Guidance

Switzerland and Liechtenstein: bereavement information

Updated 13 July 2022

Disclaimer

This information is not meant to be definitive, nor is it to be taken as a substitute for independent legal advice. Neither His Majesty’s Government nor its staff take any responsibility for the accuracy of the information, nor accept liability for any loss, costs, damage or expense that you might suffer as a result of relying on the information. Some of the information may not be relevant to your circumstances. The language used is intended to be general and factual, and is not meant to cause offence.

Introduction

When a relative or friend dies abroad, the different procedures, laws or language can cause additional distress. You may be uncertain about what to do or who to contact.

This country specific information is designed to help you through some of the practical arrangements you may need to make. It supplements the general information on death abroad produced by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, which applies to all countries.

Please note, as each country has its own laws and customs when a death occurs, it may not be possible to make the arrangements that you prefer, or at the time you would like.

How to contact the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

There is a lot of information below, but you may have questions. You can speak to someone by phone 24/7, any day of the year by contacting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London on 0207 008 1500.

If you are not in the UK, you can find the contact details of the nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate.

The priority of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is to provide assistance to British nationals overseas who need the most help. The level and type of assistance they can offer is tailored to the individual circumstances of each case.

Next of kin

The next of kin of the person who died will usually need to make decisions and practical arrangements. The next of kin can sometimes appoint another person to act on their behalf.

If you are not the next of kin, they will need to be informed. If required, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office can help you do this.

There is no legal definition of next of kin in the UK. Please note that if there is a disagreement over who is the next of kin, or the person who died did not choose a next of kin, this can cause additional complications.

When someone dies in Switzerland and the next of kin is in the UK or abroad, Swiss authorities normally notify the British Consulate in the area where the person has died. British Consulates will do whatever they can to trace the next of kin as soon as possible and would ask the UK police to pass on the sad news. However you might also be notified about the death directly by someone else, for example a doctor, a social worker or a police officer.

In Switzerland the seniority of next of kin is usually as follows:

• spouse/partner/same-sex partner/civil partner
• adult child (i.e. over 18 years old)
• parent
• adult sibling (i.e. over 18 years old)
• an adult with sufficient relationship to the deceased

An ex-partner is not regarded as next of kin.

Release of information to next of kin

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office will try to obtain as much information as possible after your relative or friend has died abroad. Some of this may be only available to next of kin. Consular officers may be able to obtain this themselves, or they may put you in touch directly with the authorities overseas. They may be able to provide you with details of others who can advocate on your behalf such as lawyers, charities, or other organisations.

Access to information concerning a death is restricted until a Coroner has reviewed the evidence such as post-mortem and police reports. The Swiss authorities will usually not provide this information directly to next of kin, or to third parties, including our Embassy, until after the conclusion of the preliminary investigation. The release of any information will usually take several months and in some more complicated instances, years.

Insurance

It is very important to check if the person who died had insurance. If they had insurance, contact the insurance company as soon as possible. They may have a list of approved funeral directors to help you make arrangements, or be able to cover some of the costs.

If the person who died did not have insurance, the next of kin will usually have to appoint a funeral director and will usually be responsible for all costs. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office cannot help with these costs.

Appointing a funeral director

If you decide to bring the deceased to the UK for the funeral or cremation, you may only need to appoint an international funeral director. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office produces a list of international funeral directors based in the UK.

If you decide to hold a funeral or cremation in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, you can find a list of funeral directors in Switzerland and Liechtenstein here

A relative or a formally appointed representative must instruct a local funeral director in Switzerland or an international funeral director in the UK for a body to be repatriated to the UK, or buried or cremated in Switzerland. However if the deceased was insured you should immediately contact the insurance company to establish if they are able to cover for the repatriation expenses and make the necessary arrangements. You may need the insurance policy number and the associated 24 hour medical emergency contact number to do this. If the travel insurance company confirm that there is a current policy, you should not appoint your own funeral director or be pressurised by local funeral agencies to do so. It will be the insurance company that will appoint the funeral director both locally and in the UK.

In Switzerland it is not normally necessary for the deceased to be identified by the next of kin. Identification can be carried out by means of documentation such as a passport or driving licence or by fingerprints, dental records or DNA.

Registering the death and obtaining a death certificate

Local undertakers will register the death with the relevant state authorities and will arrange for a Swiss death certificate to accompany the remains.

Registrars in Switzerland will require parents/spouse names, religion of deceased, date of marriage (if applicable) and often documentary evidence of birth, marriage, divorce and residence, before they will register the death. Once the necessary documents are produced an international death certificate will be issued. Swiss/Liechtenstein death certificates do not give details of the cause of death, as would be the case in the UK.

