What to Do When a Citizen of Romania 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 pronounced and documented in Germany.

   • Death in a hospital or nursing home: The attending physician performs the post-mortem examination (ärztliche Leichenschau) on site and issues the official medical certificate of death (Todesbescheinigung or Totenschein), consisting of a confidential and a non-confidential section [1].
   • Death at home or in a public place: Immediately contact the family doctor's practice, outside regular office hours the on-call medical service (Patientenservice 116117, phone 116 117), or in acute emergencies the rescue service via the emergency number 112 [1].
   • Unexplained or unnatural cause of death: If the physician records an unexplained or unnatural cause of death, the police and the public prosecutor's office (Staatsanwaltschaft) are called in. In such cases, the deceased may only be released for burial or international repatriation after written clearance has been granted by the public prosecutor's office (for example, in major judicial districts such as Berlin, Munich, or Frankfurt am Main) [1][6].
2. 2

   Checking Insurance Coverage, Appointing Funeral Directors in Both Countries, and Contacting the Consulate

   Before commissioning services independently, check whether your family member held travel health insurance, repatriation coverage, funeral expense insurance (Sterbegeldversicherung), or breakdown/assistance cover (Schutzbrief), as insurers frequently use their own contracted funeral directors.

   • Licensed funeral director in Germany: You can select a funeral home based in Germany (Bestattungsunternehmen) through the official directory of the German professional association, the Federal Association of German Funeral Directors (Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V.) [2]. The appointed firm handles the care of the deceased in accordance with the applicable German state burial law (Landesbestattungsgesetz - observing statutory transfer and burial deadlines as well as Germany's compulsory cemetery requirement, Friedhofszwang) and completes local administrative formalities [2]. Clarvia provides directories solely for orientation and does not recommend, endorse, or rank individual providers.
   • Receiving funeral director in Romania: For repatriation to Romania, the German funeral home coordinates with a Romanian funeral services firm (firmă de servicii funerare) that must hold a sanitary authorization issued by the regional Public Health Directorate (Direcția de Sănătate Publică - DSP, for instance DSP București or DSP Cluj) under Romanian Government Decision HG nr. 741/2016 [4].
   • Consular assistance: Contact the competent Romanian diplomatic mission, the Embassy of Romania in the Federal Republic of Germany (Ambasada României în Republica Federală Germania, phone +49 30 21239202, email [email protected]), or the Consulates General in Bonn, Munich, or Stuttgart [3]. Through the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerul Afacerilor Externe, email [email protected]) and the eConsulat.ro portal, you can obtain assistance with the subsequent transcription of the death certificate, while operational transport arrangements are handled by the funeral director [3][5].
3. 3

   Reporting the Death to the German Civil Registry and Document Recognition for Romania

   Civil status registration takes place at the place of death in Germany and forms the legal basis for all subsequent steps in Romania.

   • Registration at the German civil registry office (Standesamt): Under § 28 of the German Civil Status Act (Personenstandsgesetz - PStG), the death must be reported no later than the third working day following the death to the competent Standesamt of the place of death (such as Standesamt Mitte von Berlin or Standesamt München) [6]. For a death in a hospital, the hospital administration submits the written notification; otherwise, the appointed funeral home usually files the medical death certificate along with the deceased's identity card or passport, birth certificate, and marriage certificate if applicable [6].
   • Multilingual CIEC extract (Form C): In addition to the national German death certificate (Sterbeurkunde), explicitly request several multilingual extracts from the death register on Form C (Formblatt C) under the 1976 Vienna CIEC Convention from the German Standesamt [3][6]. This multilingual certificate is recognized directly in Romania without an Apostille and without a certified translation [3].
   • Registration in the Romanian civil status register (Transcriere): To record the death in the Romanian register overseen by the central civil status authority, the Directorate for Persons Record and Databases Management (Direcția pentru Evidența Persoanelor și Administrarea Bazelor de Date), and obtain a Romanian death certificate (Certificat de deces), transcription can be requested either by booking an appointment via eConsulat.ro at the Romanian Embassy or Consulate General in Germany, or directly in Romania at the local Public Community Service for Persons Record (Serviciul Public Comunitar Local de Evidență a Persoanelor - SPCLEP) or Town Hall (Primăria) of the deceased's last Romanian residence [3][5][7]. By comparison, when a death occurs domestically within Romania, a reporting deadline of 3 days applies (or 48 hours in forensic cases with proof issued by the police or prosecutor's office) for issuing the Certificatul de deces and burial/cremation permit (Adeverința de înhumare/incinerare) [7].
4. 4

   Choosing Between International Repatriation to Romania and Local Burial in Germany

   Together with the funeral director, you choose between repatriating the deceased to Romania and arranging a local funeral in Germany.

