Have death certificate issued 
When a person has died, a death certificate must be issued. Here you can find more information on this topic.
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Basic information
After the death of a person, a doctor must examine the body and make the determination of death.
The determination of death must be carried out immediately after the occurrence of death by established physicians. Likewise, physicians who are on emergency standby duty or physicians on emergency care duty are required to make a determination of death.
The following persons, in the order listed below, are required to make the determination of death:
- the spouse, registered domestic partner, person who lived with the deceased person in consensual union, children of full age, parents or siblings of full age,
- the person on whose property or in whose dwelling the death occurred, or
- any person who finds a corpse.
If the death has occurred in hospitals, nursing homes, and other community facilities or in enterprises, public facilities, means of transport or during an event, the medical management of the hospital, the management of the other facility or enterprise, the driver of the means of transport or the organizer of the event shall be obliged in the first place to arrange for the death to be ascertained.
After the death has been ascertained, a death certificate must be issued immediately. This consists of 6 copies. The death certificate is based on a model issued by the Senator for Science, Health and Consumer Protection.
The death certificate must contain the following information about the deceased person:
- Name, sex.
- Last residence.
- Time and place of birth and death or finding
- in the case of stillborn infants, also the birth weight.
- Information on indications of non-natural death.
If there are indications that the death was not natural, the post-mortem examination shall be carried out at the place where the body was found. The physician shall immediately notify the competent police station. The police shall notify the coroner for the purpose of conducting the post-mortem examination.
Requirements
- Death of a person.
- Immediate notification of a medical professional or the police.
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Procedure
As soon as a person has died, a medical examination must take place.
- A doctor must be notified immediately by the person responsible, i.e. without culpable hesitation. If possible, the family doctor of the deceased person or a representative should be notified.
- The physician or health care professional will make a determination of death and issue a death certificate (6 copies).
- The death certificate is given to the person who is obliged to report the death.
- 1 copy must be submitted to the registrar's office.
- 2 copies must be submitted to the Institute of Forensic Medicine no later than the next business day (Saturday is not considered a business day).
- 1 copy may be taken from the physician who issued the death certificate.
- 1 copy for the coroner may be taken by the physician who issued the death certificate.
- 1 copy of the death certificate remains with the corpse.
More information
- Transport of the body without the death certificate is not permitted.
- If the deceased person's main residence was outside the state of Bremen, the Institute of Forensic Medicine must send a copy of the death certificate to the authority responsible for the main residence.
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Necessary Documents
- Death certificate
Based on a sample from the Senator of Science, Health, and Consumer Protection.
- Death certificate
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Competent Department
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Institut für Rechtsmedizin
- +49 421 497 73960
- St.-Jürgen-Straße (Haus 40) 1, 28205 Bremen
- Website
- rechtsmedizin
@gesundheitnord. de
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Fees / Costs
The amount of the costs for the death certificate is based on the German Medical Fee Schedule (GOÄ).
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Deadlines & processing time
What deadlines must be paid attention to?
The physician who performs the post-mortem examination and issues the death certificate must be notified immediately.
In the event of non-natural death, the physician must immediately notify the police or the public prosecutor's office.How long does it take to process
The death certificate is issued immediately on site.
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. 31.01.2025