Switzerland’s Federal Council used its final meeting of the year on 19 December to adopt the country’s inaugural Consular Strategy for 2026–29—a four-year roadmap designed to modernise the services that embassies and consulates provide to both Swiss citizens and foreign visa applicants. The move comes as geopolitical instability and rising mobility have stretched Switzerland’s 170 foreign representations, which processed an estimated 700,000 visas and assisted more than 800,000 expatriate Swiss in 2025.
Under the new strategy the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) will prioritise three pillars: (1) digitisation of routine administrative tasks such as passport renewals and civil-status changes; (2) expansion of self-service e-visa portals with multilingual chat support; and (3) crisis-response capacity, including rapid-deployment teams and a 24/7 helpline that can surge during natural disasters or armed conflict.
In this context, VisaHQ can streamline the process for both corporate mobility managers and individual travellers: through its dedicated Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) the company pre-populates Schengen application forms, schedules consular appointments, and provides live updates on entry requirements—services that dovetail neatly with Bern’s push toward digital self-service.
![Federal Council Unveils First-Ever Consular Strategy, Promising Faster Visas and Digital Assistance for Swiss Abroad]()
For global-mobility programmes the headline commitment is a target to cut Schengen and national D-visa turnaround times by 20 % by the end of 2027 through automation and risk-scoring algorithms. Pilots already running in Mumbai and São Paulo shave two days off average processing by pre-validating biometric data before appointments.
The strategy also acknowledges Switzerland’s growing diaspora—now roughly one in ten citizens live abroad—and pledges seamless e-ID recognition, mobile notarisation services and closer coordination with cantonal authorities to ensure social-security continuity for cross-border teleworkers.
Business groups such as Swissmem and economiesuisse have welcomed the plan, noting that faster visa decisions will help talent-short sectors fill critical roles, while digital consular outreach could lower compliance costs for multinational HR teams managing assignments in complex regions. Parliament will review the funding package—estimated at CHF 180 million over four years—in early 2026.
Under the new strategy the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) will prioritise three pillars: (1) digitisation of routine administrative tasks such as passport renewals and civil-status changes; (2) expansion of self-service e-visa portals with multilingual chat support; and (3) crisis-response capacity, including rapid-deployment teams and a 24/7 helpline that can surge during natural disasters or armed conflict.
In this context, VisaHQ can streamline the process for both corporate mobility managers and individual travellers: through its dedicated Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) the company pre-populates Schengen application forms, schedules consular appointments, and provides live updates on entry requirements—services that dovetail neatly with Bern’s push toward digital self-service.
For global-mobility programmes the headline commitment is a target to cut Schengen and national D-visa turnaround times by 20 % by the end of 2027 through automation and risk-scoring algorithms. Pilots already running in Mumbai and São Paulo shave two days off average processing by pre-validating biometric data before appointments.
The strategy also acknowledges Switzerland’s growing diaspora—now roughly one in ten citizens live abroad—and pledges seamless e-ID recognition, mobile notarisation services and closer coordination with cantonal authorities to ensure social-security continuity for cross-border teleworkers.
Business groups such as Swissmem and economiesuisse have welcomed the plan, noting that faster visa decisions will help talent-short sectors fill critical roles, while digital consular outreach could lower compliance costs for multinational HR teams managing assignments in complex regions. Parliament will review the funding package—estimated at CHF 180 million over four years—in early 2026.
