Germany
Professional associations:
Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V.
Volmerswerther Straße 79
D-40221 Düsseldorf
Mail to: Postfach 10 23 34
D-40014 Düsseldorf
Phone: + 49 211 160 08 10
Fax: + 49 211 160 08 50
E-mail: info@bestatter.de
Web site: www.bestatter.de
President:
Claus-Dieter Wulf
Fuhlsbutteler Damm 118
D-22335 Hamburg
Phone: +49 040 59 18 88
Fax: +49 040 59 93 59
E-mail: kroeger-fu@t-online.de
Web site: www.kroeger-fuhlsbuettel.de
Verband Deutscher Bestattungsunternehmen e.V.
Fürstenbrunner Weg 10-12
D-14059 Berlin
Phone + 49 30 78782 404
Fax: + 49 30 78782 303
E-mail: kontakt@vdb-berling.de
Web site: www.vdb-berlin.de
Transport Agreement:
The Berlin Agreement and the Paris Agreement are ratified and legislated upon by the German government
General information:
82,36 million inhabitants (2008 est.)
†††† 10,8 deaths/1.000 population (2008 est)
National language:
German
First obligatory foreign language in public education:
Religions:
Protestants 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslims 3.7%; Jewish 0.1%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%
National holiday:
3 October, Various other public holidays are celebrated depending on the individual states
Special regulations/legislation concerning repatriation of deceased persons or human ashes:
1. To bring a deceased into the country
As Germany has acceded the Berlin Agreement, the provisions of the relevant international agreement apply to the transport of corpses to Germany from states that are contracting partners of Germany in this connection. For transferring corpses to Germany a death certificate, or an equivalent document, as well as a laisser passer are required. The funeral service in Germany fall into the competence of the 15 Länder of the German Federal Republic or the three city states (Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg), and regional differences are possible. It is therefore advisable to contact a funeral parlour in the country of destination.
2. To bring the deceased out of the country.
As Germany has acceded the Berlin Agreement, the provisions of the relevant international agreement apply to the transport of corpses from Germany to states that are contracting partners of Germany in this connection. The provisions of the country of destination apply to the transfer of corpses from Germany to countries that are not contracting partners of Germany in this connection. The administrative authorities of the place where the transfer originates will issue the laisser passer, and reference is made to the Berlin Agreement concerning the issuance of this.
Basic information about cemeteries or churchyards (administration, ownership):
A. Every corpse or cremated remains must be buried (statutory requirement of a burial) in a cemetery, urns must be kept in a special building (columbarium). There is no general law applying to all cemeteries in Germany concerning the use of the cemeteries. Every legal entity operating a cemetery (such as local authorities, towns, churches or religious denominations) issues a charter for its cemetery.
B. There are 119 crematoriums in Germany.
C. Germany does not permit the scattering of the cremated remains. However, an urn containing the ashes may be committed in the open sea (open waters outside the three-mile zone of the North and Baltic Sea, as well as of the Atlantic) or on rough sea ground. Self-dissolving containers must be used. Burying cremated remains in standing or running water bodies is forbidden in Germany. A permit by the administrative authorities of the burial place is required if an urn with cremated remains is to be buried at sea, outside the three-mile zone. In general, such a permit is granted if a statement is submitted, which indicates that the deceased person had a special relationship to the sea.
D. The laws of the Länder or city states do not contain any provisions requiring that only coffins of certain materials may be used for the interments. However, the statutes applying the individual cemeteries or churchyards may require that specific coffins are used for certain types of graves, toms and mausoleums.
E. Cremation institutes only accept coffins of solid wood for cremations. These must comply with VDT Guidelines 3891, regarding their environmental compatibility. The guidelines stipulate that coffins, their linings, as well as the clothing of the deceased, must be made of natural products or have compounds that are identical to natural products. These must be free from any halogen substances or heavy metals. Coffins made of other materials are admissible, if there is evidence that these comply with the guidelines. Coffins that contain PVC or formaldehyde must not be used for cremations. Coffin and clothing manufacturers are obliged to provide their products with adequate labelling. Similar provisions have been issued by several cemetery operators regarding urns (decorative outer urns) To some extent, only urns are accepted for burial where proof of the dissolvability of the material has been provided.