What to Do When a Citizen of Switzerland Dies in France: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Medical certification of death and medical certificate in France (immediately)

   Every death occurring in France must first be officially certified by a doctor (constatation médicale du décès), who draws up the medical certificate of death (certificat médical de décès, either on the paper Cerfa form or electronically via the CertDc application), which is required to declare the death at the town hall (mairie) and initiate funeral arrangements [1]:

   • Death in a healthcare or medico-social facility (hospital, clinic, EHPAD nursing home): The ward physician certifies the death and completes the medical death certificate directly [1]. The facility keeps the body in its mortuary chamber (chambre mortuaire) and guides the family through the initial formalities.
   • Death at home, at temporary accommodation, or in a public place: Immediately call the emergency medical service (SAMU on 15), the European emergency number (112), or an on-call doctor so that a practitioner can attend on site to certify the death and issue the medical certificate [1]. If transport before coffining (transport avant mise en bière) to a funeral home (chambre funéraire) is desired, the funeral operator files the prior declaration with the town hall and the transfer must occur within 48 hours of death [3].
   • Forensic hold (obstacle médico-légal for sudden or suspicious death): When the cause of death is unknown, sudden, or suspicious, the doctor ticks the obstacle médico-légal box on the certificate. The police or gendarmerie and the public prosecutor (procureur de la République) take over: no coffining, cremation, burial, or repatriation to Switzerland may take place until judicial authorization is issued by the public prosecutor's office (parquet) [1].
2. 2

   Checking insurance coverage, appointing funeral directors, and contacting the Swiss consulate

   Before signing a private funeral quote, immediately check whether the deceased person held travel or repatriation insurance (for example via supplementary Swiss health insurance coverage, a rescue membership pass, or a bank card) or a pre-need funeral contract (contrat de prévoyance obsèques) capable of organizing and funding the transfer:

   • Coordination between a licensed funeral operator in France and a funeral service in Switzerland: Funeral operations and cross-border transport must be entrusted to a funeral operator licensed by the French prefecture (opérateur funéraire habilité en préfecture), which coordinates with the municipal funeral office (Bestattungsamt) of the Swiss destination municipality or a licensed funeral provider in Switzerland [3][7][8].
   • Neutral professional federations: Clarvia provides these contact details for informational orientation only and does not recommend, endorse, or rank any commercial provider. In France, you can consult official guidance via Service-Public.fr (phone 3939 from France or +33 1 73 60 39 39 from abroad) [1], or locate a licensed operator through the Fédération Nationale du Funéraire (FNF, phone +33 1 55 43 30 00, email [email protected]) [4] and the Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres (FFPF, phone +33 1 46 60 24 24) [5]. In Switzerland, you can find a certified funeral company through the directory of the professional association Schweizerischer Verband der Bestattungsdienste (SVB / Swiss Association of Funeral Services) [7].
   • Consular assistance from Switzerland in France: Because French authorities do not automatically forward death certificates to Switzerland, the death must be reported to the competent Swiss representation under the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (Département fédéral des affaires étrangères - DFAE / EDA), specifically the Ambassade de Suisse en France (Embassy of Switzerland in France, in Paris, phone +33 1 49 55 67 00, email [email protected]) or the Consulates General of Switzerland in Lyon (phone +33 4 72 75 79 10, email [email protected]), Marseille, and Strasbourg depending on the consular district of the place of death [6].
3. 3

   Registering the death at the French town hall (within 24 hours) and recording it for Switzerland

   Under French regulations detailed on Service-Public.fr, the death must be declared within 24 hours of medical certification (excluding weekends and public holidays) before the civil registrar (officier d'état civil) at the town hall (mairie) of the French municipality where the death occurred [1]:

   • Declarant and supporting documents in France: The declaration is made by a relative or, most commonly in practice, by the appointed funeral operator, upon presentation of the medical death certificate, the declarant's identity document, and the deceased person's documents (Swiss passport or identity card, birth or marriage certificate, Swiss family certificate / certificat de famille) [1].
   • Full death certificate (acte de décès intégral) and multilingual extract (Formule C): Request from the French town hall several full copies of the death certificate (copies intégrales de l'acte de décès, bearing the original town hall seal) as well as several multilingual death certificate extracts on CIEC Form C (extraits d'acte de décès plurilingues sur Formule C, issued under the Vienna CIEC Convention of 8 September 1976) [1][6]. Because both France and Switzerland are parties to the 1976 Vienna Convention, the multilingual Form C extract and the French death certificate are directly recognized in Switzerland without an apostille or legalization [6].
   • Transcription in the Swiss civil status register (Infostar): Whereas a death occurring in Switzerland must be reported within 2 days to the civil registry office of the place of death (Zivilstandsamt) according to the official portal ch.ch [8], the death of a Swiss national in France is transcribed free of charge through the Ambassade de Suisse en France or the competent Swiss Consulate General [6]. For this formality, submit to the Swiss representation: 1) the original of a full copy of the French death certificate (copie intégrale de l'acte de décès) (bearing the original seal of the mairie and issued within the last 6 months, which will not be returned), 2) the deceased person's Swiss identity documents (passport and identity card) for cancellation (which can be returned as a keepsake upon prior request), and 3) the contact details of a surviving relative [6].
4. 4

   Choosing between repatriation to Switzerland and local burial or cremation in France

   The appointed funeral operator coordinates the administrative and public-health authorizations according to the option chosen by the family:

   • Option A - International repatriation of the body or cremated ashes to Switzerland:
     • Prefectural mortuary transit permit (laissez-passer mortuaire / Leichenpass): Both France and Switzerland apply the Strasbourg Agreement of 26 October 1973 on the Transfer of Corpses as well as the 1937 International Berlin Arrangement (overseen in France by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs - Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères - MEAE / France Diplomatie and in Switzerland by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs - DFAE / EDA and the cantonal authorities) [3]. To repatriate a body from France to Switzerland, the French funeral operator obtains a prefectural order for a mortuary transit permit (arrêté préfectoral de laissez-passer mortuaire) from the prefecture of the French department where the coffin is closed [3].
     • Hermetic coffin, embalming care, and entry into Switzerland: The body must be placed in a regulation hermetic coffin (cercueil hermétique fitted with a sealed metal liner and, depending on the mode of transport and applicable regulations, after embalming care / soins de conservation) [3]. Under the Strasbourg Agreement and the Berlin Arrangement, the French prefectural mortuary transit permit generally suffices to cross the border and transport the coffin to the cemetery or crematorium of the Swiss destination municipality without requiring an additional Swiss consular mortuary pass (Leichenpass) [3][8].
     • Repatriation of a cinerary urn: If cremation takes place in France, international transport of the ashes is covered by a prefectural authorization issued upon presentation of the death certificate and the cremation certificate (certificat de crémation) [3].
   • Option B - Local burial or cremation in France: If the funeral takes place in France, burial (inhumation) or cremation must take place at the earliest 24 hours after death and at the latest within 14 calendar days following the day after death (unless a prefectural waiver is granted), with authorization from the mayor of the municipality of death [2].
5. 5

   Survivor pensions (AVS/AHV and 2nd pillar), taxes, and estate settlement in Switzerland and France

   Once the death certificate has been obtained, initiate the social security, banking, and succession procedures in both states:

   • Procedures in Switzerland:
     • AVS/AHV survivor pensions and occupational pension (2nd pillar): Claims for AVS/AHV survivor pensions (widow's, widower's, or orphan's pensions under AVS Information Sheet 3.03, Ausgleichskasse der AHV) must be submitted using official form 318.371 to the compensation fund where the deceased last paid contributions - or, for insured persons residing abroad, to the Central Compensation Office (Zentrale Ausgleichsstelle / Swiss Compensation Office CSC / SAK in Geneva) [10][11]. Also report the death to the Swiss occupational pension institution (pension fund / 2nd pillar), accident insurer (LAA / UVG), and Swiss health insurance fund (caisse-maladie) [8][10].
     • Certificate of inheritance (certificat d'héritier / Erbenbescheinigung) and 3-month disclaimer deadline (ZGB / CC): Any will or inheritance contract must be delivered without delay to the competent cantonal authority of the last Swiss domicile (justice of the peace / justice de paix, district court / Bezirksgericht, probate office / Erbschaftsamt, or notary depending on the canton), where the heirs also apply for the certificate of inheritance (certificat d'héritier / Erbenbescheinigung / Erbschein) required to access bank accounts and real estate in Switzerland [8][9]. If the estate is governed by the Swiss Civil Code (CC / ZGB) and carries a risk of over-indebtedness, pay strict attention to the statutory 3-month deadline from awareness of the death to declare any renunciation / disclaimer of the inheritance (répudiation / Ausschlagung) [8][9].
   • Procedures in France (if the deceased resided, worked, or held assets in France):
     • French health insurance and pension funds: If your family member was insured in France, notify Assurance Maladie (CPAM / ameli.fr, phone 3646 from France or +33 1 84 90 36 46 from abroad) to close the file and claim a potential lump-sum death grant (capital décès) [12], as well as Assurance Retraite (CNAV, phone 3960 or +33 9 71 10 39 60 from abroad) and the supplementary pension scheme Agirc-Arrco for a survivor pension (pension de réversion) [13].
     • French notary and inheritance tax filing: If the deceased had their tax domicile in France or held real estate or bank accounts there, contact a notary through the Notaires de France network (phone +33 1 44 90 30 00) to draw up the proof of heirship (acte de notoriété), query the Central Register of Last Wills (Fichier central des dispositions de dernières volontés - FCDDV), and file the inheritance tax return (déclaration de succession) with the French tax administration within 6 months (for a death occurring in metropolitan France) [1][14].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death declaration, medical certificate, and initial formalities in France (F16507) — Direction de l'information légale et administrative (Service-Public.fr)
2. [2]
   Burial and cremation time limits in France (F14935) — Service-Public.fr
3. [3]
   Transport of a body before or after coffining and prefectural mortuary transit permit (F35706) — Service-Public.fr
4. [4]
   Legal notice and contact details - Fédération Nationale du Funéraire (FNF) — Fédération Nationale du Funéraire
5. [5]
   Contact the Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres (FFPF) — Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres
6. [6]
   Death in France - Notification to the Swiss representation and documents required for Swiss civil status registration — Département fédéral des affaires étrangères (DFAE / eda.admin.ch) - La Suisse et la France
7. [7]
   Swiss Association of Funeral Services (SVB) - Directory of funeral directors in Switzerland — Schweizerischer Verband der Bestattungsdienste (SVB)
8. [8]
   Checklist in the event of death in Switzerland: reporting within 2 days, funeral arrangements, and administrative steps — Portail officiel des autorités suisses (ch.ch)
9. [9]
   Certificate of inheritance (Erbenbescheinigung) and 3-month disclaimer deadline in Switzerland — Portail officiel des autorités suisses (ch.ch)
10. [10]
    AVS/AHV benefits - Information Sheet 3.03 Survivor pensions (widow's, widower's, and orphan's pensions) — Centre d'information AVS/AI
11. [11]
    Application for a survivor pension (Form 318.371) - AVS/AI — Centrale de compensation (CdC / ZAS - admin.ch)
12. [12]
    Declaring the death of a relative and claiming the death grant (capital décès) in France — L'Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr)
13. [13]
    Declaring the death of a pensioner and claiming a survivor pension (retraite de réversion) — Assurance Retraite (CNAV)
14. [14]
    Estate settlement and the role of the notary in France — Conseil supérieur du notariat (Notaires de France)