You do not need to register the death with the UK authorities. The locally issued certificates should be sufficient for all purposes.

The local authorities will need to be told if the person suffered from an infectious condition such as hepatitis or HIV so they can take precautions against infection.

Post-mortem examinations (autopsies)

In the case of a natural death an autopsy will be carried out only at the request of the next of kin. In this case no body parts or organs will be retained without their permission.

A doctor in a state hospital may also request a post-mortem for a death by natural causes when the cause of death is unclear.

Post-mortems are carried out by forensic doctors appointed by the hospital or by the court sometimes called pathologists. During a post-mortem, small tissue samples and organs may be removed and retained for testing, including toxicological studies. This is done in order to better understand the cause of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that might be present. It can be crucial to establish cause of death in cases where criminal or civil legal procedures may eventuate. The Swiss authorities will not charge next of kin to conduct a post-mortem.

If an entire organ or organs is/are removed they will normally be returned before the body is released for burial. In exceptional circumstances, body parts may be retained without permission, but only if further investigation is deemed necessary. If this happens, the next of kin will be informed.

Once the post-mortem has been completed, the body will be released and can be repatriated.

Autopsies are only carried out when there is police involvement in the case. Next of kin can apply for a copy of the report from the Public Prosecutor.

It is possible for the next of kin to object to an autopsy taking place or to request only an external or partial autopsy. The Coroner will take into account cultural or religious sensitivities. Coronial staff will often contact next of kin to explain the need for an autopsy and to inform them of the possible complications in the event that one is not undertaken. This can result in a death certificate having limited information as to cause of death which can impact on matters involving travel insurance and estate settlement. In the case of a homicide the Coroners in Switzerland will override such requests and proceed.

In some cases it may be necessary to have a further autopsy in the UK even though one has been carried out overseas and, when repatriation is to England or Wales, it is probable that the Coroner will wish to hold an inquest.

Mortuary facilities

Swiss mortuary facilities are of a high standard and similar to that in the UK. Mortuaries are usually attached to local hospitals and in most states in Switzerland, there are dedicated state mortuary facilities.

Burial, cremation, repatriation

The next of kin of the person who has died will usually need to decide between a local burial, cremation or bringing the person home, which is known as repatriation. Your funeral director will usually be able to explain the options available, the costs, and help you make arrangements.

If you choose a local burial, you will need to instruct a local funeral director and they can make the necessary arrangements with either a private of government owned cemetery. A ceremony can be organised by the funeral director or a registered celebrant. You can make specific arrangements depending on your cultural and/or religious beliefs.

Cremation is common practice in Switzerland. If you are thinking of arranging a local cremation, please take advice from your local funeral director. Most crematoriums in Switzerland are able to host a funeral services, you can make specific arrangements with your funeral director depending on you cultural and/or religious beliefs. Many local council authorities allow for ashes to be scattered in publically owned areas but you should contact the presiding council to comply with any local restrictions.

Currently, potential organ donors in Switzerland must have a donor card, or they must have expressed their consent to organ removal in the event of death to their relatives while still alive. You can order a donor card from Swisstransplant – the Swiss National Foundation for organ donation and transplantation.

In Switzerland it is possible to donate a body to medical science after death but the intention to donate must have been formally registered with the appropriate State Department of Health, by the deceased, prior to death. It is not possible for next of kin to make that decision after someone dies. If the deceased has registered to donate it is still possible for the next of kin to refuse to comply with those wishes as the beneficiary (the hospital or nominated university) is unlikely to accept a body in the event that this would distress the family.

Please note if a local burial or cremation takes place, then an inquest in the UK will not be possible. For more information on inquests, see the information on UK coroners and inquests below.

If a family are unable to pay for funeral arrangements in Switzerland it is very difficult for to apply for financial assistance. This can vary depending on the canton so you should contact the local funeral director, local police and your nearest consulate for advice.

Government assigned funeral director will still need to obtain information from the next of kin in order to register the death.

Return of personal belongings

Personal belongings found on the deceased at the time of death are either handed over to the family, if they are present, or taken by the police. If the next of kin chooses repatriation, it is advisable to instruct the local undertaker to collect the belongings from the police and to ship personal belongings together with the body. If there is an investigation into the death, the deceased’s clothing can be retained as evidence and is not returned until the court case is finished.

Please note, the British Embassy cannot take responsibility for the personal belongings of the person who died.

