Section 6.2

Requirements The fees to be paid

“It is indeed expensive but Switzerland is an expensive place.   They rely on medical professionals and are all run on a not-for-profit basis”

Prices below are all expressed in Swiss Francs (CHF) unless specified otherwise:

DIGNITASPEGASOSATHANASIOSLIFECIRCLE
Preparation and assessment of your request.4,0003,0002,5003,000
Two personal medical consultations @ 500 CHF each1,0001,0001,0001,000
Completion of medical procedure (i.e. the AVD itself)2,5003,3003,0003,000
Swiss Registry Office fees (usually provided by the AVD provider)500550500500
Funeral director and cremation services2,5002,1502,5002,500
TOTAL (net of VAT)10,50010,0009,50010,000
Swiss VAT @ 8.0%8408000800
TOTAL including VAT11,34010,8009,50010,800
Conversation to £ sterling
1.00 CHF = £0.91 26Apr25
£10,320£9,830£8,650£9,830
Conversion to $ US
1.00 CHF = $1.21 26Apr25
£13,720£13,070£11,500£13,070

NOTES :

  1. For fairly understandable reasons, these costs and fees do need to be paid in advance. Payments by credit card are not welcomed.   Electronic bank transfers are preferred.
  2. The similarity of these fee levels is deliberate and should not be taken to indicate a price-fixing cartel.   The figures have been judged “fair” by a Swiss court in view of the work involved.
  3. You do not have to pay it all at once.   Two of the AVD providers request an initial deposit, which includes all the “preparation and assessment” cost.   At Dignitas, that deposit is CHF 4,000 and at Pegasos it is CHF 5,000.   Initially, Athanasios require only the deposit of CHF 100 ; they then require a first payment of CHF 4,500 when a green light has been agreed. 
  4. A number of visitors to this website have asked what will happen to their deposit payment if their application for an AVD is turned down.   Pegasos will return CHD 3,800 (76%) in those circumstance.   From Dignitas, any sum returned will depend upon the circumstances of the case.
  5. Each of the providers has their own rules concerning the return of payments in the event that the AVD itself needs to be cancelled.   For Athanasios, for example, the fees paid will be repaid after a deduction of CHF 2,000 for a cancellation up to 72 hours before the AVD or a deduction of CHF 4,000 if the cancellation occurs within 72 hours of it.
  6. The costs and fees do include the issue of an International Death Certificate, the cremation and the transfer of your ashes back to your home country.   Many deaths in the UK and USA are followed by expensive funeral and cremation fees so that element of the cost would have been incurred anyway.
  7. Lifecircle closed its membership in October 2022.   They are therefore no longer taking AVD applications from non-members.   Existing members are granted a substantial discount on the above numbers which varies according to the length of their membership.
  8. All the AVD providers work on a not-for-profit basis and are prepared to consider lower costs for applicants who really cannot afford their quoted rates.   This is not an invitation to negotiate, however.   You really do have to demonstrate why the normal fees cannot be paid.
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Section 7

How does your life actually come to an end

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