Why some Swiss Abroad struggle to renew their passports

Swiss biometric passports are equipped with an electronic chip on which fingerprints and a photo of the face are recorded, to make forgery more difficult. Keystone / Christian Beutler

Swiss passports must be renewed in person because they contain biometric data. This forces some Swiss Abroad to travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres, which can be difficult for those with health, time or financial limitations.

Jacqueline Martindale emigrated many years ago from Geneva to the Boston area in the northeastern United States. She is 91, legally blind, and relies on a walker. When she recently had to renew her passport, the Swiss consulate in New York told her that “she could only do this by travelling to the New York consulate in person”, her husband, John, explains This would have meant a trip of roughly 350 kilometres.

Last year, 78,124 Swiss Abroad renewed their identity documents. In countries as large as the United States, getting to a mission with consular services often requires a significant investment of time and money.

“Age and health issues aside, any Swiss person living in the Boston area or any other place not convenient to Manhattan who wants to renew their passport would have to be able to give up as much as a full day or more for travel as well as spend a lot of money,” John Martindale said. “In my wife’s case, someone would have to travel with her, doubling the cost. […] Is this a deliberate government policy to deter Swiss people from renewing their passport? Or is it just bureaucracy?”

John and Jacqueline Martindale on the porch of their home near Boston. Courtesy image

Some Swiss Abroad even have to travel to another country to replace a passport. The embassy and regional consular centre in Bangkok, for example, serves the consular needs of Swiss Abroad not just in Thailand but also in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar.

The Swiss foreign ministry, which oversees embassies and consulates, told Swissinfo that it does not reimburse any travel costs, regardless of distance or health status. It clarified, however, that if Swiss Abroad can’t get to a consulate or embassy, they can nevertheless renew an ID card by mail “as long as they provide a medical certificate”.

Biometric data to blame

Swiss ID cards do not contain biometric data, so they can be issued even if a citizen can’t be physically present at a consulate or embassy.

Every Swiss passport issued since 2010, however, includes an electronic chip that stores a photo and digitised fingerprints. An in-person appointment is therefore necessary to collect this biometric dataExternal link.

According to the foreign ministry, “all Swiss missions (embassies and consulates general) that offer consular services can issue biometric passports”. However, not every embassy and consulate general is equipped for consular services. The consulate general in Chicago, for example, cannot issue passports. As John and Jacqueline Martindale learnt, the Boston consulate is also unable to renew identity documents.

Mobile biometric passport stations

Swiss Abroad have been complaining for years about the difficulties of passport renewal. In response, the foreign ministry has developed 21 mobile passport stations. These are used by missions that serve a large geographic area, sometimes spanning several countries.

No specific rules govern where a mission sends a mobile station. The foreign ministry explains that the itineraries are “organised directly by the mission and according to its available resources”.

According to the Swiss authorities, a mission declines all responsibility for costs incurred (accommodation, plane tickets, car rental, etc.) if it has to cancel an appearance by a mobile station.

Jacqueline Martindale did not need a new passport immediately and was able to wait until a mobile station visited the Boston area. Once she had recorded her biometric data, her new passport was scheduled to arrive within four to six weeks, in time for her trip to Zurich with her husband. From her first contact with a consulate, the entire process took about six months.

Other options for renewal

Swiss Abroad who need to renew their identity documents are not limited to their assigned missions. As long as they make an appointment ahead of time, they can complete the process at any other mission capable of issuing the documents. They can also do so at a cantonal passport office during a visit to Switzerland.

Swiss Abroad can also apply for a temporary emergency passportExternal link if they need to renew swiftly. Emergency passports can be issued by consulates general or embassies offering consular services. They are granted only when urgency is justified and are not recognised by all countries.

>> What is your experience of renewing Swiss identity documents abroad? Read the testimonies of others here:

Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Adapted from French by K. Bidwell/ts