Repatriation
For Poland, the Swiss mortuary passport alone is not enough. Poland requires two documents of its own — knowing the order saves days.
Poland is party to neither the 1937 Berlin Arrangement nor the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement, so a repatriation from Switzerland is governed by Polish law on cemeteries and burials. It requires two documents: first the permit of the starost of the place of burial in Poland, then a certificate from the Polish consul — for Switzerland, the consular section of the embassy in Bern.
The same applies to an urn: Polish law applies the coffin rules to ashes as well.
Poland is not on either of the Swiss lists of party states (Berlin: SR 0.818.61, Strasbourg: SR 0.818.62), and there is no bilateral agreement. Article 14 of the Polish Act on Cemeteries and Burials requires:
The consul's certificate requires the starost's permit, so the Polish part starts in Poland, not in Bern. The relatives or a funeral director they authorise apply to the starost.
The consular section of the Polish embassy in Bern issues the certificate for a coffin or an urn. It asks for the burial permit of the starost or city mayor and a copy of the death certificate. Applications are made in person or by post; the certificate is issued without delay, within three days at most. The fee follows the Polish consular tariff; no amount is given on the embassy page.
Unlike most countries, an urn needs the same documents for Poland as a coffin (art. 20a of the Act). The Bern embassy certificate expressly covers a body or ashes. Ashes travel in a sealed, break-proof container, by any means of transport, and are laid to rest in Poland in a cemetery, grave or columbarium. See Urn transfer abroad.
On the Swiss side you need the medical death certificate, the extract from the death register and the mortuary passport for transport out of Switzerland — see The mortuary passport. Polish law has no specific zinc coffin rule for imports; it requires a closed coffin and safe transport. We repatriate in a soldered zinc coffin — see The zinc coffin.
Transcribing the death into a Polish register is not a condition for the repatriation, as the embassy states. For the transcription itself you need the original Swiss death certificate with an apostille and a translation by a sworn translator or the consul.
Our flat fee for a repatriation starts at CHF 3,000. Transport, Swiss official fees and the Polish fees for permit and consular certificate come on top. You receive a written, itemised quote. 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.
Questions & answers
No. Poland is party to neither the Berlin nor the Strasbourg agreement. You also need the starost's permit for the place of burial and the Polish consul's certificate.
According to the embassy, without delay and within three days at most of receiving the application with the starost's permit and a copy of the death certificate.
Yes. Polish law applies the coffin rules to ashes, and the embassy certificate covers both.
No. According to the embassy, transcription is not a condition for the transport certificate.