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What the law says in Switzerland

8 rules

Reporting the death to the Zivilstandsamt

A hospital or care home reports the death itself. Otherwise the family must report it within two days, usually to the civil registry office of the place of death, with the original medical certificate; a funeral company or the commune's funeral office can do it with written authority. No burial may take place until the office confirms the report. In the city of Zürich every death must also be reported to the funeral office within 48 hours. ch.ch, Todesfall: Checkliste; Stadt Zürich, Vorgehen bei einem Todesfall

Legalinspektion, prosecutor and autopsy

If there are signs that the death was not natural, the public prosecutor orders an examination by a forensic doctor (Legalinspektion). With no sign of a crime and the identity known, the body is released for burial; otherwise the prosecutor can order further tests and, if needed, an autopsy. In Vaud an autopsy must respect the deceased's culture and religion, a clinical or private autopsy needs express consent, and the cantonal doctor can order an autopsy without consent when public health justifies it. StPO Art. 253; Vaud RDSPF art. 14 and 15

Burial times and burial abroad

Burial times are cantonal. Geneva: no burial less than 48 hours after the death, and only after it has been reported to the civil registry office. Vaud: between 48 and 96 hours after the death, extendable to 120 hours if the body is kept in a refrigerated room, with exceptions from the commune on a doctor's statement. We have not checked other cantons; ask the commune's funeral office. Geneva LCim art. 3A; Vaud RDSPF art. 41

Burial times and burial abroad

Transport abroad follows federal law and international agreements. In Vaud it needs a pass (laissez-passer) from the prefect of the district of death and a record of the placing in the coffin made by the commune. Ask the funeral company which documents apply for your route, and call the destination country's consulate early. The estate usually pays, or the family if there is no money in it. Ask the funeral company what it costs and who signs before you agree. Vaud RDSPF art. 33

Coffin, Muslim fields and graves

Geneva's law requires burial in a closed coffin, and Bern's Muslim field is a field of coffin graves; we found no canton allowing a shroud alone. Muslim fields exist in Zürich (Witikon and one other), Bern (Bremgarten), Basel-Stadt (Hörnli, free for residents) and Geneva (Saint-Georges). Row graves are not permanent: in Bern and Basel-Stadt the rest period is 20 years, not extendable in Bern. Zürich gives residents a free row grave, and family graves can be rented and renewed. Geneva LCim art. 4; Stadt Bern (2020); Basel-Stadt Reihengräber; Stadt Zürich, Friedhof Witikon and Grabarten; Ville de Genève, Saint-Georges

The Erbbescheinigung and the estate

Heirs usually prove their right with a certificate of inheritance from a cantonal authority, which differs by canton; with a will, it can be asked for only after the will is opened. It can cost a few hundred to a few thousand francs. Without a will, children inherit equally and a husband or wife takes half beside them. Since 2023 children and a spouse can claim half of their legal share, so ask a notary how the heirs can follow the Islamic shares. ch.ch, Erbschein; Erbfolge; ZGB Art. 457, 462, 471, 559

Refusing an inheritance in debt

We did not find a simplified federal procedure for small estates. An heir who does not want the inheritance must refuse it within three months by registered letter to the authority where the deceased last lived. If the debts are unclear, a public inventory can be asked for within one month of learning of the death. ch.ch, Erbe ausschlagen; ZGB Art. 567

Survivors’ pensions and free burial

Many communes give their residents a free burial: the city of Geneva covers a standard coffin, the washing and three days in a mortuary, and Zürich and Basel-Stadt give residents a free row grave. A widow, widower or orphan can claim a survivors' pension from the compensation fund where the deceased last paid contributions; a full widow's or widower's pension is CHF 1,008 to 2,016 a month. ch.ch, Witwenrente; Todesfall: Checkliste; Ville de Genève FAQ; Stadt Zürich Grabarten; Basel-Stadt Reihengräber

From official sources, checked October 2026. Laws change; your funeral company and a notary can confirm them.

