Declaring a death

Opening hours: 8h30 to 11h45 and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Who is this procedure intended for?

If the death occurs in a medical facility, it is the responsibility of the facility’s management team to complete the declaration formalities. The medical facility handles the medical report and welcomes the relatives.

If the death occurs at home, the death must be acknowledged by a doctor, who will prepare the death certificate. This document is essential in order to file a declaration of the death in the local registry office and to transport the body. An undertaker can then be contacted in order to prepare the funeral.

The people required to announce the death are, in order:

• the authorities who are aware of the death;
• the doctor and auxiliary medical staff who were present at the death;
• the family members or persons authorised to make this announcement;
• any other people present, such as those people who were present at the death of a stranger or who discovered the body.

To whom must a death be declared?

A death must be declared within 2 days to the local registry office where the death of occurred.

The full list of registry offices in the City of Geneva is available from the State of Geneva website. The full list of Swiss registry offices is available from the website of the Swiss Confederation.

What to do?

The person responsible for the declaration must delegate this task in writing to a firm of undertakers. The firm of undertakers handles most of the formalities and the organisation of the funeral, from the declaration to the registry office to the inhumation, incineration and possible transport of the body abroad.

Which documents are required?

For a death to be recorded, several documents must be presented.

For Swiss citizens:

• family record book or individual civil status certificate or family certificate;
• passport or identity card;
• residence certificate (if resident outside the Canton of Geneva).

For foreigners, please contact the registry office where the death occurred.