Insurance broker / Insurance questions / Funeral insurance

How much does a funeral cost in Germany?

In short

Plan for EUR 4,000 to 12,000. A cremation with an urn grave is often EUR 4,000 to 6,000, a burial in a family plot quickly EUR 8,000 to 12,000. Grave care over the usual 20 years adds EUR 1,800 to 7,800. If the body is to be flown to your home country, expect EUR 2,000 to 7,000 within Europe and EUR 4,000 to 15,000 beyond.

Request a quote +49 3375 29 12 77

How much does a funeral cost in Germany?

What it costs

Guide figures from the published average prices of the German funeral directors' association and from repatriation cost examples.

Example	Typical range
Funeral director, burial	about EUR 3,300 simple to EUR 6,300 upscale
Funeral director, cremation	about EUR 3,200 to 6,000
Cemetery fee, urn row grave	about EUR 650 to 2,100
Cemetery fee, family burial plot	about EUR 1,600 to 5,200
Headstone with border and installation	about EUR 650 to 5,600
Grave care over the whole resting period	about EUR 1,800 to 7,800
Coffin repatriation within Europe by road	about EUR 2,000 to 7,000
Coffin repatriation outside Europe by air	about EUR 4,000 to 15,000

Guide values as of September 2026. Cemetery fees are set locally and vary widely; the fee schedule of your cemetery applies. Repatriation depends on distance, airline and destination country. We work out the right amount for your provision.

Worked example

Cremation in Germany, urn sent to the home country

A family wants a service in Germany and the grave at home. Compare this with flying the coffin.

Funeral director, cremation with a farewell service	about EUR 3,200 to 6,000
Urn shipment or carried by a relative	from about EUR 60
Coffin flight outside Europe instead	about EUR 4,000 to 15,000 on top of the German costs

Sending the urn saves several thousand euros compared with flying the coffin. The grave, stone and care in the home country come on top in either case.

Two bills, then two more

A German funeral comes with separate bills: one from the funeral director (Bestattungsinstitut) and one from the cemetery administration (Friedhofsverwaltung). The stonemason and grave care follow later, often months after the funeral.

Cremation is usually cheaper than burial, but not because of the funeral director. The difference lies in the cemetery fee, because an urn grave is smaller. With a sea burial there is no cemetery fee, no headstone and no grave care.

Type of funeral	Funeral director	Cemetery fees
Burial	about EUR 3,300 to 6,300	about EUR 1,300 to 5,200
Cremation	about EUR 3,200 to 6,000	about EUR 650 to 4,000
Woodland burial	as for cremation	about EUR 1,200 to 3,000
Sea burial	about EUR 3,500 to 8,000	none
Anonymous urn grave	as for cremation	about EUR 700 to 2,210

Rules that surprise people from abroad

Germany has strict burial laws, set by each federal state. In most states the ashes must be buried in a cemetery, a burial forest or at sea. Taking an urn home to keep on the mantelpiece is generally not allowed in Germany.

Deadlines are short and differ by state. The funeral director registers the death, obtains the death certificate and arranges the permits. Documents are in German, so ask for every item in writing and in plain terms before you sign.

What it costs to take someone home

Many expats want to be buried in their home country. A coffin transferred by road within Europe costs about EUR 2,000 to 7,000. Outside Europe, including the flight, expect EUR 4,000 to 15,000. For air transport the body must be embalmed and placed in a sealed zinc coffin, and the health office issues a corpse passport (Leichenpass).

The cheaper route is cremation in Germany and sending the urn home. Shipping an urn worldwide starts at around EUR 60, and relatives can often carry it themselves. Check first whether your religion or your family accepts cremation, and whether the destination country has its own rules.

Headstone and grave care

The right to use a grave usually runs for 20 years. The headstone with border and installation costs about EUR 650 to 5,600, the inscription is often charged per letter.

During the resting period the grave must look cared for, otherwise the cemetery sends reminders. A cemetery gardener costs about EUR 1,800 to 7,800 over the whole period. If no one in the family lives nearby, this is a real problem, and a sea or woodland burial avoids it completely.

Who pays

The heirs pay from the estate first. If it is not enough, close relatives can be held responsible under state burial law, even if they have refused the inheritance.

German statutory health insurance stopped paying a death grant (Sterbegeld) in 2004. If nobody can pay, the social welfare office covers a basic funeral only. A funeral abroad, a family plot or a headstone is not included.

Step by step

Decide where the grave should be: in Germany or in your home country.
Decide on burial, cremation or sea burial, this drives most of the cost.
Ask for the cemetery's fee schedule, usually online.
Get a written quote with itemised costs instead of a flat price.
Plan headstone and grave care, or repatriation, right away.
Write down your wishes and tell your family where the note is.

Checklist

Place of burial decided, Germany or abroad
Type of funeral written down
Cemetery fee schedule read
Itemised quote instead of a flat price
Headstone and grave care for the full period included
Money available quickly, without waiting for the estate to be settled

Common mistakes

Planning only the funeral director's bill and forgetting cemetery, stone and care
Choosing a family plot in Germany although no relative will live nearby
Assuming the ashes can be kept at home as in many other countries
Counting on a state death grant that ended in 2004

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

What is the cheapest funeral in Germany?

Usually a cremation with an anonymous urn grave. The cemetery fee starts at about EUR 700, the funeral director at about EUR 3,200. There is no service, headstone or grave care.

What does it cost to send a body home?

Within Europe by road about EUR 2,000 to 7,000, outside Europe with a flight about EUR 4,000 to 15,000. Sending an urn is far cheaper, from around EUR 60.

Can I keep an urn at home in Germany?

Generally no. Most federal states require burial in a cemetery, a burial forest or at sea. If the urn goes abroad, the rules of the destination country apply there.

Is there still a death grant from the state?

For most people no. Statutory health insurance stopped paying it in 2004. Claims remain for work accidents through statutory accident insurance and for survivors of civil servants.

Who pays if there is no money?

First the heirs from the estate. If it is not enough and the relatives liable under state law cannot pay either, the social welfare office covers a basic funeral.

How quickly do we have to decide?

Very quickly. Deadlines for registration and burial are short and differ by state. That is why it pays to write down your wishes in advance.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request a quote: Funeral insurance

We compare several insurers and come back with a proposal. Free for you; the insurer pays our fee. You can write in English.

1Who is it for?

Personal My company

2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

Please review all my existing policies

3Details

Funeral insurance (Sterbegeldversicherung)

Year of birth of the person to be insured * Preferred sum insured * Who should be insured? * Preferred premium payment * Preferred type of burial Burial abroad or repatriation wanted? For example to your or your family's home country Anything else that matters to you For example your faith's burial requirements, an existing funeral contract

4Your current policy

Current insurer Policy ends on What matters more to you?

5How can we reach you?

Name * Email * Phone Postcode Town Preferred contact Anything else we should know