The book explains the services on offer to foreigners, qualification criteria (especially as it pertains to a mental health diagnosis, including dementia/ Alzheimer’s), the requirements to be accepted (eg. get the ‘green light’) and the different methods used.

For family and friends, Going to Switzerland details what to expect before, during and after an accompanied suicide in Switzerland, as well as explaining cremation, death certificates, clinic costs (and refund policies).

In particular the book examines the new organisation Athanasios Association, the establishment group Dignitas and The Last Resort where the Sarco was used in September 2024.

Going to Switzerland provides important background reading for anyone interested in making a final trip to Switzerland.

Going to Switzerland: How to plan your Final Exit was written in response to member inquiries and to provide explanation and clarity about the Swiss process of assisted suicide.

Since 1937, assisted suicide has been legal in Switzerland. It is the only country where foreigners can fly in and get help to die. It is also the only country where you do not need to be terminally ill or with unbearable suffering.

Dr Philip Nitschke

Philip Nitschke (1947), PhD MBBS BSc (Hons), is founder of Exit International and the creator of the 3D-printed Sarco.

In 1996, Philip became the first doctor in the world to provide voluntary euthanasia using Australia’s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act of the Northern Territory. During this time Philip helped four terminally ill patients to end their lives in Darwin, Australia. These patients used the ‘Deliverance Machine’ to administer the lethal drugs. This machine is now on display at the British Science Museum in London.

Philip gained his PhD in applied physics from Flinders University in 1972. He graduated from Sydney University Medical School in 1988. He retired from practice as a doctor in 1997 to work full-time on end of life issues. He lives in the Netherlands.