • Death in a hospital or nursing home: The attending physician on duty at the hospital performs the external post-mortem examination (ärztliche Leichenschau) and issues the official medical certificate of death (Todesbescheinigung / Totenschein) [1][5].
   • Death at home or in a public place: Notify the general practitioner's office immediately, or outside regular office hours call the on-call medical service (Patientenservice 116117, telephone 116 117), or in an acute emergency call the rescue services via the emergency number 112 [1].
   • Unexplained or non-natural cause of death: If the physician records an unexplained or non-natural cause of death, the police and the public prosecutor's office (Staatsanwaltschaft) are called in [1][3]. In this case, the deceased person may only be released for burial or repatriation to the Netherlands after written clearance has been issued by the competent public prosecutor's office (for example in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Berlin, or Munich) [1][5].
2. 2

   Checking insurance coverage, appointing funeral directors in both countries, and contacting consular services

   Before commissioning a funeral provider on your own, check immediately whether your family member held Dutch travel, funeral, or health insurance (reisverzekering, uitvaartverzekering, or zorgverzekering), as their emergency assistance centers (alarmcentrales) frequently arrange international repatriation directly [3][4].

   • Licensed funeral director in Germany: If no insurer is managing the case, you can select a funeral provider (Bestattungsunternehmen) at the German place of death through the official directory of the German trade association (Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V., Federal Association of German Funeral Directors) [2]. The company handles hygienic preparation, complies with the deadlines of the relevant state funeral law (Landesbestattungsgesetz) and Germany's statutory cemetery obligation (Friedhofszwang), and completes the formalities at the German civil registry office (Standesamt) [2]. Clarvia lists trade associations and directories solely for orientation and does not endorse, recommend, or rank individual providers.
   • Receiving funeral director in the Netherlands: For reception and burial or cremation in the Netherlands, the German funeral provider coordinates with a certified Dutch funeral director (gecertificeerde uitvaartondernemer, such as a member of the trade association Branchevereniging Gecertificeerde Nederlandse Uitvaartondernemingen - BGNU) [4][6]. Under the Dutch Burial and Cremation Act (Wet op de lijkbezorging), burial or cremation in the Netherlands takes place no earlier than 36 hours after death and no later than the sixth working day (unless the mayor grants an extension for cross-border cases) [6].
   • Dutch consular assistance: Consular guidance from the Embassy of the Netherlands in Berlin and the Dutch consulates in Germany is available through the central consular service of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NederlandWereldwijd, reachable 24/7 at telephone +31 247 247 247) [3][4].
3. 3

   Death registration at the German Standesamt and certificate recognition for the Netherlands

   Civil registration takes place at the place of death in Germany and forms the basis for registration in the Netherlands.

   • Registration with the German civil registry office (Standesamt): Under Section 28 of the German Civil Status Act (§ 28 Personenstandsgesetz - PStG), the death must be reported to the Standesamt of the place of death no later than the third working day following the death [5]. For a hospital death, the hospital administration submits the written notification; otherwise, the appointed funeral director generally submits the medical death certificate along with the deceased's Dutch passport or identity card (identiteitskaart) and civil status certificates [3][5].
   • Multilingual CIEC extract on Form C: In addition to the standard German death certificate (Sterbeurkunde), explicitly request several multilingual extracts from the death register on Form C (mehrsprachiger Auszug auf Formblatt C / meertalig CIEC-uittreksel Model C) under the 1976 Vienna CIEC Convention [5][7]. This multilingual certificate is recognized directly in the Netherlands without an apostille and without a translation [7].
   • Notification in the Netherlands (BRP / RNI) and certificate transcription in The Hague: If the deceased resided in a Dutch municipality, the death must be reported to the civil registry (Burgerlijke Stand) of the Dutch municipality of residence by presenting the foreign death certificate; the municipality then automatically updates the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen - BRP), as explained on the central government portal (Rijksoverheid, Government of the Netherlands, telephone 1400 within the Netherlands) [3][6]. If the person was registered as a non-resident in the Non-Residents Records Database (Registratie Niet-Ingezetenen - RNI), notification follows the procedures set out by NederlandWereldwijd [3]. Additionally, relatives may optionally have the German death certificate transcribed into a Dutch civil status record through the municipality responsible for national civil registry tasks (Gemeente Den Haag, Municipality of The Hague, Afdeling Landelijke Taken, telephone +31 70 353 30 00) [7].
4. 4

   Choosing between international repatriation to the Netherlands and local burial or cremation in Germany

   Together with the funeral director, you decide between repatriating the deceased to the Netherlands and holding the burial or cremation in Germany.

