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

1. 1

   Medical Examination (*Leichenschau*) and Death Certificate (*Todesbescheinigung*) in Germany

   Before any repatriation or burial can take place, the death in Germany must be medically certified through an external post-mortem examination (äußere Leichenschau), resulting in an official medical certificate of death (Todesbescheinigung / Totenschein) comprising a confidential and a non-confidential section [1][2]:

   • Death in a hospital, nursing home, or hospice: The attending physician or on-duty doctor at the facility performs the post-mortem examination on site, issues the Todesbescheinigung, and arranges initial placement in the facility's mortuary cooling room [1][2]. Keep the deceased person's Turkish passport, national identity card (T.C. Kimlik Kartı or Blue Card / Mavi Kart), and any German residence permit ready.
   • Death at home or in a public place: In the event of a natural death at home, immediately contact the family doctor (Hausarzt) or, outside surgery hours, the on-call medical service (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst) via the nationwide number 116 117 (or, in acute emergencies in public spaces, emergency services via 112) [2]. A funeral director may only collect the deceased once the medical Todesbescheinigung has been issued.
   • Unexplained or non-natural cause of death: If the physician records an unexplained or non-natural manner of death (for instance following an accident or sudden death), the police (emergency number 110 or 112) and the Public Prosecutor's Office (Staatsanwaltschaft) are automatically notified [2]. Neither international repatriation nor burial may take place until written clearance (Freigabe) has been issued by the Staatsanwaltschaft [2][3].
2. 2

   Checking Insurance and Funeral Aid Funds, Appointing Funeral Directors, and Contacting the Turkish Consulate

   Before commissioning services privately, check whether a funeral plan or insurance cover is already in place for your family member [2][3]:

   • Funeral aid fund (Cenaze Fonu) or travel insurance: If the deceased held international travel health insurance, repatriation insurance, or membership in a Turkish mutual funeral aid association (Cenaze Fonu or support foundation such as DITIB ZSU, IGMG UKBA, or ATIB, cited as well-known public orientation examples), contact their 24-hour emergency helpline first; these organisations appoint a contracted funeral director and coordinate transport to Turkey or local burial directly.
   • Licensed funeral director in Germany and receiving services in Turkey: Where no such cover exists, appoint a licensed funeral director (Bestattungsunternehmen) in Germany in compliance with the relevant German state burial laws (Landesbestattungsgesetze) and mandatory cemetery requirement (Friedhofszwang) [2]. You can find a qualified provider experienced in international repatriation through the German professional association, Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V. (Federal Association of German Funeral Directors, telephone +49 211 16008-10, 24-hour helpline +49 211 16008-86, email [email protected]) [2]. In Turkey, the German funeral director or international repatriation company (uluslararası cenaze nakil firması) coordinates reception at the destination airport as well as municipal funeral services (belediye cenaze hizmetleri, reachable nationwide via ALO 188, for instance in metropolitan municipalities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, or Antalya) [3][4]. Clarvia provides association and authority directories for orientation only and does not recommend, endorse, or rank individual providers.
   • Contacting the Embassy or Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in Germany: Consular death registration and repatriation authorisation are handled by the Turkish Consulate General with territorial jurisdiction over the German place of death (e.g. in Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Hanover, Karlsruhe, Mainz, Munich, Münster, Nuremberg, or Stuttgart), operating under the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı, 24/7 Consular Call Centre at +90 312 292 29 29 or from Germany at +49 30 30 80 70 90) [3].
3. 3

   Registration at the German Civil Registry (*Standesamt* / Form C) and Registration for Turkey