   • Coffin repatriation to Romania: Because both Germany and Romania are parties to the 1937 International Berlin Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses, the competent German civil registry, public health office, or public order office issues an international mortuary passport (Leichenpass) [2][3]. For cross-border transport, the body must be placed in a hermetically soldered zinc coffin (or a coffin fitted with absorbent material and a sealed metal liner) in accordance with sanitary regulations [3][4]. An additional Romanian mortuary passport (pașaport mortuar) from the Romanian Embassy is not required when a German Leichenpass under the Berlin Agreement is presented [3]; for repatriations in the reverse direction out of Romania, the local Direcția de Sănătate Publică (DSP) issues the pașaport mortuar [4].
   • Cremation and urn repatriation: Prior to cremation in Germany, state burial laws generally require a second official medical post-mortem examination (zweite amtsärztliche Leichenschau) at the crematorium [2]. Because compulsory cemetery burial (Friedhofszwang) in Germany also applies to urns, a German crematorium releases the urn only upon presentation of a cemetery acceptance certificate or transport documentation submitted by the funeral director for burial in Romania [2].
   • Local burial or cremation in Germany: If the burial or cremation takes place at a municipal or church cemetery in Germany, the German Standesamt issues the burial permit (Beerdigungsschein) and the funeral director coordinates the grave plot or urn interment under the local cemetery bylaws [2][6].
5. 5

   Pension Claims, Funeral Grant, Tax, and Estate Administration in Romania and Germany

   Once the death certificates have been issued, social security, tax, and succession matters should be addressed promptly in both countries.

   • Funeral grant and survivor's pension in Romania: If your family member was insured or entitled to a pension in the Romanian public pension system, the National House of Public Pensions (Casa Națională de Pensii Publice) grants, upon application through the competent territorial pension house (Casa Teritorială de Pensii), a one-time funeral grant (ajutor de deces) to the person who proves payment of the funeral expenses with original invoices; by law, payment is made within 3 working days of filing the application (limitation period: 3 years from the issue date of the death certificate) [8][9]. Eligible survivors may also apply there for a survivor's pension (pensia de urmaș) [8].
   • Notarial succession procedure and inheritance tax in Romania: Estate administration (procedura succesorală notarială) in Romania is conducted through a public notary's office at the deceased's last domicile or where the main assets are located, coordinated via the National Union of Public Notaries of Romania (Uniunea Națională a Notarilor Publici din România), which issues the Romanian certificate of inheritance (certificat de moștenitor) [10]. Under Romanian tax law administered by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (Agenția Națională de Administrare Fiscală), the inheritance is exempt from tax provided the succession procedure is completed within 2 years of the date of death (after two years, a 1 percent tax applies to the estate value) [11].
   • Stopping pension payments and survivor's pensions in Germany: If the deceased received a German pension, report the death immediately through the pension payment service (Renten Service der Deutschen Post) to prevent overpayments; surviving spouses or registered civil partners can also apply there within 30 days of the death for the advance payment covering the three-month death 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 institution (Deutsche Rentenversicherung, toll-free service number 0800 1000 4800) [12]; in addition, the German statutory health insurance fund (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) must be notified with a copy of the death certificate.
   • German probate court and register of wills: Following death registration, the German Standesamt automatically notifies the electronic Central Register of Wills (Zentrales Testamentsregister) maintained by the Federal Chamber of Notaries, which in turn informs the competent probate court at the local district court (Nachlassgericht beim Amtsgericht) [14]. For assets located in Germany (such as bank accounts or real estate), heirs can apply to the Amtsgericht for a German Certificate of Inheritance (Erbschein) or a European Certificate of Succession under the EU Succession Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 650/2012) [14].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Patientenservice 116117 - On-call medical service (Ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst) — Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV)
2. [2]
   Funeral director directory - Qualified funeral homes in Germany (Bestattersuche) — Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V.
3. [3]
   Registration of death and issuance of a mortuary passport in Germany — Ambasada României în Republica Federală Germania
4. [4]
   Government Decision No. 741/2016 on technical and sanitary norms for funeral services and transport of human corpses — Ministerul Sănătății / Direcția de Sănătate Publică
5. [5]
   Consular assistance in the event of a death abroad — Ministerul Afacerilor Externe (MAE)
6. [6]
   German Civil Status Act (Personenstandsgesetz - PStG) § 28 Reporting a death — Bundesministerium der Justiz - Gesetze im Internet
7. [7]
   Information on registering civil status acts and issuing certificates — Direcția pentru Evidența Persoanelor și Administrarea Bazelor de Date (DEPABD)
8. [8]
   Funeral grant (ajutor de deces) and survivor's pension (pensia de urmaș) - Frequently asked questions — Casa Națională de Pensii Publice (CNPP)
9. [9]
   Services and benefits - Granting the funeral benefit (ajutor de deces) — Ministerul Muncii și Solidarității Sociale
10. [10]
    Notarial succession procedure and national notarial registers — Uniunea Națională a Notarilor Publici din România (UNNPR)
11. [11]
    Taxpayer assistance and succession tax obligations — Agenția Națională de Administrare Fiscală (ANAF)
12. [12]
    Pensions and death abroad - Information for survivors — Deutsche Rentenversicherung
13. [13]
    Reporting a death and applying for the advance payment on the death quarter (Sterbevierteljahr) — Renten Service der Deutschen Post
14. [14]
    Information on bereavement and notification of the probate court (Nachlassgericht) — Zentrales Testamentsregister der Bundesnotarkammer