Relocating a coffin within Switzerland

A coffin relocation in Switzerland ends after the reburial: no mortuary passport, no legalisation, no approved zinc-lined coffin. That does not make it automatic – it simply means the chain is shorter, and the sticking points are elsewhere.

When an internal relocation makes sense

Three situations come up constantly. The family has moved and the cemetery is now too far to visit. Several family members are to be brought together in one grave. Or the rest period is coming to an end and the family wants to keep the burial elsewhere rather than let it be cleared.

Municipalities receive these reasons well. They correspond to needs that the regulations know and provide for.

Two municipalities, two agreements

This is the particularity of this case: two administrations are involved, and neither talks to the other spontaneously.

The releasing municipality – where the person currently rests – issues the authorisation to open the grave. It examines the reason, the consents and, where relevant, the health dimension.

The receiving municipality has to confirm that a plot is available and that it accepts the burial. Depending on the regulations it may impose conditions: residence, a family link to an existing lease, remaining capacity in the grave.

The order matters: obtain the receiving municipality's confirmation first. A releasing municipality is reluctant to authorise an opening without an established destination, and a file submitted without that piece comes back.

The conditions to meet

In every case you need: an understandable reason, written consents from the entitled relatives, a confirmed destination and the authorisation of the releasing municipality.

The rest period also plays a role. An opening before it expires requires a stronger argument and makes an assessment by the cantonal medical officer more likely. After expiry, the procedure is generally considerably simpler.

How the day runs

The date is fixed with the cemetery administration of the releasing municipality, generally outside visiting hours so the place stays quiet.

We put up screening before starting. Two trained staff carry out the opening. We place the remains in a new coffin, the plot is reinstated according to the municipality's instructions, and transport to the receiving cemetery takes place the same day in the majority of cases.

We document the work. That record serves the reburial and answers the questions of relatives who were not present.

The coffin and the reburial

A new coffin is generally necessary: after years in the ground the original one can no longer be used for transport. For an internal relocation it does not need a zinc lining, unlike an international transfer – which lowers the cost appreciably.

Given the age, a smaller coffin is often sufficient. That simplifies handling, transport and sometimes the space required in the receiving grave.

The reburial follows the rules of the receiving municipality: fees, possibly a new lease, and requirements concerning the headstone.

How long to allow

The duration depends first on the releasing municipality: some decide within a few weeks, others take considerably longer, especially if a medical assessment is required.

Added to that is the time needed to confirm the receiving plot and to gather the signatures. That last point is the one families underestimate most, particularly when a relative lives abroad.

We give a realistic range after speaking to both municipalities – never before.

The mistakes that cost weeks

Four come up regularly. Filing without a confirmed destination. Forgetting a signature. Giving an inaccurate grave designation – the cemetery name is right, but the section or number is not. And fixing a date for the work before the authorisation is in hand.

None is serious in itself; each sends the file back. That sequencing work is exactly what we take on, and the preliminary check costs you nothing.