Issuing authority and document: The Leichenpass is issued by the authority competent under cantonal law (in the canton of Aargau, the civil registry office). The Polish certificate is issued by the Polish embassy in Bern.
Transport: By a specialised vehicle for carrying bodies, or by plane. We agree the route and the handover place in Poland with the family.
Timing: We confirm the timing once we have the documents. The Polish Act provides that the starosta (district head) and the consul issue their documents at the latest within 3 days of the application (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead); in practice time is also needed for the sanepid's opinion and delivering the originals, and the time needed to deal with matters in the country of death depends on the authorities there.
Price: We will quote the price once we know the details.

The procedure in Switzerland

Switzerland is a party to the Strasbourg Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses, and the details are governed by cantonal law. In the canton of Aargau, for example, the Leichenpass is issued by the civil registry office, and an authorised funeral home draws up a record of placing the body in the coffin and sealing it. We check the requirements of other cantons in your case.

Switzerland: the canton decides on the Leichenpass

The canton of Aargau shows how it works. There the registry office of the place of death issues the Leichenpass, and if the person died outside the canton but lived there last, the office of the former residence does it. The document lets a sealed coffin cross third countries by air or land without border checks. It is issued only after a record confirming that the coffin holds nothing but the remains of the named person and personal effects.

The canton's page covers the body only. For an urn it refers to the registry office or the legal service of the health department, so we clarify that separately. The embassy in Bern accepts applications in person or by post, and a visit is arranged by email with the consular section. We make sure the Swiss and Polish documents match each other.

Documents for the Polish embassy

The Polish embassy in Bern requires the starosta's permit and the death certificate. The consular fee is charged according to the fee schedule.

On the Polish side two documents are always needed: a permit from the starosta (district head) responsible for the place of burial, and then a certificate from the Polish consul, issued on the basis of that permit and the death certificate (Article 14(4) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead). The same documents are needed for an urn with ashes.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues the Leichenpass in Switzerland?

It depends on the canton. In the canton of Aargau it is the civil registry office at the place of death.

How much does it cost to bring a body from Switzerland to Poland?

The price depends on the city, the documents, the type of transport and whether we are transporting a body or an urn. We will give you a price once we know the details.

How long does it take to bring a body home from Switzerland?

We confirm the timing once we have the documents. The Act provides that the starosta and the consul issue their documents at the latest within 3 days of the application (Article 14(5) of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead); in practice time is also needed for the sanepid's opinion, delivering the originals, formalities in the country of death and the transport itself.

Other countries

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Repatriation of a Body from Switzerland to Poland