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

1. 1

   Medical Certification of Death and Coroner or Medical Examiner Clearance in the United States

   • Death in a hospital, hospice, or care facility: When the death occurs under medical supervision in a hospital or licensed care facility, the attending physician or authorized medical practitioner pronounces the death, records the medical cause of death in the state's Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS), and authorizes the release of your family member's body to a licensed funeral home [1]. If the death occurred at home under registered hospice care, call the hospice nurse on duty first so the hospice team can verify the death without triggering an unnecessary emergency investigation.
   • Sudden, accidental, or unattended death outside a medical facility: If the death occurs unexpectedly at a private residence, hotel, workplace, or public place, call 911 immediately. Local law enforcement and emergency medical services will respond and refer the death to the county or municipal Coroner or Medical Examiner (for example, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York City, the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department in Florida, or the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner in California) [1]. For sudden, unexplained, or unattended deaths, the Coroner or Medical Examiner investigates the cause and manner of death, performs an autopsy if required by state statute, signs the medical portion of the death certificate, and issues official release clearance before a funeral home can take custody of the deceased [1].
2. 2

   Repatriation Insurance, Licensed Funeral Providers in Both Countries, and German Consular Contact

   • Check travel, medical-assistance, or repatriation insurance first: Before signing an independent funeral contract, check whether your family member had travel insurance (Auslandsreisekrankenversicherung), international medical-assistance coverage, or employer-sponsored repatriation coverage. If a policy applies, contact the insurer's 24-hour emergency assistance desk immediately, as the insurer normally appoints the coordinating funeral provider and manages eligible transport costs directly.
   • Appointing a licensed funeral home in the United States and a receiving funeral provider in Germany: In the United States, a state-licensed funeral director handles physical care of the body, civil death registration, state burial-transit permits, and airport cargo booking [1][3]. You can locate a licensed U.S. provider through the directory of the National Funeral Directors Association [3]. Under the Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule, U.S. funeral homes must give you an itemized General Price List (GPL) in person and quote prices over the telephone, allow you to purchase only the specific goods and services you select, and obtain explicit permission before charging for embalming [2]. If returning the body or cremated ashes to Germany, the U.S. funeral home coordinates with a receiving German funeral provider (Bestattungsunternehmen), which you can locate through the professional association Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V. (phone: +49 211 16008-10; email: [email protected]), operating in compliance with the relevant German state burial law (Landesbestattungsgesetz) and mandatory cemetery interment rule (Friedhofszwang) [6][7]. Clarvia supplies directory information for orientation and does not endorse, recommend, or rank listed organisations.
   • Contacting the German Embassy or Consulate in the United States: Report the death to the German Missions in the United States (the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. at +1 202-298-4000, or the competent German Consulate General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, or San Francisco, under the Federal Foreign Office / Auswärtiges Amt) [5][6]. German consular officers assist with notifying next of kin in Germany, issuing consular mortuary transport certificates (Leichenpass or Urnenbescheinigung), and accepting applications for German civil death registration, though public funds cannot pay for funeral or repatriation costs [5][6].
3. 3

   Civil Death Registration in the United States, Hague Apostille, and German Standesamt Registration

   • Obtaining certified U.S. Death Certificates (Vital Records): Your appointed U.S. funeral director gathers the deceased's personal details and files the death record with the county health department or state Office of Vital Statistics / Vital Records within the state statutory deadline [1]. You can verify the competent state Vital Records office through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) directory [1]. Order multiple certified copies of the long-form U.S. Death Certificate (including the cause of death, which German consulates require for mortuary transit permits) [1][6]. (Note: In reverse cases when a U.S. citizen dies in Germany, the local German Standesamt registers the death by the third following working day under § 28 of the Personenstandsgesetz (PStG) and issues a German Sterbeurkunde and multilingual CIEC Form C extract under the 1976 Vienna Convention, while the U.S. mission issues a Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad - CRDA Form DS-2060 [8]).
   • Hague Apostille and German subsequent registration (Nachbeurkundung under § 36 PStG): Because the United States is not a party to the 1976 Vienna CIEC Convention, U.S. authorities do not issue multilingual CIEC Form C certificates. To use a U.S. Death Certificate in Germany, obtain a Hague Apostille from the Office of the Secretary of State in the U.S. state where the certificate was issued, along with a certified German translation by a sworn translator (beeidigter Übersetzer) [5][6]. If the deceased was a German citizen, eligible family members (parents, children, spouse, or registered partner) can also apply under § 36 of the Personenstandsgesetz (PStG) for subsequent registration of the foreign death (Nachbeurkundung eines Sterbefalls im Ausland) at the German Standesamt of the deceased's last German residence (or at Standesamt I in Berlin if the deceased never resided in Germany), either directly or through the German Missions in the United States, to obtain a German Sterbeurkunde [5][9].
4. 4

   International Repatriation to Germany vs. Local Burial or Cremation in the United States

