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

1. 1

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

   Every death in Switzerland must first be certified by a physician so that the medical death certificate (Ärztliche Todesbescheinigung) can be issued for the subsequent civil registry notification [1]:

   • Death in a hospital, nursing home, or hospice: The facility's medical staff performs the medical verification of death, issues the Ärztliche Todesbescheinigung, and frequently forwards the death notification directly to the competent civil registry office (Zivilstandsamt) [1].
   • Death at home, in a hotel, or in a public place: In the event of a natural death at home, contact the family doctor (Hausarzt) or the on-call medical service or emergency medical dispatch (Sanität 144) to issue the Ärztliche Todesbescheinigung [1]. If the death occurs in a public place or without a clear medical history, immediately call the Police (117) as well as Emergency Medical Services / Sanität (144) [1].
   • Extraordinary death (aussergewöhnlicher Todesfall - official medical examiner and public prosecutor): In the case of a sudden, unexplained, violent, or accident-related death, it is classified as an aussergewöhnlicher Todesfall. Emergency responders call in the police, the official medical officer (Amtsarzt / forensic medicine), and the cantonal Public Prosecutor's Office (Staatsanwaltschaft); coffining, cremation, burial, or international repatriation to France may only proceed after written clearance from the public prosecutor [1].
2. 2

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

   Before placing individual private orders, immediately check whether the deceased person had travel or repatriation insurance, assistance coverage through a French supplementary health insurer (mutuelle) or bank card, or a funeral pre-need insurance policy (contrat d'assurance obsèques) that covers the organization and cost of repatriation:

   • Coordination between a funeral service in Switzerland and a funeral operator in France: For collection, coffining, and administrative formalities in Switzerland, contact the municipal funeral office (Bestattungsamt) of the Swiss municipality or appoint a licensed funeral director in Switzerland, which coordinates any repatriation with a funeral operator licensed by the prefecture in France (opérateur funéraire habilité en préfecture) [1][3][7].
   • Neutral professional associations for orientation: Clarvia provides these directories strictly for neutral orientation and does not recommend, endorse, or rank commercial providers. In Switzerland, you can find certified funeral directors through the Swiss professional association Schweizerischer Verband der Bestattungsdienste (SVB, Swiss Association of Funeral Services) [3]. In France, you can consult official guidance via the administrative portal Service-Public.fr (phone 3939 from France or +33 1 73 60 39 39 from abroad) [6] or locate a licensed funeral operator through the Fédération Nationale du Funéraire (FNF, phone +33 1 55 43 30 00, email [email protected]) [8] and the Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres (FFPF, phone +33 1 46 60 24 24) [9].
   • Consular assistance from France in Switzerland: Notify the competent French consular representation in Switzerland: the French Consulate General in Geneva (Consulat général de France à Genève, covering Western Switzerland, Service France Consulaire at phone +41 22 567 95 59, email [email protected]) or the French Consulate General in Zurich (Consulat général de France à Zurich, covering German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, phone +41 43 547 80 41, email [email protected]) [4][5]. The Consulates General advise relatives on repatriation and, in particular, issue the consular authorization required for transporting a cinerary urn to France [4][5].
3. 3

   Registering the death with the Swiss civil registry (within 2 days) and transcription for France

   According to the official Swiss authorities portal ch.ch, a death in Switzerland must be reported within 2 days to the civil registry office of the place of death (Zivilstandsamt) (or, depending on the municipality, to the municipal funeral office / Bestattungsamt) [1]:

   • Registration and certificates in Switzerland: Reporting the death - whether by next of kin, the hospital, or the appointed funeral director - requires the medical death certificate (Ärztliche Todesbescheinigung), the deceased person's French passport or national identity card (carte nationale d'identité), any Swiss residence permit, and civil status documents [1]. The Swiss civil registry office records the death in the Swiss civil status register (Infostar) and issues the domestic Swiss death certificate (Todesschein) as well as the multilingual international CIEC extract from the death register on Form C (Formular C) under the 1976 Vienna Convention [1][4].
   • Recognition without an Apostille in France: Because both Switzerland and France are contracting states to the Vienna CIEC Convention of 8 September 1976, the Swiss extract on Form C (Formular C) is recognized directly in France by town halls (mairies), banks, notaries, and social security bodies without an Apostille or certified translation [4][6].
   • Transcription in the French civil status register (Nantes): Whereas a death occurring inside France is declared within 24 hours (excluding weekends and public holidays) at the mairie of the place of death [6], the post-registration (transcription de l'acte de décès) of a French national who died in Switzerland is handled centrally by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in Nantes: Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères - Service central d'état civil (SCEC), Département Transcription - Secteur Europe, 11, rue de la Maison Blanche, 44941 Nantes CEDEX 9, France [4]. The application is sent by post to Nantes together with the original Swiss death certificate (acte de décès / Todesschein), proof of French nationality, the birth certificate, and the livret de famille [4].
4. 4

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

   The appointed funeral director coordinates the required transport and burial permits depending on the family's decision:

   • Option A - International repatriation of the body or urn from Switzerland to France:
     • Mortuary passport (Leichenpass) for coffin repatriation (Strasbourg and Berlin Agreements): Both Switzerland and France apply the 1973 Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses as well as the 1937 International Berlin Agreement (under which departures from France use a prefectural arrêté préfectoral de laissez-passer mortuaire and departures from Switzerland use the cantonal mortuary passport (Leichenpass) within the framework overseen by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs - Eidgenössisches Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten - EDA) [4][7]. To transport a body from Switzerland to France, the Swiss funeral director applies to the competent cantonal authority at the place of death for the international Leichenpass [4]. The body is transported in a regulation hermetically sealed coffin (cercueil hermétique with a metal liner and, where required by the mode of transport, embalming care / soins de conservation); under the Strasbourg Agreement, the Swiss Leichenpass suffices to cross the border into France without a separate French consular transit permit, while the receiving French funeral operator obtains the burial or cremation authorization from the French destination municipality [4][7].
     • Repatriation of a cinerary urn (cremated ashes) to France: If cremation takes place in Switzerland, importing the sealed urn into France requires a consular transport authorization issued by the French Consulate General (Consulat général de France à Genève or Consulat général de France à Zurich) upon presentation of the Swiss death certificate, the cremation certificate (certificat d'incinération), and confirmation of the place of interment in France [4][7].
   • Option B - Local burial or cremation in Switzerland: If the funeral takes place in Switzerland, the family arranges earth burial or cremation through the funeral office (Bestattungsamt) of the Swiss municipality of residence or place of death in accordance with cantonal and municipal cemetery regulations (normally after the cantonal waiting period of typically 48 hours) [1][3].
5. 5

   Survivor pensions, health insurance, taxes, and succession in France and Switzerland

   With the multilingual CIEC death extract (Form C), initiate the social security, tax, and inheritance procedures in both countries:

