Repatriation from Germany: documents and deadlines

Standesamt: registration by the third working day

A death in Germany has to be reported to the civil registry office (Standesamt) for the place of death no later than the third working day, and Saturday does not count as a working day for this purpose. If the person died in a hospital or a care home, the institution itself sends the notification. When the death happens at home, the duty falls to relatives who lived with the deceased or to whoever was present. After registration the Standesamt issues the death certificate (Sterbeurkunde), on which every later step depends.

Medical certificate and what the registry asks for

Registration requires a doctor's certificate of death (Todesbescheinigung), completed after the body has been examined, with the cause of death entered in a confidential section. The office also asks for the passport of the deceased, the birth certificate and, if the person was married, the marriage certificate; for people born abroad an international-format document or a translated national one is usually required. That is why we immediately ask the family in Tbilisi to find the Georgian birth and marriage certificates, so the German registry does not hold back the registration while waiting for papers.

Bestatter: the local undertaker's part

The German undertaker (Bestatter) is the family's main support on the ground. He may report the death to the Standesamt on the relatives' behalf, order copies of the certificate, place the body in the coffin in full compliance with the rules and apply for the transport document. As a rule, it is the Bestatter who files the application for the Leichenpass. Our partners operate in various German states and know the Georgian route well, which spares the family from explaining to a German firm what the Georgian border and customs will demand.

Leichenpass: a "passport" for the deceased

A body can leave Germany only with a corpse transport passport (Leichenpass). This multilingual document, in German, English, French and Italian, accompanies the coffin for the entire journey. To obtain it, the applicant usually presents the doctor's certificate bearing the Standesamt's note that the death has been registered, the Sterbeurkunde, and the undertaker's confirmation that the body has been properly coffined and the transport conditions met. If embalming was carried out, its certificate is attached too. The size of the fee is decided by the local authority.

Which office issues it in each state

Burial law in Germany is a matter for the federal states, so the office that issues the Leichenpass differs too. In Bavaria it is the municipality where the transfer begins; in Bremen the application goes to the institute of forensic medicine; elsewhere the health office (Gesundheitsamt) or another local body carries out this function. The fee is set locally as well; in Bremen, for example, it currently does not exceed thirty euros. The family need not untangle these differences: the local Bestatter knows exactly which counter to go to in that particular city.

Unnatural death and the public prosecutor

If the doctor cannot certify the death as natural, for instance after a crash, an industrial injury or in unclear circumstances, the police and the public prosecutor (Staatsanwaltschaft) become involved. In that case the Leichenpass is issued only after the prosecutor has released the body and given the relevant clearance; sometimes a forensic post-mortem is also ordered. During those days the undertaker and the family can only wait, but our partner stays in touch with the authorities so that, the moment the body is released, the remaining papers move ahead without delay.

Burial deadlines and keeping the body

How many days may pass before a body must be buried or sent away is decided by each state's burial law, and those limits do not match; in recent years some states have abolished or relaxed the old rule on a minimum waiting period. When the destination is abroad, the family's main concern is not to "beat" a deadline but to make sure the body stays in a refrigerated chamber for the whole wait. The cost of those days appears on the estimate as its own line, so relatives can see how many days were needed and why.

Germany and the Strasbourg Agreement

The Council of Europe's 1973 agreement on conveying corpses introduces a uniform mortuary laissez-passer and simplifies the procedure between the states that take part. Germany signed it in 1974 but never ratified it, and Georgia is not among the participants. In practice, for a transfer from Germany to Georgia the file rests on the German Leichenpass and the Georgian side's requirements rather than on a single Strasbourg form. If the route includes a change of planes, we also check the conditions of the transit country separately.

Apostille on a German certificate

Germany has been party to the 1961 Hague Convention since 1966. When Georgia acceded in 2007, Germany initially lodged an objection, but withdrew it in 2010, and since then the apostille has applied between the two countries. To present a Sterbeurkunde in Georgia, consular legalisation is therefore no longer needed: an apostille from the competent authority of the relevant state is enough. Which body that is in a given city, and how many days it will take, is something the Bestatter or our partner will confirm in advance.

Embassy of Georgia in Berlin

When a Georgian citizen dies, the undertaker or the family contacts the Embassy of Georgia in Berlin or its consular service. The consulate is especially useful when the relative's Georgian passport cannot be found and identity has to be confirmed from the Georgian register, or when a family member living in Germany needs to draw up a power of attorney. In some cases a consular certificate forms part of the file for bringing the coffin into Georgia. We do this work alongside the German paperwork, so neither has to wait for the other to finish.

Getting ready for the journey: Einsargung and embalming

One condition for issuing the Leichenpass is confirmation that the body has been properly placed in the coffin (Einsargung). For long distances and air transport the body is usually placed in a hermetically closed inner coffin of metal, most often zinc, set inside an outer wooden one. Embalming slows changes to the body and preserves the family's chance of a farewell in Georgia with the coffin open, which is why it is documented with a separate certificate. Read more about the procedure on our Embalming page.

The road to Tbilisi

From Germany the body is in most cases sent by air cargo, on a direct or connecting flight from a major airport, depending on which airline will accept human remains on the day needed. The overland route crosses several countries, each with its own border check, so it is rarely chosen. If the burial will be in western Georgia, we check whether the consignment can be received in Kutaisi for that particular flight. We choose the route with the family, weighing price against arrival date, and send the flight details ahead of time.

Cremation in Germany

Before a cremation in Germany a second medical examination takes place, re-checking the first doctor's findings. Many states have a cemetery obligation (Friedhofszwang) that also covers ashes, so within Germany the urn is often not handed to a relative personally. For a transfer abroad, the Bestatter organises how the urn is handed over and carried, and it is frequently sent directly to the receiving funeral home. In Tbilisi we take delivery of the urn and then plan the next steps together with the family; details are on our Cremation page.

Translation and registration in Georgia

Before going to the House of Justice, the German certificate and its apostille are translated into Georgian and notarised. A Georgian surname in a Sterbeurkunde is often spelled according to German transliteration rules and does not match the Latin spelling in the passport: "Tschchikwischwili" and "Chkhikvishvili", for example, are one and the same surname. We resolve discrepancies like this with the translator, so registration goes through without misunderstandings. Once it is registered, the family holds a Georgian death certificate, which will be needed in inheritance and banking matters.

Insurance, employer and meeting the costs

Many people who worked or studied in Germany had health or travel insurance, and some also had a private life policy or funeral expenses cover. Check whether any of these pays for repatriation, and inform the insurer before choosing a firm, because some companies appoint their own partner. If the accident happened at work, ask the employer in writing which insurance applies. If the family's income is low, also look at the conditions of the state reimbursement that operates through Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Family at home: the days of waiting

There is no need to sit idle while the German side finishes its part. In these days you can choose the cemetery or family plot, arrange things with the priest, prepare a photograph for the obituary and decide where you will receive condolences. Also draw up a notarised power of attorney and gather documents proving kinship. Hold off announcing the funeral date until the cargo booking is confirmed: the flight from Germany is short, but a single day's delay with the Leichenpass or the prosecutor's clearance is enough to change the plan.

Price and the reception in Tbilisi

Repatriation from Germany, as from other European Union countries, costs from 5,500 GEL. The sum rises with the distance of the town from a major airport, with the days the body is stored while awaiting the prosecutor's clearance, and with the cargo rate of the particular flight. If relatives, or a Bestatter they chose themselves, have handled everything in Germany, the airport reception in Tbilisi, customs clearance and delivery by hearse cost from 600 GEL as a separate service. Everything included is listed on the Repatriation page.

Frequently asked questions