How to Repatriate a Body from Germany

When a family member dies in Germany and you want to bring them home, the process involves German public health regulations, airline cargo requirements, and your home country's import rules — all coordinated through a German funeral director who may not speak English. The paperwork alone takes days, and one missing permit can ground the entire transfer.

Here's what's actually involved.

Body Repatriation: The Full Process

Repatriating a body (as opposed to cremated remains) requires the most paperwork and the highest cost.

Step 1: Secure the Release

Before anything can happen, the body must be officially released. For natural deaths, the hospital or mortuary releases the body to the funeral director once the medical death certificate is signed. If the death was flagged as non-natural or undetermined, the public prosecutor's office (Staatsanwaltschaft) must formally release the body first — and they won't do so until their investigation is complete. This can add days or weeks.

Step 2: Embalming and Coffin Preparation

German and international regulations require the body to be:

• Embalmed by a licensed embalmer
• Placed in a hermetically sealed, zinc-lined coffin (a standard wooden coffin is not sufficient for international transport)
• Accompanied by a declaration from the funeral director confirming these preparations

The zinc-lined coffin alone typically costs €1,500–3,000, significantly more than a standard burial coffin.

Step 3: Obtain the Corpse Transit Permit (Leichenpass)

The Leichenpass is issued by the local health authority (Gesundheitsamt) or public order office (Ordnungsamt). To apply, you need:

• The registered death certificate (Sterbeurkunde)
• The medical death certificate (Todesbescheinigung)
• A sanitary transport certificate from the health officer
• The funeral director's declaration of embalming and coffin sealing
• Prosecutorial clearance (Freigabe), if applicable

The permit costs €20–80 and takes 1–2 working days. Without it, no airline will accept the cargo and no border authority will clear the transfer.

Step 4: Arrange Air Cargo Transport

Bodies are transported as cargo, not passenger luggage. You'll need to book through a specialised international repatriation service or directly through airline cargo departments. Lufthansa Cargo, for example, handles human remains shipments on specific routes with dedicated protocols.

The family or funeral director at the destination must arrange someone to receive the remains at the arrival airport with the appropriate permits.

Cremated Remains: A Different Path

Repatriating ashes from Germany is cheaper and simpler — but Germany's strict burial laws create a unique obstacle.

After cremation, German authorities will not simply hand the urn to the family. Under Bestattungszwang (compulsory burial), even cremated remains must be interred in a licensed cemetery. To export ashes, you need an Urnenbescheinigung (urn transit certificate), and the issuing authority will require written proof that the ashes will be placed in a cemetery at the destination.

This matters because many countries (the US, UK, Australia) allow families to keep urns at home or scatter ashes. Germany still demands evidence of a cemetery destination before they'll issue the export certificate. In practice, funeral directors who handle international cases know how to navigate this requirement — but you need a funeral director experienced with international transfers, not just a local Bestatter.

Urn shipment is typically done through postal services or international courier, costing €200–500. Some airlines also accept urns as checked luggage or carry-on with the proper documentation.

Total Costs

The cost varies dramatically based on the destination country, airline routes, and the level of service at both ends.

What About Travel Insurance?

If the deceased had travel insurance with repatriation coverage, the insurer may cover transport costs — but almost never the full funeral director fees on the German end. Contact the insurer within 48 hours with the policy number and the death certificate. The insurer will typically appoint their own logistics coordinator, which can simplify the process but may limit your choice of funeral director.

Getting Through the Process

Repatriation from Germany is manageable if you have the right information at each step. The Someone Died in Germany: English Speaker's Emergency Guide includes a complete repatriation checklist covering both body and urn transfers, with the exact documents needed, the German-English terminology for each office, and a cost tracking worksheet.

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