Estate and provision
DKB is very sorry for your loss. We understand that dealing with banking matters is very difficult in this situation. To help you as best we can, we have brought together all the information below. Please do not hesitate to contact us directly if you have any questions.
We hope you understand that, to protect our customers, we need various pieces of evidence from you before we can tell you whether accounts are held with DKB.
Information about the deceased's assets
We only give information about existing accounts or account balances to people who have provided sufficient proof of their entitlement. You can read further down this page how to prove your entitlement.
If you need account information in advance in order to apply for a certificate of inheritance, please give us the address and file reference of the probate court – we will then send the information directly to the probate court straight away.
People with a power of attorney for the event of death
General information
If the deceased gave you a power of attorney for the event of death, please note the guidance set out here. In this context we can only accept powers of attorney for the event of death that the deceased issued during their lifetime on the relevant DKB form.
Documents to submit
If, during their lifetime, the deceased authorised you with a power of attorney for the event of death covering DKB products, we need the following documents from you:
- The "Instruction to close an account" form (As the authorised person, you can use this form to instruct us to close the account. You will find the form here.)
- Death certificate as a plain copy (as legal proof of the death)
- Proof of identity for the authorised person as a simple certified copy (to identify the people entitled to act). Valid proof of identity is an identity card or passport together with a current registration certificate.
People without a power of attorney for the event of death
General information
If the deceased did not give you a power of attorney for the event of death covering DKB products, please note the following guidance:
For an initial review of the estate we first need the documents listed under "documents to submit" as copies or, where separately noted, as originals.
We reserve the right to request officially certified copies or original documents during the review. Official certification is available for a small fee from, for example, local authorities, residents' registration offices, the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund, or from a notary for the relevant fee.
Please note that we only return originals and certified copies to you. Plain copies are destroyed immediately after processing.
Documents to submit
If you know that the deceased was a DKB customer but you are not authorised with a power of attorney for the event of death, please send us the following documents as copies for the initial review. We reserve the right to request some documents afterwards as originals or as certified copies.
- The "Notification of a death" form (Use this to inform us of the death. You will find the form here.)
- The "Instruction to close an account and declaration of liability" form (The entitled people use this to instruct us to close the deceased's account, so we need this form as an original and signed by all entitled people. You will find the form here.)
- Death certificate (As legal proof of the death)
- Proof of identity for all heirs (To identify the people entitled to inherit). Valid proof of identity is an identity card or passport together with a current registration certificate.
- Proof of inheritance (where available). Accepted proof of inheritance includes a certificate of inheritance, a will together with the record of its opening, and a contract of inheritance together with the record of its opening.
If the deceased issued a general power of attorney or a healthcare and welfare power of attorney during their lifetime, please also submit it as a plain copy.
Heirs who are minors should also submit a copy of their birth certificate.
Sending us documents
Please email the documents required to our estates department. Documents we need as originals or certified copies should be sent to us by post to the following address:
DKB
Postfach 11 06 63
10836 Berlin
We return original documents and certified copies to you once processing is complete, without you having to ask. We do not return plain copies; they are destroyed immediately after processing.
Once we have received the documents, we will tell you what happens next within a week.