   • German Civil Registry (Standesamt) at the place of death (3-working-day deadline): Under Section 28 of the German Civil Status Act (§ 28 Personenstandsgesetz - PStG), a death must be reported to the competent Civil Registry Office (Standesamt) at the place of death (for example in Berlin, Munich, Cologne, or Hamburg) no later than the third working day following the death [1]. When a death occurs in a hospital or nursing home, the facility submits the written notification; otherwise, the appointed funeral director files the registration by presenting the medical Todesbescheinigung, the passport or T.C. Kimlik Kartı, and the birth and (where applicable) marriage certificates [1][2].
   • Multilingual extract on CIEC Form C (1976 Vienna Convention): In addition to standard German death certificates (Sterbeurkunden), explicitly request several international multilingual death certificates on Form C (Formblatt C / Çok Dilli Ölüm Belgesi - Formül C) under the Vienna CIEC Convention of 8 September 1976 [3][4]. Because both Germany and Turkey are contracting states to this convention, the multilingual Form C is accepted directly by Turkish consulates, civil registries, courts, and social security offices without an apostille and without additional translation [3][4].
   • Civil status registration in Turkey (MERNİS / ÖBS): To record the death in the central Turkish civil registry administered by the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Citizenship Affairs (Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü, domestic helpline Alo 199, from abroad +90 312 591 21 00), the death is either reported through the competent Turkish Consulate General in Germany or registered in Turkey within 10 days at the local District Civil Registry Directorate (İlçe Nüfus Müdürlüğü, alongside electronic notification in the Death Notification System ÖBS) upon presentation of Form C and the deceased's Turkish identity documents [3][4].
4. 4

   Choosing Between International Repatriation to Turkey and Local Burial in Germany

   • International repatriation of the body (coffin transfer) from Germany to Turkey: For cross-border transport, the competent authority at the German place of death (public order office / Ordnungsamt, public health office / Gesundheitsamt, or Standesamt) issues an international corpse transit permit (Leichenpass) under the 1937 International Berlin Agreement, based on the death certificate, an official medical certificate confirming the absence of contagious disease, an embalming report (tahnit raporu), and placement in a hermetically soldered zinc-lined coffin (lehimli çinko tabut) [2][3][5]. Using these documents, the funeral director obtains the consular mortuary transit permit (Cenaze Nakil Belgesi / Laissez-Passer) from the Turkish Consulate General in Germany [3]. Upon arrival at the Turkish airport, the Directorate General of Health for Borders and Coasts of Turkey (Türkiye Hudut ve Sahiller Sağlık Genel Müdürlüğü - THSSGM) inspects the documentation for entry clearance, while the municipal health or cemetery authority (belediye / sağlık müdürlüğü, ALO 188) issues the domestic road transit permit (Yol İzin Belgesi) to the final burial place [3][6]. General guidance on cross-border bereavement and repatriation is also published by the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) [5].
   • Cremation and urn transfer: If cremation takes place in Germany (which requires a mandatory second official medical examination, zweite amtsärztliche Leichenschau, at the crematorium), the urn is transported with the death certificate (Form C), cremation certificate (Einäscherungsbescheinigung), and consular transit documents; conversely, if an urn is to be interred within Germany, the crematorium requires a receiving certificate (Übernahmebescheinigung) from the German cemetery due to Germany's mandatory cemetery requirement (Friedhofszwang) [2][3].
   • Local burial in Germany: If the family chooses burial in Germany, the funeral director arranges the burial within the statutory timeframes of the relevant German state burial law (many German municipalities also maintain dedicated Muslim burial sections, muslimische Grabfelder, in municipal cemeteries) [2].
5. 5

   Survivor Pensions, Funeral Grants, Taxes, and Estate Administration in Turkey and Germany

   Once the German death certificate and multilingual CIEC Form C are issued, social security, tax, and probate procedures must be initiated in both countries:

