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Apply for a death certificate

  • Ausweise und Dokumente
  • Sterbefall und Nachlass

If one of your family members has died, you can apply for a death certificate at the relevant registry office.

  • Basic information

    The death certificate is a document that certifies the death of a person.

    You can receive the application for a death certificate as

    • the last spouse or partner
    • the last civil partner within the meaning of the Registered Civil Partnership Act
    • ancestors and descendants of the deceased person or
    • siblings with a legitimate interest and
    • close relatives with a legal interest, for example by means of a letter from the probate court

    You can submit the application at any registry office. The certificate is issued by the registry office keeping the register.

    The death certificate contains the following information about the deceased person

    • the first names and surname, maiden name
    • Place and date of birth
    • the last place of residence and marital status
    • the first names and surname, maiden name of the spouse or civil partner
    • Place and time of death

    The death certificate can be important, for example, for

    • the funeral and its preparation, for example for coffining and transportation
    • the settlement of the estate
    • claiming statutory or private insurance benefits

    Requirements

    • The death is recorded in the death register of the competent registry office.
      • You can apply for the certificate to be issued before it is notarized. The certificate will only be issued after notarization.
    • You are the last spouse, or
    • You are the last civil partner within the meaning of the Registered Civil Partnership Act or
    • You are an ancestor or descendant of the deceased person or
    • You are a sister or brother with a legitimate interest or
    • You are part of the immediate family, for example aunt and uncle, who can credibly demonstrate a legal interest, for example by means of a letter from the probate court.
      • for other persons without any family connection:
        • Proof of legal interest, for example
          • certificate of inheritance
          • extract from the land register
          • Identity card or passport
    • You are at least 16 years old.

  • Procedure

    You can apply for a death certificate at the Bremen-Mitte registry office and the Bremen-Nord registry office in writing by e-mail, DE-Mail or post.

    For legal reasons, it is not possible to order a certificate by telephone.

    Request by e-mail

    • Fill out the form to request a certificate.
    • Send a scanned attachment/photo as proof of your identity. This can be:
      • Identity card (both sides)
      • Passport
    • You may black out data that is not required (e.g. height, eye color, etc.).
    • Send the email to the email address of the relevant registry office.
      • For the registry office Bremen-Mitte:
        • urkunde@inneres.bremen.de
      • For the registry office Bremen-Nord:
        • Standesamtbremen-nord@inneres.bremen.de
    • You will then receive an invoice and the death certificate.

    Application by DE-Mail

    We would like to point out that copies of identity documents contain sensitive data that should only be sent in encrypted form when using e-mail as a means of transportation. For this purpose, we also offer you the option of sending us the document request, including a scanned copy of your ID, by DE-Mail.

    • Sending by DE-Mail requires that you yourself have a DE-Mail address, i.e. that you are authenticated within the DE-Mail network. Encrypted transmission is only guaranteed within the DE-Mail network.
    • It is not possible to send messages to the DE-Mail addresses of the registry offices from a conventional mail account.
    • Our DE-Mail addresses are:
      • For the registry office Bremen-Mitte:
        • EPS.050-SM@bremen.de-mail.de
      • For the registry office Bremen-Nord:
        • EPS.050-SN@bremen.de-mail.de

    Request by post

    • Fill out the form to request a certificate.
    • Send a copy of proof of your identity. This can be:
      • Identity card (both sides)
      • Passport
        • You can black out data that is not required (e.g. height, eye color, etc.).
    • Send both together to the relevant registry office.
    • You will then receive an invoice and the death certificate.

    If you do not wish to send a copy/scan copy of your identity card or passport, the requested certificate can only be collected in person, as the registry office must be satisfied that the request for the certificate is justified and that the person making the request is the correct person. Please arrange a collection appointment by calling 115.

    More information

    For further information on DE-Mail, we recommend the publications of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) under "Further information".

    Legal remedy

    • Application for a court decision at the competent local court

  • Necessary Documents
    • for close relatives:
      • Proof of legal interest, for example
        • certificate of inheritance
        • extract from the land register
      • Identity card or passport (a copy if applying in writing, online you must authenticate yourself electronically using an identity card with online ID function or with your electronic residence permit)
    • for siblings of the deceased person:
      • Proof of the family relationship
      • Be able to credibly demonstrate a legitimate interest, for example family or genealogical research
      • Identity card or passport (a copy if applying in writing, online you must authenticate yourself electronically using an identity card with online ID function or with your electronic residence permit)
    • if collected by a representative:
      • written power of attorney from the authorized person
      • your own identity card or passport
    • for other persons without any relationship:
      • Proof of legal interest, for example
        • certificate of inheritance
        • extract from the land register
      • Identity card or passport (a copy if applying in writing, online you must authenticate yourself electronically using an identity card with online ID function or with your electronic residence permit)

  • Competent Department

  • Forms

  • Fees / Costs

    bis 15,00 EUR per certificate
    bis 8,00 EUR for each additional, identical certificate issued at the same time.

    If you request the certificate in writing, we will send you an invoice together with the certificate.
    If you collect the certificate in person, the fees must be paid in cash, by EC card, Maestro, Mastercard, Visa or VPay.
    Civil status certificates that are required for the purposes of statutory health, long-term care, accident and pension insurance, the granting of child benefit, parental benefit or education allowances are for a specific purpose and free of charge.

  • Deadlines & processing time

    What deadlines must be paid attention to?

    The death certificate can be issued 30 years after the register has been created.

    Information on older death registers can be obtained from the Bremen State Archives.

    How long does it take to process

    The processing time depends on the order volume.

  • Legal Bases

  • More Information

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This page has been automatically translated by DeepL. We cannot guarantee that the translation is correct.

The official information in German is complete and correct. 23.02.2026

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