Repatriation
Repatriating someone across the Atlantic means air freight, two sets of authorities and documents in two languages. Here is how the pieces fit together.
When a U.S. citizen dies in Switzerland, the family reports the death to the U.S. Embassy in Bern, even if it does not need the embassy’s help. For a repatriation, the embassy prepares a Consular Mortuary Certificate that travels with the remains. On the Swiss side, the cantonal authority issues the permit to transport the body abroad; on the U.S. side, the import rules of the CDC apply.
This guide explains the documents, the order in which they are produced, what changes if the person is cremated in Switzerland, and what we do for you.
The embassy in Bern asks families to report every death of a U.S. citizen in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. To settle legal and estate matters in the United States, families need the Consular Report of Death Abroad (form DS-2060). Since 1 November 2024 the embassy issues it electronically.
For the report, the next of kin or the executor sends the embassy, by registered mail, the Report of Death questionnaire, the original Swiss death certificate (international form), the original U.S. passport and, where applicable, the naturalization or citizenship certificate.
For a repatriation, the embassy prepares a Consular Mortuary Certificate. According to the embassy it brings together:
We prepare the Swiss documents, arrange embalming and coffining and send everything to the embassy, so that the certificate is ready when the air freight is booked. More on the Swiss permit: The mortuary passport.
According to the CDC, remains that are not cremated or embalmed must arrive with a death certificate stating the cause of death, with an English translation if needed, and in a leak-proof container. No CDC permit is needed for remains that are fully embalmed or cremated before import. A permit may be required only for unembalmed remains of a person known or suspected to have died of an infectious disease.
The Swiss international death certificate does not state the cause of death; this is why the medical death certificate is part of the embassy's file.
The embassy notes that cremation is the norm in Switzerland. You can export cremated remains with a certified copy of the death certificate, the cremation certificate and a statement from the crematorium or funeral home that the urn contains only the ashes. The embassy recommends declaring the urn to Swiss and U.S. customs and using a non-metallic urn. If no passenger travels with the ashes, they go by air freight.
If you carry the urn yourself, the TSA allows cremated remains in carry-on baggage under special instructions; the container must be readable by X-ray, and TSA officers will not open it. Airlines decide for themselves whether ashes may travel in the hold. We can also bring the urn personally. More in our guide Urn transfer abroad.
Step 1: your call. You tell us where the person died, where in the United States the funeral will take place and whether you prefer burial or cremation. In this first conversation we explain which documents we prepare and which ones the family provides.
Step 2: formalities in Switzerland. We collect the person anywhere in Switzerland, register the death with the civil registry office on your behalf, arrange embalming and coffining and apply for the cantonal transport permit.
Step 3: the embassy file. We send the Swiss documents to the U.S. Embassy so that it can prepare the Consular Mortuary Certificate, and we coordinate with the funeral home you have chosen in the United States.
Step 4: air freight. We book the flight from Zurich or Geneva, deliver the coffin to the cargo terminal and send the airway bill and arrival details to the receiving funeral home.
Step 5: handover. The U.S. funeral home collects the coffin at the destination airport and takes over the funeral. If the person is cremated in Switzerland, we prepare the urn papers with you and, if you wish, bring the urn personally.
Our repatriation package starts at CHF 3,000. Air freight to the United States is the largest single item and is charged by weight and route; official fees in Switzerland come on top. You receive a written breakdown before we start. Funeral costs in the United States are not included, and the embassy itself does not pay any costs. More: Repatriation costs.
Questions & answers
Yes. The embassy in Bern asks that every death of a U.S. citizen in Switzerland be reported. It issues the Consular Report of Death Abroad electronically.
A certificate the embassy prepares to accompany the remains. It bundles the Swiss and medical death certificates, the embalming and encasing certificates, the transit permit and a certified passport copy.
Not for remains that are embalmed or cremated before import. A permit may be needed only for unembalmed remains in cases of a known or suspected infectious disease.
TSA allows cremated remains in carry-on baggage if the container can be X-rayed; airlines set their own rules for the hold. Ask your airline before booking.
No. The family bears all funeral and transport costs.