International Bestattungen
International Bestattungen arranges repatriations from and to Switzerland — worldwide, around the clock, with every document and permit handled by one firm.
over 1,000 repatriations and funerals · more than 10 years of experience · Every country · Every faith
Our services
We are a full funeral home with a specialisation that sets us apart. We arrange burials, cremations and memorial services as readily as a repatriation to another European country or to a destination outside Europe.
Worldwide repatriation from Switzerland — documents, permits and transport from a single point of contact.
Learn moreA death abroad: we bring your relative back to Switzerland.
Learn moreTraditional burial in a coffin — grave, date, ceremony and every formality.
Learn moreCremation followed by urn interment, a natural burial or transfer of the urn.
Learn moreService, viewing and farewell — religious or secular, shaped the way you want it.
Learn moreOpening a grave in Switzerland and repatriating to the country of origin — both procedures handled together.
Learn moreSettle everything in advance, in writing, so your family is spared the decisions later.
Learn moreWhy us
For over ten years we have accompanied families across Switzerland through a death — for a burial in the next village as much as for a repatriation to the other side of the world. More than 1,000 repatriations and funerals have accumulated in that time.
You notice that experience in the details. We know which consulate requires which certification and in what order, which airline accepts which coffin specification, and how quickly each Gemeinde — the Swiss municipality that issues burial permits — actually works. What is an exceptional situation for you is routine for us, and that is precisely what takes the weight off.
How it works
You can reach us around the clock. In the first conversation we establish the destination country, the timeframe and the documents required. You receive a binding quote the same day.
We collect the deceased — from the hospital, the care home or from home. Hygienic care and placing in the coffin follow the rules of the destination country; for air transport this normally means a sealed zinc coffin.
Death certificate, laissez-passer (the mortuary passport that allows a coffin to cross a border), consular legalisation, and an apostille or customs papers depending on the country. We assemble the file, obtain the permits and coordinate with the consulate.
Booking the air freight or road transport, customs clearance on departure and arrival, handover to the funeral home or the family in the destination country. You receive written confirmation of every step.
Trust
From the first call to the arrival in the destination country, on a direct mobile number.
One price, every service itemised, no additional claims.
We know what the consulates in Bern, Geneva and Zurich require, from more than 1,000 cases.
We take our time — for the person who has died and for the family.
At night, at weekends and on public holidays too.
Collection anywhere in the country — at night and on public holidays as well.
Our record
Questions & answers
The flat rate starts at CHF 3'000. It covers collection, hygienic care, the zinc coffin, the documents and the coordination with the consulate. Depending on the destination country, air freight charges and any consular fees are added — these items are listed separately in our quotation.
Within Europe usually three to five working days; for destinations outside Europe five to ten days. The processing times of the consulate and the flight connections are decisive. Where a religion calls for a swift burial, we arrange an accelerated procedure wherever possible.
The medical death certificate, an extract from the register of deaths, the laissez-passer, the permit issued by the municipality, and the passport or identity card of the deceased. Depending on the destination country, consular legalisation, an apostille or certified translations are also required. We assemble the papers and obtain the permits.
Yes, day and night, 365 days a year. For an enquiry in English the contact form is the most reliable route: your message reaches us directly and we reply in writing.
Yes. We collect the deceased anywhere in Switzerland — from the hospital, the care home or from home, at night and on public holidays alike. Our office is in Bolligen near Bern.
Yes. Alongside international repatriations we arrange burial, cremation and the funeral ceremony throughout Switzerland — religious or freely designed, entirely as the family wishes.