SAFS – Quality seal Swiss association of funeral services

The quality seal is a label that makes a statement about the scope of funeral services offered and endorses the qualitative requirements.

Funeral services in Switzerland can register for certification. The Swiss association of funeral services (SAFS) checks the criteria and then grants the seal of approval. Recertification takes place every five years.

There are mandatory and optional criteria:

• The business owner or two employees have the title of funeral director (with federal certificate of competence)
• The funeral service has been in operation for at least three years
• The funeral service has its place of business at the location indicated in the commercial register (workshop, office or premises / no letterbox company)
• The funeral services are provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year The company offers its staff professional absence and holiday cover.
• Membership of SAFS
• At least one employee has completed further education in a field related to the profession: pacemaker removal, SAFS further training at CURML/SHIFT, thanatology, funeral orator, etc.
• At least one employee speaks an additional national language (the national languages are: German, French, Italian, Romansh)
• At least one employee speaks a language other than the national languages
• A funeral car is available (the vehicle is used for no other purpose)
• The company has urns and/or coffins on display
• The company provides a meeting room
• The company also has other profession-specific rooms available: entombing room, cold room, pathology room, room for paying last respects, etc.
• The company has an informative website (own website or website on www.bestatter.ch)
• The company provides services for relatives in addition to the basics: printed matter, official formalities, funeral orations, thanatology, etc.
• The company has a contract with a municipality or an authority that qualifies it to practice the profession: undertaker’s contract, etc.

The “Swiss Funeral Quality Seal” may be withdrawn
Grounds for withdrawal:

• When one or more mandatory criteria are no longer permanently fulfilled
• When fewer than four of the optional criteria are no longer permanently fulfilled
• Exclusion from the SAFS
• Breach of the SAFS rules and conventions
• Accumulation of mediation cases
• Damage to good reputation, e.g. due to court cases, bankruptcies, etc.

guetesiegel@bestatter.ch