Death abroad Certification of deaths on seagoing vessels

Prerequisites

• The death occurred on a foreign seagoing vessel
• The death occurred during a sea voyage outside the seagoing vessel - but not on land or in a domestic port - and the deceased was taken on board a foreign seagoing vessel
• The deceased had held German citizenship at the time of death
• The deceased had the status of a stateless person, a homeless alien or a foreign refugee within the meaning of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees who Ordinarily Resident in Germany are Eligible to Apply
  • the parents, children, spouse and civil partner of the deceased
  • any other person who can assert a legal interest in the certification against the registry office

Documents required

For the information to be included in the death record, you must provide the necessary certificates or other documents that you have.
In particular, the following documents are required:

• Your identity card/passport as the applicant
• Foreign death certificate of the deceased (if necessary with a translation and certification by the competent foreign authority (apostille) or legalization by the German mission abroad; it may be sufficient to submit a multilingual form)
• the marriage or civil partnership certificate of the deceased person's last marriage or civil partnership and/or proof of its dissolution,
• the birth certificate of the deceased,
• proof of the deceased person's last place of residence
• for naturalized persons, persons entitled to asylum, stateless persons, homeless foreigners and recognized foreign refugees: certificate of naturalization/ proof of special status

Please note

no

Deadlines

no

Procedure

You submit the application for subsequent certification of a death on a foreign seagoing vessel to the responsible German registry office.

• Contact the responsible German registry office in writing, by telephone or in person, describe your request and ask for the documents you need to submit.
• Submit the application for subsequent certification and enclose the required documents.
• The registry office will check your information and the evidence you have submitted and, if necessary, carry out the subsequent certification of the death.
• You have the option of applying for a German death certificate to the same registry office for a fee.

Processing time

• Usually several weeks

Fees

• Cost range EUR 62.50 - 258.50

Legal remedies

no

Legal basis

• § 37 Civil Status Act (PStG)
  https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pstg/__37.html


• § 36 Civil Status Act (PStG)
  https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pstg/__36.html


• § 31 Civil Status Act (PStG)
  https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pstg/__31.html