Wandsbek District Office

Apply for a death certificate

To transport a corpse to a location outside Hamburg, you must apply for a corpse pass under certain conditions.

Detailed description

If you want to transport a deceased person across the border of a federal state or the national border of Germany to another location, you will need a corpse passport if the destination country or a country you are driving through requires a corpse passport. The corpse passport confirms the identity of the deceased person. You must apply for the corpse passport at the responsible authority.

 

Information

Prerequisites

There are no health concerns regarding the transfer

Documents required

  • Death certificate or certificate of deferral of the issuance of a death certificate
  • Confidential part of the death certificate in the original (page 2)
  • Copy of the Non-Confidential Part of the Death Certificate (Page 1)
  • Declaration of coffining (in exceptional cases this can be filled out on site when submitting the application)
  • death notice
  • In case of unnatural cause of death, additionally: clearance certificate from the State Criminal Police Office

Please note

The death must be reported to the responsible registry office and the cause of death must already have been clarified.

Deadlines

No

Procedure

  • You submit your application together with the necessary documents in person to the responsible authority.
  • The responsible authority will examine your application and, if necessary, request any necessary documents or information from you.
  • If all factual and legal requirements are met, the corpse certificate will be issued to you.

Processing time

about 20 minutes

Fees

31.00 euros

Legal remedies

Contradiction

Legal basis

§ 8 (2) Hamburg Funeral Act (BestattG HA)


www.landesrecht-hamburg.de/bsha/document/jlr-BestattGHA2020pP8

Related services

Links on hamburg.de

Address and contact information

Wandsbek District Office

Health Department
Causes of Death Statistics

Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8.30 a.m. - 12 p.m. and by telephone appointment.

Only partially accessible (3 steps)


via the elevator in the courtyard of the district office, Robert-Schuman-Brücke 4

Processing takes place centrally in Wandsbek

Haven't found the right one yet?

To Hamburg Service startpage

Keywords: Corpses funeral body abroad death

Last updated: 06.02.2026