The death certificate confirms the death of a person with all important details. It is a prerequisite for important legal steps to be taken after a death. With it, the heirs can, for example, apply for the certificate of inheritance and organise the funeral.

Many mourners wish to honour a deceased person appropriately. According to a long Swiss tradition, this often occurs in public obituaries, not least in newspapers.

Organisations that are tax-exempt throughout Switzerland and its cantons Not all NGOs are the same. The abbreviation for nongovernmental organisation is often simplistically equated with charitable organisations. We’ll clarify the terminology further in another article. As a general principle, the legal structure of an NGO, INGO, or NPO is irrelevant for their tax exemption: they […]

Sollte man an das Ende des Lebens gelangen sein, kann die Sterbebegleitung eine grosse Unterstützung darstellen. In gewissen Fällen können die betroffenen Personen in der Schweiz sogar die passive Sterbehilfe oder die Freitodhilfe in Anspruch nehmen.

Each canton has different tax rules for inheritance, legacies and gifts. You can save rather a lot of money if you know the tax exemptions and reductions. So it is worth taking a look at the regulations for your canton.

After a death, the will is opened by the cantonal authorities. The cantonal authorities then secure the inheritance and issue the inheritance certificates. These provisionally entitle the heirs to the estate.

A holographic will is easy and cheap to draw up. One reason why it is so popular in Switzerland is because it is easy to update. It can be stored either at home or with a cantonal authority.

Besides handwritten and oral (emergency) wills, the law also recognises the notarised variant. This offers advantages that can mostly pay off when circumstances are complicated or an estate is valuable.