Planning your visit
Your overall costs
“£12,730 is a lot but you won’t have to pay cremation costs in the UK”
These costs are based on the assumption that two people will be flying from Manchester to Basel, that they will hire a car, stay two nights in two separate rooms at a mid-range hotel and that the friend or relative will return home on the evening of the third day. Their chosen end-of-life Centre will be Pegasos.
| PEGASOS | ||
| Preparation and assessment (paid in advance) | £2,800 | |
| Two personal medical consultations | £1,000 | |
| Completion of the AVD itself | £3,100 | |
| Swiss Registry Office fees | £520 | |
| Cremations and funeral director services | £2,150 | |
| Swiss VAT at 8% | £770 | |
| TOTAL | £10,350| £10,350
| |
| TRAVEL COSTS | ||
| Flight tickets | £640 | |
| Hotel (2 rooms, 2 nights @ £130 each) | £600 | |
| Car rental and fuel | £550 | |
| Meals | £340 | |
| Currency, cash and exchange costs | £250 | |
| TOTAL | £2,380 | |
| OVERALL TOTAL | £12,730 |
These figures do not include travel insurance, transport to Manchester airport, airport parking or any specialist transportation that may be required.
£12,730 is a high figure. The only consolation is that you won’t have to pay funeral or cremation costs in the UK. The average cost of a UK cremation is currently running at £4,300. A minimalist cremation service is just £1,100.
NOTES :
1. Using today’s exchange rates (January 2026) the comparative costs are: £12,270 : $15,600 : Euros 14,100 : CHF 12,900
2. Direct flights from the USA will land in Zurich. The cost of an economy return ticket from (for example) Chicago will be around $1,000. Dignitas is very near Zurich. The other AVD centres are about two hours’ drive away.
3. It is wise to book return tickets even though, for one of the passengers, the return will not be required. The admission process to the Schengen Area (of which Switzerland is a member) insists on evidence for a journey back out of the country at some stage.
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