   • Procedures in France:
     • Health insurance (CPAM) and French pension funds: Report the death to the French health insurance fund (Assurance Maladie / CPAM, accessible via ameli.fr or by phone at 3646 from France or +33 1 84 90 36 46 from abroad) to close the insured person's account and, if eligibility conditions are met, claim the lump-sum death grant (capital décès) [10]. Also notify the statutory French pension insurance scheme (Assurance Retraite / CNAV, phone 3960 or +33 9 71 10 39 60 from abroad) and the supplementary pension fund Agirc-Arrco to apply for a survivor pension (pension de réversion) [11].
     • French notary and inheritance tax return: If the deceased had their tax domicile in France or owned real estate or bank accounts there, engage a notary through the official French Chamber of Notaries (Notaires de France, phone +33 1 44 90 30 00) to draw up the proof of heirship (acte de notoriété), query the French Central Register of Last Wills (FCDDV), and file the inheritance tax return (déclaration de succession) [12][13]. While the filing deadline is 6 months for a death occurring in France, a statutory filing period of 12 months from the date of death applies when the death occurred outside France - including in Switzerland [12][13].
   • Procedures in Switzerland (if the deceased resided, worked as a resident or cross-border commuter, or held assets in Switzerland):
     • AHV/AVS survivor pensions and occupational pension (2. Säule / 2nd pillar): If the deceased paid contributions to the Swiss Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance (Alters- und Hinterlassenenversicherung - AHV / AVS, for example as a Swiss resident or a French cross-border commuter / frontalier), claims for widow's, widower's, or orphan's pensions under Information Sheet 3.03 must be submitted using official form 318.371 to the competent AHV compensation office (Ausgleichskasse) or, for beneficiaries residing abroad, to the federal compensation authority Zentrale Ausgleichsstelle (Central Compensation Office / Swiss Compensation Office SAK / CSC in Geneva) [14][15]. Also report the death to any Swiss occupational pension fund (Pensionskasse / 2nd pillar), accident insurer (UVG / LAA), and Swiss health insurer [1][14].
     • Cantonal probate authority, certificate of inheritance (Erbenbescheinigung), and 3-month disclaimer deadline: If the deceased had their last domicile or estate assets in Switzerland, any wills must be submitted without delay to the competent cantonal court, notary, or probate office (Erbschaftsamt, e.g., the District Court / Bezirksgericht in the Canton of Zurich or the Justice de paix in Western Switzerland), where heirs also apply for the certificate of inheritance (Erbenbescheinigung / Erbschein) [1][2]. Where the Swiss Civil Code (Zivilgesetzbuch - ZGB) applies, pay strict attention to the statutory 3-month disclaimer deadline (Ausschlagungsfrist) from awareness of the death if the estate may be over-indebted [1][2].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Death: Checklist - Medical death certificate, reporting to the civil registry within 2 days, and funeral arrangements — Offizielles Schweizer Behördenportal (ch.ch)
2. [2]
   Certificate of inheritance (Erbschein / Erbenbescheinigung) and three-month disclaimer deadline under the Swiss Civil Code (ZGB) — Offizielles Schweizer Behördenportal (ch.ch)
3. [3]
   Swiss Association of Funeral Services (SVB) - Directory of certified funeral directors — Schweizerischer Verband der Bestattungsdienste (SVB)
4. [4]
   Death in Switzerland - Transcription at the Service central d'état civil in Nantes and coffin or urn repatriation to France — Französische Botschaft und Generalkonsulate in der Schweiz (ch.diplomatie.gouv.fr)
5. [5]
   Contact details - French Consulate General in Zurich (Consulat général de France à Zurich) — Service-Public.fr - Annuaire de l'administration
6. [6]
   Death declaration, medical certificate, and initial steps in France (F16507) — Service-Public.fr
7. [7]
   International coffin and urn transport and mortuary transit permit (laissez-passer mortuaire) in France (F35706) — Service-Public.fr
8. [8]
   Legal notice and contact details - Fédération Nationale du Funéraire (FNF) — Fédération Nationale du Funéraire
9. [9]
   Contact the Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres (FFPF) — Fédération Française des Pompes Funèbres
10. [10]
    Reporting a death and claiming the lump-sum death grant (capital décès) in France — L'Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr)
11. [11]
    Reporting the death of a pensioner and claiming a survivor pension (pension de réversion) in France — Assurance Retraite (CNAV)
12. [12]
    Estate settlement and the role of the notary in France — Conseil supérieur du notariat (Notaires de France)
13. [13]
    Inheritance tax return in France and deadlines (6 months in France or 12 months when death occurs abroad) — Direction générale des Finances publiques (impots.gouv.fr)
14. [14]
    AHV benefits - Information Sheet 3.03 Survivor pensions (widow's, widower's, and orphan's pensions) — Informationsstelle AHV/IV
15. [15]
    Application for a survivor pension (Form 318.371) - AHV/IV — Zentrale Ausgleichsstelle (ZAS / admin.ch)