Issue of a death certificate

General information

Sometimes it may be necessary (e.g. for insurance matters or contractual issues) to have death certificates issued retrospectively for a death that occurred some time ago.

The death certificate contains

• the family name and forename of the deceased,
• academic degrees,
• the gender,
• the last place of residence,
• the date, place and registration of the birth,
• the time and place of death,
• the last marriage or registered partnership and data regarding the survivor and
• optionally, membership of a legally recognised church or religious community.

A translation aid will be issued upon request.

Requirements

The death must have already been recorded at the registry office (notification of death – issue of a death certificate/death register extract).

To prevent third parties from freely accessing the data of others, the right to have a death certificate issued is limited to a specific group of people.

The following people can request a death certificate, provided that this is not precluded by any overriding interests worthy of protection in respect of the persons to whom the registration relates:

• Spouse, registered partner, ancestors and descendants of the deceased
• Persons who are able establish a legal interest in doing so

Competent authority

For deaths after 1 January 1939:

Any authority responsible for civil status, i.e.:

• The registry office or registry office association of the municipality
• In chartered urban districts: the registry office of the municipal council
  • In Vienna: the registry offices in Vienna (MA 63)

For deaths prior to 1 January 1939:

• Here, parish offices of the various denominations kept the birth registers, the Jewish Community (Israelitische Kultusgemeinde) for its members and district administrative authorities for members of unrecognised religious communities and persons with no religious affiliation.
• In these cases, the request for the issue of the desired document or information, for example for the place of birth Vienna, should therefore be addressed to:
  • Römisch Katholisch Erzbischöfliche Ordinariat
    Wollzeile 2/3/326-330, 1010 Vienna, Tel.: +43 1 51552-0
  • Evangelischen Oberkirchenrat
    Severin Schreiber-Gasse 3, 1180 Vienna, Tel.:  +43 59 1517 00
  • Israelitische Kultusgemeinde
    Seitenstettengasse 4, 1010 Vienna, Tel.: +43 1 531 04-0
  • No religious affiliation
    Magistratsabteilung 35 – Evidenz (Zivilmatrik), Dresdner Straße 93, Block C, 1200 Vienna, Tel.: + 43 1 400035  post-stb@ma35.wien.gv.at

Procedure

A death certificate is generally issued immediately if applied for in person. It can also be applied for in writing.

Required documents

• When applying in person: Official photo ID card
• If applicable, evidence for the purpose of establishing a legal interest

Costs and fees

For the application

• Verbally: no fee
• In writing: EUR 14.30
• Electronic application using ID Austria or EU-login: EUR 8.60
  Information on the changeover from mobile phone signatures and citizen cards to ID Austria.

For the issue of a death certificate

• Federal administration fee: EUR 7.20
• Federal administrative levy: EUR 2.10

There are generally additional costs for sending the death certificate. Please enquire about this at the competent registry office.

Further information

Austrian citizens and stateless persons (with their habitual place of residence in Austria) can apply for a foreign death certificate via the Austrian diplomatic representations or the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (Obtaining official certificates).

It is also possible for Austrians living abroad to have a death certificate issued by the Austrian diplomatic representations abroad if the necessary data have already been entered in the Central Population Register (ZPR).

Related links

• Austrian diplomatic representations abroad (→ BMEIA)
• Obtaining official certificates from abroad (→ BMEIA)

Legal basis

• Personenstandsgesetz 2013 (PStG 2013)
• Personenstandsgesetz-Durchführungsverordnung 2013 (PStG-DV 2013)