Returning to Switzerland

Are you a Swiss national who is planning to return to Switzerland? The following organisations will help you with this:

  • If you are planning to return to Switzerland in less than two months, you can contact the regional employment centre (RAV) in your area when you arrive. The RAV consultants are highly trained experts, who will help and actively assist you in finding a job.
  • If you are planning to move back to Switzerland in two months or more, you can receive advice for your job search. In this case, please complete the registration form and send it by email to laurent.hodio@bs.ch together with your application documents.
    Please note that the advice service for the Swiss abroad does not place people in jobs directly.
  • The Consulate Directorate of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) has also produced a guide for Swiss nationals returning from abroad, which contains answers to questions relating to this topic.
  • The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (ASO) provides information on the administrative steps you need to take before leaving for/arriving in Switzerland.
     

Important information for Swiss nationals returning from the EU/EFTA

If you are resident in an EU member state and have worked there, you can register at a Regional employment centre (RAV) in Switzerland. You will not be able to claim unemployment benefits if you have not spent long enough in the past paying contributions in Switzerland. In this case, before moving back to Switzerland, you need to contact the competent authority in your place of residence in the EU/EFTA and apply for your benefits to be transferred (PD U2). The country where you last worked will then pay you unemployment benefit for a defined period (from three to a maximum of six months).

Form PD U2 - Portable Documents (PD)
Authorisation to receive unemployment benefits while searching for work in another country. The form PD U2 is issued by the public employment agency or the responsible social security provider in the country where you were last working.
You will find more detailed information about the PD U2 form here (PDF, 113 kB, 04.12.2017).

Form PD U1 - Portable Documents (PD)
Certification of insurance periods to be taken into account when calculating unemployment benefits. The form PD U1 is issued by the public employment agency or the responsible social security provider in the country/countries where you worked.
You will find more detailed information about the PD U1 form here (PDF, 117 kB, 06.12.2017).

https://www.arbeit.swiss/content/secoalv/en/home/menue/stellensuchende/rueckkehr/rueckkehr-in-die-schweiz.html