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Funeral
In Germany, funerals are generally carried out by funeral homes, commonly called undertakers. You can select different types of burial. Depending on the region, you can choose between
- Inhumation
- Cremation (forest burial, sea burial, urn burial)
- Anonymous burial
A funeral is possible at the earliest 48 hours after the onset of death. Exceptions may be allowed by the competent health authority for good cause.
Are funeral debtors (relatives)
- nonexistent
- not to be determined,
- cannot be found.
or
- do not fulfil their duty or do not fulfil them in time
and
- no one else arranges the funeral,
the local regulatory authority responsible for the place of death or discovery must take care of the burial.
Bodies should be buried or cremated within 8 days of the onset of death. Urns should be buried within one month of cremation. With the exception of sea burial, there is a legal cemetery obligation for all burials.
The following are obliged to bury in this order:
- spouse or registered partner,
- descendants (children, grandchildren),
- Ancestors (parents, grandparents),
- Sibling.
The responsibility lies with the municipality, the Samtgemeinde and the city.
Please contact us
- for the performance of the post-mortem examination and the issuance of a death certificate to a doctor,
- for the issuance of the death certificate to the competent registry office,
- for burial to the cemetery administration of the place where burial is to be carried out,
- for the transfer from the place of death/finding to the cemetery/crematorium to a funeral home.
- for the performance of a second post-mortem examination for cremation to the responsible lower health authority (medical officer)
For burial
- Death certificate or death notice
In the case of an urn burial
- Certificate of the second official post-mortem examination before cremation
There are fees for
- the issuance of the death certificate,
- the granting of the funeral permit,
- other necessary official acts,
- Issuance of a corpse passport
If the relatives do not provide for the burial of a deceased, the funeral is arranged by the competent local regulatory authority and the persons subject to funeral are jointly and severally liable for the costs incurred.
If the relatives are not able to bear the funeral costs and the estate of the deceased is also not sufficient, they can submit an application for reimbursement of the costs to the responsible social welfare office.
Burial can take place no earlier than 48 hours after the onset of death. Bodies should have been buried or cremated no later than 8 days after the onset of death.
In Lower Saxony, cemetery owners can only be the state or church community, joint municipality and city. Individual places offer the possibility of an urn burial in a forest cemetery.
Crematoria (cremation facilities) can also be operated by private sponsors in Lower Saxony.
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
Lower Saxony Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Equality (Unit 405 - Legal Affairs in Health Care)
Source: Serviceportal Niedersachsen (Portalverbund des Bundes und der Länder)