Repatriation to the Netherlands from Switzerland — coffin and urn

For a repatriation from Switzerland to the Netherlands, the key document is the Swiss mortuary passport (laissez-passer). Both countries are party to the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses, and Dutch law lets a coffin from a party state enter without further hindrance as long as this passport travels with it. A permit from the Dutch consulate is normally not needed.

The Agreement does not cover ashes. The Netherlands requires no documents to import an urn, but the urn must be kept for at least one month after import before the ashes are interred or scattered.

Strasbourg 1973: the mortuary passport is enough

Switzerland and the Netherlands are both party to the Strasbourg Agreement (in Switzerland SR 0.818.62); the Netherlands since 1975. The mortuary passport is issued by the competent authority of the country of departure, and the country of destination may not require any other document apart from ordinary transport papers.

The Dutch funeral regulation (Besluit op de lijkbezorging, art. 11) confirms this: a body from a party state enters the Netherlands unhindered if the mortuary passport of the authority of origin is present. It is shown to customs on entry.

Documents for the coffin, in order

• Medical death certificate from the doctor who confirms the death.
• Registration with the civil registry office and an extract from the death register, ideally the international version.
• Coffining and sealing by an authorised funeral director.
• Mortuary passport from the competent cantonal authority — see The mortuary passport.
• In the Netherlands: on presentation of the mortuary passport, the registrar of the municipality where the burial or cremation takes place grants permission (art. 14) and keeps the document.

The coffin

Dutch law requires a coffin meeting article 6 of the Strasbourg Agreement: leak-proof with absorbent material, either a wooden coffin with a carefully soldered inner zinc coffin or a thicker wooden coffin lined with zinc; for air transport with a pressure-equalising device. This is the zinc coffin we use for every repatriation — see The zinc coffin.

Urn to the Netherlands: no papers, but a one-month wait

According to the Dutch government (rijksoverheid.nl), no import documents are legally required for ashes; taking the death certificate and the cremation certificate is recommended.

Under the Dutch Burial and Cremation Act (Wet op de lijkbezorging, art. 60), the urn must be kept for at least one month after import before the ashes are interred or scattered. Only the public prosecutor can grant an exception. Whether the urn may travel in the cabin is up to the airline. See Urn transfer abroad.

Road or air

The Netherlands is easily reached by road from Switzerland. For a coffin, direct road transport is usually the simplest choice: no transfer, no flight schedule, handover directly at the destination. We calculate both options for your destination.

Costs

Our flat fee for a repatriation starts at CHF 3,000. Transport — by road according to distance, by air according to weight — and Swiss official fees, which vary by canton, come on top. You receive a written, itemised quote. Funeral costs in the Netherlands are not included. See What a repatriation costs. All prices are approximate and may change: air freight costs vary, and the price depends on the materials used – for example the coffin or zinc liner.