Funeral in Bern
Funeral director based in Bern-Bümpliz: burial, cremation and memorial services in the city of Bern, in Köniz, Ostermundigen, Muri and the whole region — reachable around the clock.
Bern region
A funeral in Bern follows the rules of the canton and of the municipality where the interment takes place. In the city of Bern the Bestattungsamt (funeral office) is responsible; the three municipal cemeteries are looked after by Stadtgrün Bern, the city's green-space department; and the death is registered by the Zivilstandsamt Bern-Mittelland (civil registry office). For relatives this means several offices that have to work hand in hand in the first few days.
This page sets out the process for the city of Bern and the surrounding municipalities — from the first notification and the choice of cemetery and grave type through to the memorial service. We quote fees only where the municipality publishes them itself.
Our funeral home is based at Morgenstrasse 148, 3018 Bern-Bümpliz. We accompany families of every origin, language and belief, are reachable around the clock and, within the Bern agglomeration, are usually on site within an hour.
Process
In a hospital or care home this happens automatically. At home, call the family doctor's practice or, outside surgery hours, the medical emergency service. The doctor's death certificate is the basis for every further step.
Write to us or call us, at any hour. We collect the deceased — from the hospital, the care home or from home — and settle the essentials with you: burial or cremation, the preferred municipality, and whether an interment abroad is an option.
The death must be reported within two days to the civil registry office of the place of death — for the Bern region, the Zivilstandsamt Bern-Mittelland. If someone dies in hospital or a care home, the institution reports it. Otherwise we make the report with your power of attorney.
Every death is also reported to the deceased's municipality of residence (Einwohnergemeinde). In the city of Bern the Bestattungsamt then organises the interment of the urn or the burial; a cremation is registered directly with the crematorium by the funeral home.
We set out the grave types of the chosen cemetery together with the municipality's fees and agree the date. In the canton of Bern a funeral may take place no earlier than 48 hours after death; in special circumstances the cantonal medical office (Kantonsarztamt) can approve exceptions.
Church-based, in a mosque, according to another religious order or secular — in a chapel at one of the municipal cemeteries, in a place of worship or in a hall. In parallel, the municipality's sealing service (Siegelungsdienst) contacts you about the sealing record (Siegelungsprotokoll), which in the canton of Bern is drawn up within seven days.
In detail
In the city of Bern the fees depend on whether the deceased lived in the city or counts as a non-resident — the difference can be more than a thousand francs. Special rules apply to Ostermundigen: the municipality co-owns the Schosshalde cemetery, its residents are as a rule buried there, and the fees follow the City of Bern's rules. Köniz and Muri bei Bern run their own cemeteries with their own regulations. Tell us the place of residence and the preferred cemetery, and we will clarify the conditions in advance.
The city of Bern runs three cemeteries, looked after by Stadtgrün Bern. Not every grave type is offered at every cemetery — so the choice of cemetery is often linked to the choice of grave type.
The options in the city of Bern include the urn row grave, the urn grove grave, the urn niche, the themed urn grave, the coffin row grave, the family grave and the communal grave for urn or coffin — according to the City of Bern, the most anonymous form of interment. The city states that it enables relatives of all five world religions, as well as people without a religious affiliation, to hold a memorial service suited to their needs.
The City of Bern publishes its fees in an overview of grave-type costs (Zusammenstellung Kosten Grabarten; valid from 1 January 2024, including VAT; rounded). The amounts cover the administration fee, the grave plot, the interment and maintenance of the grave field for the full period of rest:
On top of this come the funeral home's services, the coffin or urn, the cremation and personal wishes such as flowers or a death notice. The municipality's current tariff always applies; we enclose it with our quote. How the total cost is made up is explained under funeral costs in Switzerland.
If a deceased person resident in the city of Bern leaves no assets, the city covers a simple, dignified funeral. According to the City of Bern, an estate is as a rule considered insufficient if it is below CHF 8,000. Included are, among other things, collection and transport, a simple coffin, a viewing room, the funeral hall with organ music, the cremation and interment at a municipal cemetery.
You apply using the city's form; when the cremation is registered, it is noted that an application is pending. If it is approved, the city pays the funeral home directly. Any services beyond this are borne by the relatives. Ostermundigen, Köniz and Muri bei Bern also provide free funerals, each with their own conditions — we help with the application.
Many families in the Bern region have relatives in several countries. If the interment is to take place not in Bern but in the country of origin, the sequence changes from the very start: placing in the coffin follows the destination country's regulations, and a mortuary passport (Leichenpass) is needed, plus, depending on the country, certification of the documents. Registration with the civil registry office and the sealing remain mandatory nonetheless.
For a repatriation abroad our flat rate starts from approx. CHF 3,000, depending on the destination country and the transport route. Details on deadlines, documents and responsibilities in the region are given under repatriation from Bern.
Questions & answers
Three things matter: availability around the clock, a written quote before you commission anything, and experience with the offices in the region. We are based in Bern-Bümpliz, have been accompanying families for more than ten years and draw up the quote with every item listed separately before we act.
Have the death confirmed by a doctor. After that, the death must be reported within two days to the civil registry office — in the Bern region, the Zivilstandsamt Bern-Mittelland. We can make this report, and the registration with the municipality, with your power of attorney. An overview of all steps is given in the checklist after a death.
The city runs three cemeteries: Bremgarten cemetery, where the city's crematorium is located; Schosshalde cemetery, which the city shares with Ostermundigen; and Bümpliz cemetery. We clarify with Stadtgrün Bern which grave types are offered where.
For residents of the city of Bern, the municipal fees range from around CHF 270 for the communal grave to around CHF 3,720 for a coffin row grave; family graves cost more, and non-residents pay higher rates. On top of this come the funeral home's services and personal wishes. You receive a written quote from us in advance.
Yes. If a person resident in the city of Bern leaves no assets — as a rule an estate below CHF 8,000 — the city covers a simple funeral including coffin, cremation and interment at a municipal cemetery. The application goes through the Bestattungsamt; we support you with it.
In the canton of Bern, no earlier than 48 hours after death. In special circumstances the cantonal medical office can approve an exception. If a swift funeral is wanted, tell us in the first conversation — we will clarify the options and plan the dates accordingly.
After every death in the canton of Bern, a sealing record is drawn up within seven days — an inventory of the estate, not a suspicion against anyone. In the city of Bern the sealing service contacts the relatives; you can also contact it yourself.
Yes. We collect throughout the Bern region and across Switzerland, around the clock. The funeral itself follows the rules of the municipality concerned: Ostermundigen buries as a rule at Schosshalde cemetery, Köniz and Muri bei Bern at their own cemeteries.
Guides
What is specific to canton Bern — and why legalisations here are often faster than elsewhere.
What the municipality covers, what the family pays — and why the total varies so much by commune.
The steps of the first hours and days, ordered by real urgency — with the legal deadlines and what changes for a repatriation.
Other services
Traditional 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 more