   • Coffin repatriation to the Netherlands: For cross-border transport of a body from Germany, the competent German authority (Standesamt, public health office, or public order office) issues a mortuary passport (Leichenpass) under the 1937 International Berlin Agreement, and the body is transported in accordance with regulations in a hermetically soldered zinc coffin or transport coffin [2][4]. When transporting in the reverse direction from the Netherlands, the mayor of the Dutch municipality of death issues a mortuary laissez-passer (laissez-passer voor lijken) under the Strasbourg Agreement [4][6].
   • Cremation and urn transfer: If cremation takes place in Germany first, a second official medical examination (zweite amtsärztliche Leichenschau) at the German crematorium is generally required by law prior to cremation [2][3]. Because of the German statutory cemetery obligation (Friedhofszwang), the German crematorium requires proof from the funeral director of cross-border transfer abroad or an acceptance certificate (Übernahmebescheinigung) before releasing the urn; in the Netherlands, by contrast, the keeping and interment of urns under the Wet op de lijkbezorging are regulated much more flexibly [2][4][6].
   • Local burial or cremation in Germany: If burial or cremation is to take place permanently at a cemetery in Germany, the German Standesamt issues the burial permit (Beerdigungsschein) and the German funeral director coordinates the grave or urn plot in accordance with local cemetery bylaws [2][5].
5. 5

   Pension claims, tax filings, and estate administration in the Netherlands and Germany

   After obtaining the death certificates, you should settle pension, tax, and probate matters in both countries.

   • Dutch pensions and survivor benefits (AOW and Anw): Following the BRP death notification in a Dutch municipality of residence, the Dutch Social Insurance Bank (Sociale Verzekeringsbank - SVB) is notified automatically; if the deceased lived outside the Netherlands, report the death directly to the SVB [8]. Surviving partners and children can ask the Sociale Verzekeringsbank to assess whether they qualify for a survivor benefit or orphan's pension under the General Surviving Relatives Act (Algemene nabestaandenwet - Anw) [8].
   • Dutch estate administration, notary, court, and tax authority: You can check whether a will was registered in the Netherlands via the Central Register of Wills (Centraal Testamentenregister - CTR); a Dutch certificate of inheritance (verklaring van erfrecht) or a European Certificate of Succession is issued by a Dutch civil-law notary through the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-law Notaries (Koninklijke Notariële Beroepsorganisatie - KNB / Notaris.nl) [9]. Heirs who wish to accept an estate under Dutch law with benefit of inventory (beneficiair aanvaarden) or renounce it (verwerpen) submit a formal declaration to the registry of the competent district court (rechtbank) via the Dutch Judiciary administration (de Rechtspraak) [9][10]. The final income tax return (F-biljet) and the Dutch inheritance tax return (erfbelasting) are filed with the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst, Bereavement Tax Helpline / BelastingTelefoon voor nabestaanden 0800 235 8354 within the Netherlands) [11].
   • Pension notification and survivor pension in Germany: If your family member also received a German pension, report the death immediately through the pension payment service (Renten Service der Deutschen Post), where surviving spouses or registered partners can apply within 30 days of death for the advance payment on the three-month bereavement quarter (Sterbevierteljahr) [12][13]. Applications for a widow's, widower's, or orphan's pension (Witwen-, Witwer- oder Waisenrente) are submitted to the German statutory pension insurance authority (Deutsche Rentenversicherung, toll-free service number 0800 1000 4800) [12]; also notify any German statutory health insurance fund (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung).
   • German probate court and register of wills: After registering the death, the German Standesamt automatically notifies the electronic register of the Federal Chamber of Notaries (Zentrales Testamentsregister), which informs the competent German probate court (Nachlassgericht at the Amtsgericht) [14]. For assets located in Germany or if the deceased had their last habitual residence in Germany, a German certificate of inheritance (Erbschein) or a European Certificate of Succession can be requested from the Amtsgericht [14].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Patientenservice 116117 - On-Call Medical Service — Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV)
2. [2]
   Funeral Director Directory - Qualified funeral providers in Germany — Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V.
3. [3]
   Death abroad - What do I need to arrange — NederlandWereldwijd - Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken
4. [4]
   Death abroad - Repatriation to the Netherlands — NederlandWereldwijd - Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken
5. [5]
   German Civil Status Act (Personenstandsgesetz - PStG) Section 28 Notification of Death — Bundesministerium der Justiz - Gesetze im Internet
6. [6]
   Bereavement - Registering a death and the Burial and Cremation Act (Wet op de lijkbezorging) — Rijksoverheid
7. [7]
   Converting a foreign certificate into a Dutch civil status record (National Tasks Department) — Gemeente Den Haag
8. [8]
   General Surviving Relatives Act (Anw) - Survivor benefit — Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB)
9. [9]
   Upon death - Certificate of inheritance and accepting or renouncing an estate — Koninklijke Notariële Beroepsorganisatie (Notaris.nl)
10. [10]
    Court procedure for accepting an inheritance with benefit of inventory or renouncing it — de Rechtspraak
11. [11]
    After a death - Tax matters, F-form (F-biljet), and inheritance tax — Belastingdienst
12. [12]
    Pensions and death abroad - Information for survivors — Deutsche Rentenversicherung
13. [13]
    Reporting a death and applying for the Sterbevierteljahr advance payment — Renten Service der Deutschen Post
14. [14]
    Information on bereavement and notification of the probate court (Nachlassgericht) — Zentrales Testamentsregister der Bundesnotarkammer