Steps to take in the UK

You can find more information on the steps to take in the UK online. This includes information on arranging the funeral, telling the government about the death, UK pensions and benefits, and dealing with the estate of the person who died. There is a step-by-step guide about what to do when someone dies.

British passport cancellation

In order to avoid identity fraud, the passport of the person who died should be cancelled with HM Passport Office (HMPO). To do this, you will need to complete a “D1 form”.

The form and instructions on where to send the passport is available online

If you plan to repatriate the person who died to the UK, you may require their passport to do this. In these circumstances, you should cancel the passport after they have been repatriated.

Child deaths

Police in Switzerland will hold a full investigation into any death and there are no separate procedures for deaths involving children. The Coroner may however, when they review the police report and offer findings, refer cases involving children to appropriate agencies such as the KESB (Child protection services).

Stillbirth in Switzerland is defined as the birth of a baby who has died at any time from 20 weeks into the pregnancy through to the due date of the birth. The neonatal period is from birth to 28 days old. Only deaths of babies that have taken breath are reported to the Coroner but may be reported to the relevant State or Territory Health Department for investigation.

Deaths in road traffic accidents

Police in Switzerland will hold a full investigations into any death and there are no separate procedures for deaths involving road traffic accidents. The Coroner may, when they review the police report and offer findings, refer cases to appropriate agencies such as a State or Territory Department of Transport.

Deaths investigated as murder or manslaughter

If the local police have confirmed that they are investigating the death as a murder or manslaughter a dedicated team within the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office will be available to provide support, including by referring you to a specialised organisation. You can find more about how the FCDO can help with murder and manslaughter abroad.

If a death is regarded as suspicious the Police will investigate in full. If an offender is identified and charged, they will be prosecuted by the relevant Department of Public Prosecutions. There may also be a need for an Australian Coroner to hold an inquest if there is further information required following a judicial process.

Similar to the role of a Coroner in England and Wales (further information below) a Swiss Coroner, usually a magistrate, will investigate deaths that are ‘unnatural’ such as accidents, suicides or homicides; deaths that have occurred in prison or in care, or have unknown causes. A Coroner will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death to find out the identity of the deceased person, when and where they died, how they died and the medical cause of death.

During the prosecution the relevant Department of Public Prosecutions will assign a family liaison officer who will update next of kin wherever they are located. They will support families and arrange for their attendance at hearing and explain how to prepare victim impact statements. The time from arrest to trial can be lengthy and, in some complicated cases can take years. The average case will take between 12 to 18 months unless the offender pleads guilty which significantly reduces the time taken to sentencing. There is little difference between the murder and assault rate in Switzerland when compared to the UK.

You should note that if the deceased is repatriated to parts of the UK a coroner or procurator fiscal may decide to hold an inquest. See the section on UK Coroners and inquests, below.

UK coroners and inquests

If you repatriate the person who died to England and Wales there may be an inquest. The decision on when to hold an inquest is made by His Majesty’s Coroner. Please note, an inquest will usually only happens in certain situations, for example, when someone has died in suspicious, unnatural, and violent circumstances or whilst in detention. If the person who died is cremated and only their ashes are brought home, there will not be an inquest.

If you repatriate the person who died to Scotland, the Procurator Fiscal may decide to call for a Fatal Accidents or Injuries Inquiry.

If you repatriate the person who died to Northern Ireland, there will be no coronial inquest or further inquiry.

Please note, Procurators Fiscal and Coroners do not have jurisdiction in another country, nor do they seek to apportion blame to a named individual.

You can find more information on Coroners and the Procurator Fiscal in the FCDO guide on death abroad

Legal Aid

Your first port of call could be an advice bureau. These are known by different names in different cantons.

For further information on this, or how to find a lawyer if you need one, see our list of lawyers.

Compensation

Victims of crime may benefit from compensation from the state. Please contact Victim Support in the particular canton in which the incident occurred.

You can find information on UK compensation for victims of terrorism overseas

Translation and interpretation

Switzerland’s four official languages, traditionally spoken in different regions of the country, are German, French, Italian and Romansh. English is widely spoken. See our List of translators and interpreters in Switzerland.

Additional support

Local support organisations

There are many counselling services in Switzerland that can provide support for those experiencing grief and loss.

You can find further support at:

• www.143.ch
• www.jesus.ch
• www.schleife.ch
• www.seelsorge.net

Support organisations in the UK

In the UK, there are many organisations that can help bereaved families. Some of these are listed in the guide coping with death abroad.

Annex

See the list of funeral directors in Switzerland and Liechtenstein