Funerals in Switzerland: an overview

A funeral in Switzerland involves three parties: the family, the municipality and the funeral director. Knowing who decides what heads off most misunderstandings.

This page gives the overview; the linked articles go into the detail of each point.

Who decides what

• The family decides the form of the funeral, the place, the ceremony and everything around it.
• The municipality decides which graves are available, the period of rest and the fees. Its cemetery regulations govern.
• The funeral director carries it out: collection, care, official procedures, coordination, transport.

Written wishes left by the person who died take precedence over everything else, even without a particular form.

The usual timetable

Day 1: medical certification and collection. Days 1–2: notification to the civil registry, which is binding within that period. Days 2–5: decisions on the form of the funeral, booking the venue and the date.

The funeral usually takes place between the third and the tenth day. After a cremation no deadline runs for interring the urn — the ceremony can be held much later.

The possible forms

Burial in a coffin, or cremation. After a cremation come the urn grave, the columbarium, the communal grave, the memorial forest, scattering in nature or on a lake, keeping the urn at home, and repatriation abroad.

Switzerland is more permissive here than most of its neighbours. What any given municipality actually offers still varies a great deal.

When the family's roots are elsewhere

Two questions then arise early: should the person rest in Switzerland or in their country of origin, and is cremation an option?

The answers change the whole process — the type of coffin, the documents, the timetable. Say so at the first conversation, even if the decision is not yet made.