As a rule, death is proven by the post-mortem examination and the issuing of a medical certificate of death. However, these procedures require that the deceased person’s body is present.
If the deceased person’s body cannot be found, this may also be significant for third parties, such as heirs seeking to settle an estate, or spouses considering remarriage.
For this reason, the Declaration of Death Act (TEG) provides for both the possibility of a declaration of death and the proving of death under certain conditions.