Where you are

Switzerland has one federal law for registering a death and for inheritance, and this guide describes it. Burial law is made by each of the 26 cantons, and cemeteries are run by the communes, so burial times, the coffin rule, grave terms and costs differ by canton and commune. We name the rules we checked for Geneva, Vaud, Zürich, Bern and Basel-Stadt. For anywhere else, ask the commune’s funeral office (Bestattungsamt, service des pompes funèbres) or a funeral company.

The steps

1. 1

   Have the death confirmed

   In the first hour · 0 of 5

   A doctor has to confirm the death and write the medical death certificate (ärztliche Todesbescheinigung, certificat médical de décès) before anything else can happen. A hospital or care home arranges it itself.

   • In a hospital or care home, the staff arrange the certificate
   • At home, call the family doctor or the emergency medical service
   • If the death was caused by an accident, violence or suicide, call the police on 117
   • In an emergency, call 144 or 112
   • Tell the staff early that the family needs a quick burial for religious reasons
2. and

   Close the eyes, cover the body, make duʿā

   In the first hour · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 4

   Gently and without hurry. Those present can do this while the calls are made.

   • Close the eyes and the mouth
   • Straighten the arms and legs
   • Cover the body with a clean sheet
   • Pray for them, and say only good
3. 2

   Call the mosque’s funeral service

   In the first few hours · 0 of 4

   Many mosques and Muslim associations help with the washing, the shroud, the prayer and the burial, and know which funeral company to use. In many communes the commune’s own funeral office (Bestattungsamt, service des pompes funèbres) also arranges burials.

   • Call the mosque’s funeral service or the imam
   • Tell them where the body is and who the next of kin is
   • Call the commune’s funeral office to ask what it provides
   • Agree a time for the ghusl and the janazah prayer
4. 3

   Ask whether the prosecutor is involvedPaperwork

   If the death was sudden or violent · 0 of 3

   If there are signs that the death was not natural, the public prosecutor (Staatsanwaltschaft, Ministère public) orders an examination of the body by a forensic doctor (Legalinspektion). If there is no sign of a crime and the identity is known, the body is released for burial. Otherwise the prosecutor can order further tests and, if needed, an autopsy.

   • Ask the police where the body has been taken
   • Ask the prosecutor’s office early, in writing, to release the body quickly for religious reasons
   • Ask the funeral company to collect the release as soon as it is given
5. 4

   Report the death to the ZivilstandsamtPaperwork

   Within two days · 0 of 4

   A hospital or care home reports the death itself. Otherwise the family must report it within two days, usually to the civil registry office (Zivilstandsamt, office de l’état civil) of the place of death, with the original medical certificate. There can be no burial until the office confirms the report.

   • Take the original medical certificate
   • Take the deceased’s family record book or partnership certificate, passport or ID, and residence permit if they were not Swiss
   • Or give a funeral company or the commune’s funeral office written authority to do it
   • In the city of Zürich, report the death to the funeral office within 48 hours
6. 5

   Choose the funeral service and the gravePaperwork

   Within the first day · 0 of 4

   Many communes offer their residents a free burial, and some a free grave. The coffin rule is cantonal. The rules we read expect a coffin, and we have not found a canton that allows burial in a shroud alone, so ask early.

   • Ask the commune what it provides free, and what you must pay for
   • Ask which cemetery has a Muslim field, and whether the deceased qualifies for it
   • Ask where the washing can be done, and who may do it
   • Ask how long the grave lasts, and whether it can be renewed
7. and

   Wash and shroud the body

   Within the first day · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 2

   Done by trained Muslims of the same sex, or by the spouse. The funeral service usually provides the cloth.

   • Confirm who will wash
   • Confirm the kafan is ready

   How the washing and shroud are done

8. 6

   The janazah prayer and the burial

   As soon as possible · 0 of 4

   The prayer is often held after one of the daily prayers, and the burial follows straight after.