   • Benefits and succession procedures in Turkey: If the deceased held social insurance coverage or received a pension in Turkey, eligible survivors can apply to the Turkish Social Security Institution (Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu - SGK, helpline ALO 170) for the one-off funeral grant (cenaze ödeneği, subject to a 5-year limitation period) and survivor pension (ölüm aylığı / dul-yetim aylığı); applications can also be submitted online via the official Turkish e-Government portal (e-Devlet Kapısı) [7][8]. To access bank accounts and real estate (Tapu) in Turkey, heirs require a Turkish certificate of inheritance (Mirasçılık Belgesi / Veraset İlamı), issued by a Turkish Civil Court of Peace (Sulh Hukuk Mahkemesi) or - provided no foreign citizenship or contested will precludes notarial jurisdiction - by a Turkish notary via the Union of Turkish Bar and Notaries (Türkiye Noterler Birliği) (the statutory deadline to renounce an inheritance, reddi miras, is 3 months) [9]. In addition, for assets in Turkey, an Inheritance and Transfer Tax return (Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi beyannamesi) must be filed with the competent tax office (Vergi Dairesi) of the Turkish Revenue Administration (Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı) (standard deadline 4 months from the date of death; where a death occurs abroad such as in Germany, statutory filing windows of 4, 6, or 8 months apply under Law No. 7338 depending on the heirs' country of residence) [10].
   • Benefits and succession procedures in Germany: If the deceased received a German statutory pension, report the death immediately to the pension payment service (Renten Service der Deutschen Post, telephone +49 221 569 2777), through which surviving spouses can also claim the three-month transition pension advance (Sterbevierteljahr) within 30 days of the date of death [11][12]. Applications for German widow's, widower's, or orphan's pensions (Witwen-/Witwerrente, Waisenrente) are submitted to the German statutory pension insurance body (Deutsche Rentenversicherung, toll-free service number 0800 1000 4800 or +49 30 865 0 from abroad) [11]. Also notify the deceased's German statutory health insurance fund (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung - GKV). For assets located in Germany, the Probate Court at the Local District Court (Nachlassgericht beim Amtsgericht) of the deceased's last German residence has jurisdiction; it is automatically notified of officially deposited wills via the Central Register of Wills (Zentrales Testamentsregister, operated by the Federal Chamber of Notaries, telephone 0800 35 50 100, email [email protected]) and issues a German certificate of inheritance (Erbschein) upon application (note that under the 1929 German-Turkish Succession Agreement, Turkish law governs immovable property in Turkey and German law governs immovable property in Germany) [13].

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 — Bundesministerium der Justiz (Gesetze im Internet)
2. [2]
   Contact and Immediate Bereavement Support – Federal Association of German Funeral Directors (Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V.) — Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V.
3. [3]
   Consular Repatriation of Remains to Turkey (Cenaze Nakil İşlemleri) — T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı
4. [4]
   Death Registration Procedures and Multilingual Death Certificate (Formül C) — T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü (NVİ)
5. [5]
   Death Abroad and Repatriation – Information for Relatives — Auswärtiges Amt
6. [6]
   Border Health Directive for Remains Brought from Abroad (Cenaze Nakil İşlemleri) — T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı Türkiye Hudut ve Sahiller Sağlık Genel Müdürlüğü (THSSGM)
7. [7]
   Survivor Insurance, Survivor Pension (Ölüm Aylığı), and Funeral Grant (Cenaze Ödeneği) — Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu (SGK)
8. [8]
   Online Application for Funeral Grant and Survivor Pension (e-Devlet Kapısı) — e-Devlet Kapısı (turkiye.gov.tr)
9. [9]
   Issuance of Certificates of Inheritance (Mirasçılık Belgesi / Veraset İlamı) — Türkiye Noterler Birliği (TNB)
10. [10]
    Inheritance and Transfer Tax Law (Veraset ve İntikal Vergisi Kanunu) and Filing Deadlines — Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı (GİB)
11. [11]
    Survivor Pensions – Widow's, Widower's, and Orphan's Pensions — Deutsche Rentenversicherung
12. [12]
    Deutsche Post Pension Service – Reporting a Death and Applying for the Three-Month Transition Quarter (Sterbevierteljahr) — Deutsche Post AG - Renten Service
13. [13]
    Central Register of Wills (Zentrales Testamentsregister - ZTR) of the Federal Chamber of Notaries — Bund.de Verwaltung Online