   • Repatriating a casket (body) from the United States to Germany (Leichenpass):
     • U.S. preparation and German consular Leichenpass: Under German state burial laws and the 1937 International Berlin Agreement framework, full-body repatriation to Germany must be handled by a licensed funeral home [6][7]. The U.S. funeral director embalms the body, seals it inside an airtight soldered zinc liner (verlöteter Zinksarg) or hermetically sealed metal shipping casket, and obtains the certified U.S. Death Certificate (with cause of death), a county/state burial-transit permit, a medical certificate confirming no contagious disease, and an embalming/sealing affidavit [4][6][7]. The U.S. funeral director submits these documents (and the deceased's German passport) to the competent German Consulate General to obtain the consular corpse transit permit (Leichenpass) required for customs clearance and entry into Germany [5][6]. (Under 42 CFR 71.55 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Customs and Border Protection rules, leak-proof containment and cause-of-death documentation likewise govern human remains shipments entering or transiting the United States [4]).
   • Repatriating cremated ashes to Germany (Friedhofszwang and Urnenbescheinigung):
     • Mandatory cemetery acceptance certificate (Übernahmebescheinigung): Because Germany enforces mandatory cemetery interment (Friedhofszwang) even for cremated remains, private individuals are not permitted to carry or ship an urn with cremated ashes into Germany themselves [5][6]. Instead, the urn must be shipped directly to a German cemetery administration (Friedhofsverwaltung) or a commissioned German funeral home (Bestattungsunternehmen) [6]. Before the German Consulate in the United States issues the consular urn certificate (Urnenbescheinigung), you must present the certified U.S. Death Certificate, the cremation certificate, the deceased's passport, and the written acceptance confirmation (Übernahmebescheinigung) from the receiving German cemetery or funeral home [6].
   • Local burial or cremation in the United States: If the family chooses burial or cremation in the United States without repatriation to Germany, the U.S. funeral director obtains the county/state disposition permit locally, and the family uses the apostilled U.S. Death Certificate to notify German authorities and pension bodies [1][5].
5. 5

   Survivor Pensions, Tax Filings, and Estate Administration in Germany and the United States

   • Pensions, health insurance, and succession (Erbschein) in Germany:
     • Sterbevierteljahr (within 30 days) and Deutsche Rentenversicherung: If the deceased received a German statutory pension, notify the pension payment office (Renten Service der Deutschen Post) immediately and, if there is a surviving spouse or registered partner, apply within 30 days of death for the three-month transition advance (Vorschuss für das Sterbevierteljahr) [10][11]. File the formal application for a survivor's or orphan's pension (Witwen-/Witwerrente or Waisenrente) with the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (free service telephone in Germany: 0800 1000 4800) [10][11]. Also notify the deceased's German statutory health insurer (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung).
     • German Probate Court (Nachlassgericht), Erbschein, and Central Register of Wills: Anyone holding a handwritten will must deliver it to the competent German probate court (Nachlassgericht at the Amtsgericht of the deceased's last German residence), while the Central Register of Wills (Zentrales Testamentsregister of the Bundesnotarkammer, phone: 0800 35 50 100; email: [email protected]) notifies the court of officially deposited wills [12]. If heirs need a German Certificate of Inheritance (Erbschein) to access German bank accounts or real estate - or wish to disclaim an indebted estate within the statutory deadline (6 weeks, or 6 months if the deceased resided abroad or the heir is abroad when learning of the inheritance) - they can file the declaration before the German Nachlassgericht, a German notary, or a consular officer at the German Missions in the United States [5][12].
   • Social Security, Veterans benefits, tax filings, and probate in the United States:
     • Social Security Administration (SSA) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): If your family member had a U.S. Social Security number or worked in the United States, report the death to the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 (or through the U.S. Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt if survivors live in Germany) to stop ongoing monthly payments and check eligibility for survivor benefits or the $255 lump-sum death payment (note that the US-German Social Security Totalization Agreement coordinates combined coverage credits) [13]. If the deceased served in the U.S. Armed Forces, contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs regarding burial and memorial benefits [15].
     • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and U.S. State Probate Court: The personal representative or survivor responsible for the estate must file a final federal income tax return (Form 1040, or Form 1040-NR for non-resident aliens with U.S. source income) with the Internal Revenue Service by April 15 of the year following death [14]. Any U.S. bank accounts or real estate held solely in the deceased's name without a designated beneficiary are administered through the county Probate Court (or Surrogate's Court) in the U.S. state where the deceased was domiciled or owned assets.

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Where to Write for Vital Records (State Death Certificates) — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - NCHS
2. [2]
   Shopping for Funeral Services and the FTC Funeral Rule — Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
3. [3]
   Remembering A Life - Find a Funeral Home Directory — National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)
4. [4]
   42 CFR 71.55 - Importation and Transport Standards for Human Remains — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / eCFR
5. [5]
   Todesfall im Ausland und Nachbeurkundung eines Sterbefalls — German Missions in the United States (Auswärtiges Amt / germany.info)
6. [6]
   Überführung von Verstorbenen oder Urnen nach Deutschland (Leichenpass / Urnenbescheinigung) — German Missions in the United States (Auswärtiges Amt / germany.info)
7. [7]
   Bestattersuche und Informationen zur Überführung — Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V.
8. [8]
   Personenstandsgesetz (PStG) § 28 Anzeige des Sterbefalls — Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de)
9. [9]
   Personenstandsgesetz (PStG) § 36 Geburten und Sterbefälle im Ausland — Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de)
10. [10]
    Hinterbliebenenrente: Voraussetzungen und Antragstellung — Deutsche Rentenversicherung
11. [11]
    Hinterbliebenenrente und Sterbevierteljahr rechtzeitig beantragen — Deutsche Rentenversicherung
12. [12]
    Zentrales Testamentsregister (ZTR) der Bundesnotarkammer — Bund.de Verwaltung Online
13. [13]
    What to Do When Someone Dies - Survivor Benefits — Social Security Administration (SSA)
14. [14]
    File the Final Income Tax Returns of a Deceased Person — Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
15. [15]
    VA Burial Benefits and Memorial Items — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)