FAQ

• What should I do if a loved one passes away at home?
  Call your GP or SOS Médecin on 022/748.49.50 (24-hour service).
• What should I do if a loved one passes away in hospital or in a nursing home?
  Call the funeral home of your choice to arrange an appointment and plan the funeral.
• How can I contact you or get to the funeral home?
  You can call us on 022/342.30.60 all day (24 hours) every day of the year (365). Our funeral homes are located in Carouge and Petit-Lancy.
• I don’t feel like going out, could you come to me?
  We are extremely flexible and are happy to visit you at home or meet at a place of your choice. We can also make arrangements with you over the phone and by email. We are committed to making you feel as comfortable as possible as you go through this challenging time.
• Where do you operate in Switzerland and abroad?
  We operate in every commune in the canton of Geneva and, if you like, are able to travel to any location in Switzerland. We can also organise repatriations from anywhere in the world. 
• Who contacts the religious celebrant?
  The funeral home will contact the celebrant during the appointment to arrange the funeral. They are generally the celebrant of the parish where the deceased lived.
• I don’t want a religious service, who should I contact?
  We have a list of professional secular celebrants who can help you arrange a lovely service that reflects who your loved one was.
• Who contacts the cemetery?
  Just like with the celebrant, the funeral home will contact the cemetery during your appointment. This is generally the cemetery in the commune where the deceased lived.
• What is interment or burial?
  This is when the coffin is placed in the ground, generally in the cemetery in the commune where the deceased lived. 
• What is cremation?
  Cremation is the act of burning the body of the deceased. The ashes can then be kept in a funerary urn, placed in a columbarium, scattered in a garden of remembrance, placed in an urn grave, taken by the family for another destination or repatriated from abroad by road or plane.
  The funeral service can also be arranged around the urn instead of the coffin. 
• Where are the chapels of rest?
  Your loved one can rest at our funeral home in Carouge. We offer an intimate, calm, welcoming and safe space that you can access 24/7.
  Your loved one can also rest at the Saint-Georges Funeral Centre or in various commune or parish crypts across the canton. 
  The final option is for your loved one to rest at home, depending on the accessibility of the space.
• Must the coffin remain open in the mortuary?
  Not necessarily, it’s possible but by no means obligatory. Depending on the wishes of the deceased and/or family, the coffin can remain closed. This does not mean that loved ones cannot come to visit the deceased.
• I don’t have the financial means to arrange a funeral for my loved one, what are my options?
  We can make a request for aid from the commune where the deceased lived. Please see the list of communes where we are authorised providers here. 
• How is the death certificate issued?
  We will request the death certificate for you at the registry office where the deceased lived. The registry office will send you the death certificate via email within a week. 
• What happens with the estate?
  Contact Justice de Paix on 022.327.69.60. They will be able to answer your questions and assist you.