When Theres Ryf Desai accepted the post of Swiss honorary consul in Honolulu she expected the occasional lost passport or voting-paper query. Instead, her phone now pings daily with requests ranging from emergency travel documents after ESTA cancellations to advice on U-Haul insurance for Swiss start-ups relocating to the islands. In an interview published on 7 February 2026, Ryf Desai told SWI Swissinfo that the consular workload has ‘doubled in three years’, mirroring a surge in long-distance teleworking and extended stays by Swiss citizens abroad. (swissinfo.ch)
Switzerland maintains a network of more than 180 unpaid honorary consuls who complement professional embassies and consulates. They are often the first port of call when mobility snags hit: last month Honolulu processed five emergency Laissez-Passer documents for Swiss digital nomads whose U.S. entry authorisations were voided by the new live-photo rule. Similar stories are playing out in Cape Town, Bali and Austin, according to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
![Swiss Honorary Consuls Step Up Overseas Support as Mobility Issues Grow]()
For Swiss travellers trying to stay ahead of complex visa regulations, platforms like VisaHQ can be a lifesaver. The company’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) consolidates destination requirements, offers step-by-step application guidance, and even arranges courier pickups for passport submissions—helpful safeguards against the kind of last-minute scrambles now landing on honorary consuls’ desks.
The FDFA is responding by rolling out a cloud-based case-management tool that allows honorary consuls to issue biometric-ready emergency passports and to upload sworn statements directly into the Swiss civil-status register. Training sessions begin in March and will be mandatory for all honorary consuls by July 2026.
For globally mobile employers the strengthened network matters: under Swiss law companies are responsible for the welfare of staff sent abroad. Mobility managers are therefore encouraged to register travellers’ itineraries with the FDFA’s “Travel Admin” app so that a local honorary consul can intervene quickly if documents are lost, visas cancelled or medical evacuations needed.
Switzerland maintains a network of more than 180 unpaid honorary consuls who complement professional embassies and consulates. They are often the first port of call when mobility snags hit: last month Honolulu processed five emergency Laissez-Passer documents for Swiss digital nomads whose U.S. entry authorisations were voided by the new live-photo rule. Similar stories are playing out in Cape Town, Bali and Austin, according to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
For Swiss travellers trying to stay ahead of complex visa regulations, platforms like VisaHQ can be a lifesaver. The company’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) consolidates destination requirements, offers step-by-step application guidance, and even arranges courier pickups for passport submissions—helpful safeguards against the kind of last-minute scrambles now landing on honorary consuls’ desks.
The FDFA is responding by rolling out a cloud-based case-management tool that allows honorary consuls to issue biometric-ready emergency passports and to upload sworn statements directly into the Swiss civil-status register. Training sessions begin in March and will be mandatory for all honorary consuls by July 2026.
For globally mobile employers the strengthened network matters: under Swiss law companies are responsible for the welfare of staff sent abroad. Mobility managers are therefore encouraged to register travellers’ itineraries with the FDFA’s “Travel Admin” app so that a local honorary consul can intervene quickly if documents are lost, visas cancelled or medical evacuations needed.
