Burial - Order a funeral
Burial is exclusively the burial of the deceased in a coffin or shroud in a grave.
The deceased is usually buried in a coffin or shroud in a row or elective grave in the cemetery.
In principle, only wooden coffins may be used for burial. Other materials equivalent to wood, which ensure a dignified and reverent design of the coffin and fulfil the functions of the wooden coffin in an equivalent manner, may also be approved by the municipality.
The location and size of the grave, the resting period, the fees and further details, for example on grave maintenance, are set out in the statutes of the respective cemetery administration.
The will of the deceased is decisive for the location, type and realisation of the burial, insofar as legal provisions or compelling public interests do not conflict with this. If the will of the deceased cannot be determined, the relative responsible for the burial shall decide.
For deceased persons without surviving dependants, the local authority will arrange a burial in accordance with local custom.
Details
Prerequisite
- The non-confidential part of the death certificate is available,
- the registrar of the place of death has noted on the death certificate that the death has been entered in the death register,
- the manner of death is not or no longer unclear or the deceased person has been released by the public prosecutor's office or the local court,
- the corpse passport is available (only required for deceased persons who are transferred from a region outside Baden-Württemberg)
Note: As corpse passports are not issued in all federal states of Germany, a certificate issued in accordance with the regulations of this other state is also sufficient, from which the admissibility of the burial results.
Procedure
You may have to apply to the cemetery administration for the right to use a grave.
Deadlines
The deceased may be buried if a medical post-mortem examination has ruled out any possibility of apparent death.
Deceased persons who are not laid out in mortuaries or mortuary rooms must be buried no later than 96 hours after death or, in the case of transport to the territory of another municipality, be taken on the road (start of the transfer of the body). The local police authority (municipal/city administration) may authorise exceptions to this rule if there is no risk to health. For health reasons, it can order the deceased to be buried or transported earlier.
Required documents
- Death certificate
- Mortuary passport for deceased persons who are transferred from a region outside Baden-Württemberg or a certificate confirming the admissibility of the burial (see above)
Costs
The fees are regulated in the respective cemetery statutes.
Processing time
See under deadlines. Otherwise, the processing time may vary.
Miscellaneous
none
Legal basis
Bestattungsgesetz (BestattG):
- § 32 Bestattungsart
- § 34 Zulässigkeit der Erdbestattung
- § 36 Frühester Bestattungszeitpunkt
- § 37 Bestattungs- und Beförderungsfrist
Bestattungsverordnung (BestattVO):
- § 4 Tuchbestattung
- § 14 Sargbestattung
- § 15 Tuchbestattung
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Sozialministerium Baden-Württemberg, 13.05.2025