Repatriation
Two countries, two administrations, one family in between.
For many families settled in Switzerland the question hardly arises: the person will rest where they were born. What remains is to make two administrative systems that do not know each other line up.
This page sets out what is decided on each side and where the two have to meet.
Everything before departure falls under Swiss law:
This is the part we take on entirely. You have no counters to visit.
The funeral itself falls under local law: the plot, the ceremony, the celebrant, the headstone. These are invoiced by the funeral firm in the destination country, not by us.
We contact them before departure, agree the place and time of handover, and can request their quote for you. That saves a grieving family from negotiating in a foreign language from Switzerland.
The costliest mistake is fixing a funeral date locally before the Swiss file is closed. If the consulate takes a week, the date does not hold — and the family on site has already told everyone.
So we always work in the same order: the consulate's answer first, then the departure date, and only then the funeral date.
The cemetery's availability, whether a family plot already exists, and whether the local authority requires a prior burial permit. Those three answers shape the timetable more than the transport does.
That happens often, and there is no need to decide on day one. What is pressing is the collection and the notification of the death; the rest can wait a few days.
Just tell us that a repatriation is being considered. It changes how we proceed with the coffin and saves having to redo a step.
Questions & answers
Of course. We coordinate the bookings so that your arrival and the coffin's coincide. Relatives travel as ordinary passengers, often on the same flight.
The local firm invoices it. Our offer ends at the handover. We can request their quote and pass it on so that you have the full picture before deciding.
Yes, and many families do exactly that: a farewell in Switzerland for the circle here, then the funeral in the country of origin. We arrange both.
That is not a final obstacle. Consulates have replacement procedures. Say so early: the sooner we know, the simpler the solution.