   • Tell family and community the time of the prayer
   • Confirm the grave in a Muslim field
   • Plan the burial for at least 48 hours after the death where your canton requires it, and ask whether an exception is possible
   • Ask the commune which days it buries

   How to pray the janazah prayer

9. and

   If the burial will be abroadPaperwork

   Before the coffin is closed · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 4

   Many families bury their dead in another country, for example in Türkiye, Kosovo, North Macedonia or North Africa. Federal law and international agreements set the conditions. Ask the funeral company which documents and which office apply for your route. The estate usually pays, or the family if there is no money in it. Ask the funeral company what it costs and who signs before you agree.

   • Tell the funeral company early that the burial will be abroad
   • Call the consulate of the country early to ask what documents and conditions it requires
   • Ask the consulate whether it requires embalming
   • Check any insurance or funeral fund first
10. 7

    Get copies of the death certificatePaperwork

    In the first week · 0 of 1

    Banks, insurers and others often ask for a death certificate (Todesschein, acte de décès) from the civil registry office. Ask each one what proof it needs.

    • Order copies from the civil registry office once the death is recorded
11. 8

    Pay the funeral costs and list every debt

    In the first weeks · 0 of 4

    The funeral is paid from the estate first, then the debts. Nothing is inherited until both are settled.

    • Pay the funeral costs from the estate
    • List loans, bills and money owed to family
    • Ask a scholar about any unpaid zakat
    • If the debts may be larger than the estate, read the time limits below before you accept anything
12. and

    Find the will, and claim the survivors’ pensionPaperwork

    In the first weeks · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 5

    Any will that is found must be handed to the cantonal authority straight away, even if it seems invalid. A widow, widower or orphan may be owed a survivors’ pension.

    • Check papers at home, email, and with any notary
    • Hand any will you find to the authority where the deceased last lived
    • Apply for the survivors’ pension at the compensation fund (Ausgleichskasse) where the deceased last paid contributions
    • Ask the employer’s pension fund (2nd pillar) about any further survivors’ pension
    • Secure the house and car, and keep the phone line active for sign-in codes
13. 9

    Settle and divide the estatePaperwork

    In the months after · 0 of 4

    Heirs usually prove who they are with a certificate of inheritance (Erbbescheinigung, certificat d’héritier) from a cantonal authority. Which authority depends on the canton. Swiss law shares an estate without a will equally between sons and daughters, so dividing by the Islamic shares usually needs a valid will or the heirs’ agreement.

    • Ask the authority where the deceased last lived for the certificate of inheritance
    • Close accounts and cancel subscriptions
    • Pay any bequest, up to one third, to people who are not heirs
    • Divide the rest by the fixed shares

    See how the estate divides

14. 10

    Look after the family

    Four months and ten days · 0 of 3

    A woman keeps the prescribed mourning (iḥdād: setting aside adornment and perfume) for no more than three days for any death, except for her husband: then four months and ten days, the length of her ʿiddah, or until she gives birth if she is pregnant.

    • Bring food and help with the household
    • Help the widow with errands and appointments
    • Make duʿā for the one who has died

    What to say and do when you visit

15. 11

    Write your own Islamic will

    For those left behind · 0 of 4

    Without a valid will, Swiss law decides who inherits, not the fixed shares, and sons and daughters inherit equally. An Islamic will in Switzerland is an ordinary Swiss will that directs the estate by the shares, as far as the reserved shares allow.

    • Write it entirely by hand, with the year, month and day, and sign it; or make it before a notary and two witnesses
    • Leave it with the official office your canton provides for keeping wills
    • Tell your family your burial wishes now: a will is often opened only after the funeral
    • Ask a notary or lawyer how the reserved shares affect the Islamic shares

    Work out the Islamic shares to take to a notary

Settling things after the funeral? Keep track of every task, and who is doing it. Sharing the steps with family? Make a family checklist you send as a link.

General guidance, not a fatwa or legal advice. Burial law in Switzerland is made by each of the 26 cantons, and cemeteries are run by the communes, so burial times, the coffin rule and grave terms differ by canton; your funeral company and a notary can confirm them. All sources

Last reviewed October 2026. Something wrong? Tell us