Ashes transport guide
Bringing ashes home from Switzerland
You have ashes in Switzerland and need to bring them to the UK. This page covers what Switzerland requires before they can leave.
Quick reference
3-10 days to arrange
What Switzerland requires before ashes can leave
Departure airports: ZRH (Zurich Airport); GVA (Geneva Airport); BSL/EAP (Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport)
Carriers serving the UK: Swiss International Air Lines; British Airways; easyJet
Authority that must release the case: Institut fuer Rechtsmedizin (IRM), University of Zurich / CURML Lausanne / University of Bern
The rules that apply on any route, and what you may do with ashes once home, are covered in bringing ashes into the UK.
Airline rules
Export requirements from Switzerland
Cremation availability
Cremation may be restricted or unavailable in Switzerland due to religious or legal reasons. If you are dealing with ashes from a previous cremation held elsewhere, the export rules may differ. Contact us for guidance specific to your situation.
What affects the cost
Carrying ashes home yourself is the least expensive way to bring someone back from Switzerland, and for many families it costs little more than the return flight they are already taking. We do not publish a figure, because what you pay depends on the case.
| What changes the cost | Why |
|---|---|
| Whether the cremation has already taken place | Arranging it locally adds funeral director and crematorium involvement |
| Where the death happened | Distance to the nearest crematorium changes local transfer |
| Carrying versus shipping | Hand luggage costs nothing extra; a specialist courier is a separate arrangement |
| Documentation Switzerland requires | Export permits and translation, where they apply |
Send us the details of your situation and we will give you a figure, with no obligation.
Worth knowing about Switzerland
Switzerland is a Strasbourg Convention signatory alongside the UK; the Leichentransportbewilligung is accepted by UK authorities without additional consular legalisation; Switzerland is not an EU member but has bilateral treaties with the EU; death administration is fully cantonal, the responsible authority depends entirely on the canton where death occurred; Major British ski resort deaths occur in Valais canton (Verbier, Zermatt, Saas-Fee), Graubuenden (Davos, Klosters), and Bern canton (Grindelwald, Wengen, Murren); mountain rescue (Rega air rescue or local Bergrettung) recovery precedes documentation; Geneva has a large British expat community in the UN and international organisations sector; Zurich hosts British finance and tech workers; both cities have Consulates-General supplementing the Bern Embassy; Documents are in German, French, or Italian depending on canton; certified English translations are required for all documents; ensure the translator is familiar with Swiss administrative German or French
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Full repatriation guide
Complete guide: repatriation from Switzerland
Official support
British Embassy in Switzerland: contacts and what consular staff can do
Need guidance?
We can help with ashes transport
We deal with Institut fuer Rechtsmedizin (IRM), University of Zurich / CURML Lausanne / University of Bern and the local crematorium directly.
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