If you live in Switzerland and have no valid passport from your country of origin, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) can issue you a Swiss travel document: a travel document for refugees or a passport for foreign nationals. Which one you can get depends on your residence status and the Ordinance on the Issuance of Travel Documents for Foreign Nationals (RDV, SR 143.5).

In short

  • Recognised refugees get a travel document for refugees, valid for 10 years for adults, but it cannot be used to travel to your country of origin.
  • Stateless people with a Swiss permit are entitled to a passport for foreign nationals; others without documents may get one at the SEM's discretion.
  • F permit holders cannot travel on their F permit: they need an SEM document or return visa, issued only for specific reasons.
  • Apply at a cantonal passport office or the SEM in Wabern, in person, for biometric data. Processing usually takes 10 to 15 working days.
  • Travelling to your country of origin can cost you refugee status or provisional admission.

Who gets which document

Travel document for refugees

Legal basis: Art. 28 of the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention, Art. 59 of the Asylum Act (AsylA) and Art. 3 RDV.

Who: recognised refugees with a B permit (Art. 60 AsylA) or a C permit. People provisionally admitted with an F permit who are formally recognised as refugees, but were refused asylum because of subjective post-flight grounds or exclusion clauses, are also entitled (Art. 3 RDV).

Validity: 10 years for adults, 5 years for minors (Art. 13 para. 1 let. a RDV).

Restriction: it is not valid for travel to the country you fled (Art. 5 RDV with Art. 28 of the Refugee Convention). Travelling there usually leads to withdrawal of refugee status (Art. 1 C No. 1 of the Refugee Convention; Art. 63 AsylA).

Passport for foreign nationals

Legal basis: Art. 4 RDV and, for recognised stateless people, Art. 28 of the 1954 New York Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.

Who:

  1. Stateless people under the 1954 Convention with a Swiss residence permit: you are entitled to it.
  2. People without documents under Art. 10 RDV with a B, C, F or Ci permit: at the SEM's discretion.
  3. People provisionally admitted (F) who are not refugees: at the SEM's discretion.

Without documents (Art. 10 RDV) means you have no valid travel document from your country of origin and cannot reasonably be expected to get one from its authorities, for example because of danger or because it is objectively impossible. The SEM decides case by case.

Validity: 10 years for adults, 5 years for minors (Art. 13 para. 1 let. a RDV).

Restriction: travel to your country of origin is formally allowed if you are not a refugee, but it can put your residence status at risk, especially with provisional admission granted because you cannot return.

Identity card (repealed)

The identity card for foreign nationals has been repealed. Other than the two documents above, the RDV only provides a replacement document for removal and a return visa.

How to apply

The SEM's Travel Documents Section is responsible. You usually apply in person at a cantonal passport office or at the SEM in Wabern, where your biometric data is taken.

  1. Book an appointment at the cantonal passport office or via the SEM online portal.
  2. Fill in the SEM form "Application for the issue of a travel document for foreign nationals", online if you wish.
  3. Attend in person for biometrics: fingerprints from age 12, and a photo for everyone.
  4. Hand in your documents (see below).
  5. Pay the fee, in advance or on delivery.
  6. Wait: usually 10 to 15 working days after a complete application, up to 8 weeks if the SEM has to check whether you are without documents.
  7. Receive the document by registered post or collect it at the passport office.

Documents you usually need:

  • your valid Swiss permit card (B, C, F, Ci or A);
  • a birth certificate or other proof of civil status;
  • for a passport for foreign nationals, proof that you cannot get documents: for example written confirmation from your country's embassy that it has not issued or cannot issue a travel document, your correspondence with the embassy, or the address of its embassy abroad if there is none in Switzerland;
  • for refugees, the SEM asylum decision or other proof of refugee status;
  • for stateless people, the SEM recognition decision under the 1954 Convention (residence right under Art. 31 FNIA, right to a travel document under Art. 59 para. 2 let. b FNIA), or evidence of statelessness such as birth and residence documents;
  • a biometric passport photo as a spare (a photo is also taken on site).

Fees

Fees are set by Art. 23 RDV and Annex 2:

DocumentAdultsChildren under 18
Travel document for refugeesCHF 115CHF 35
Passport for foreign nationalsCHF 115CHF 35

The canton adds CHF 25 for taking the application. There is no express surcharge.

You pay in advance. If your application is refused, fees are generally not refunded.

Travelling with a Swiss travel document

Schengen area: with a Swiss travel document and a valid B, C or Ci permit, you can travel without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period (Schengen Code). For longer stays, the destination country's rules apply. The F permit is not a travel document: provisionally admitted people may not travel abroad, Schengen included, without an SEM travel document or return visa, which is issued only for specific reasons (Art. 9 RDV), for at most 30 days a year, and generally not for your country of origin.

Other countries: most require a visa in advance, and not all recognise every Swiss travel document. Check with the embassy first.

Your country of origin:

  • Recognised refugees must not travel there. It usually leads to withdrawal of refugee status (Art. 63 AsylA).
  • F permit holders whose protection is based on persecution should check with the cantonal migration office before any trip; otherwise provisional admission may be revoked.
  • B and C holders who are not refugees face no legal ban, but the absence rules for their permit apply: a permit lapses after more than 6 months abroad without notice (Art. 61 FNIA).

If your application is refused

The SEM issues a formal ruling, which you can appeal. Common reasons for refusal:

  • you did not show well enough that you cannot get a travel document from your country;
  • your identity is not clearly established, for example without a birth certificate;
  • security concerns (rare);

You can appeal to the Federal Administrative Court (Art. 31 of the Federal Administrative Court Act) within 30 days of notification (Art. 50 of the Administrative Procedure Act). A lawyer specialising in immigration or asylum law is recommended.

Loss, theft or damage

Report it straight away to the police and the SEM. A replacement follows the normal procedure; repeated losses can lead to closer checks.

Contacts

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