Swiss Review 3/2018

26 news.admin.ch Swiss Review / May 2018 / No.3 Good services for a diverse Swiss community abroad The FDFA has expanded, modernised and optimised consular services for the Swiss Abroad in recent years. Jürg Burri, Director of the Consular Directorate from 2014 to mid-2018, looks back. When I took up my position as Director of the Consular Directorate in 2014, my first impression was that here is a highly motivated team enthusiastic about continually optimising the FDFA’s services for the Swiss Abroad. Most of the staff at the Consular Directorate have lived abroad themselves and therefore appreciate what it entails. The cornerstones of the FDFA’s range of services for the Swiss Abroad – which the Consular Directorate supports and coordinates from Berne – are the following: 90 consular posts providing an extensive range of services worldwide The Swiss Abroad have access to an extensive network of Swiss rep- resentations. The Swiss consular network is not just present in coun- tries with at least 10,000 Swiss Abroad but rather worldwide. All con- sular posts provide the full range of services, including registration, the issuing of passports, welfare assistance and civil registry office duties. Newer services are becoming increasingly important: ■ ■ FDFA website: All the key consular information, including the latest advice on emigration and information about returning to Swit- zerland, can be found at all times on the FDFA’s website under “Liv- ing abroad”: www.eda.admin.ch . ■ ■ FDFA online desk: The FDFA’s online desk, which can also be found on the website, is relatively new but has already been used by more than 10,000 Swiss Abroad. ■ ■ FDFA helpline: The FDFA’s helpline in Berne is available 24/7 on 365 days of the year. The FDFA is therefore always there to provide support on telephone number 0800 24 7 365. The helpline answers around 65,000 queries a year, including from the Swiss Abroad. ■ ■ Mobile passport stations: Our mobile passport stations are very popular. Swiss people abroad can have their biometric data recorded for the issuing of passports in over 50 cities worldwide which do not have a consulate. ■ ■ Cantonal passport offices: Many Swiss Abroad still take advan- tage of the opportunity to have their biometric data for a new pass- port recorded at cantonal passport offices during a trip to their home- land thanks to an agreement between the cantons and the Consular Directorate. Single point of contact for all Swiss Abroad Switzerland today has a fully integrated network of services for the Swiss Abroad that compares very favourablywith others internation- ally. Our well-used consular posts have high quality standards, not least thanks to the secondment of at least two transferable consular employees from Switzerland in every case. These colleagues receive support from head office and undergo further training. However, lo- cal staff also play a vital role. They make up more than two-thirds of our staff deployed in the field of consular affairs. Did you know that around 600 Swiss Abroad are also employed at Swiss representations abroad? The combination of seconded and local staff allows federal government not only to achieve a good cost/quality ratio for consular services but also to take advantage of awealth of extensive and vitally important experience. Close contact with the Swiss Abroad Providing information for the SwissAbroad is an important dutyof fed- eral government. It still uses awide rangeof channels: inaddition tovar- ious commercial services, swissinfo as well as thewebsites of the FDFA and the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA). The OSA produces its ownmagazinepublished infive languages onbehalf of theFDFA. “Swiss Review”, which is subsidised by the FDFA and which you are holding right now or reading online, also contains several pages providing in- formationabout the SwissAbroadand their activities. It plays akey role inproviding freelyaccessible information. Theoptimisationof themag- azine’s costshas beenamajor issueover recent years. Itwill beproduced entirely by the OSA from2019, and its future seems secure. ✆ from Switzerland +41 800 24 7 365 ✆ from abroad +41 58 465 33 33 E-Mail: helpline@eda.admin.ch Skype: helpline-eda www.eda.admin.ch/reisehinweise ✆ from Switzerland +41 800 24 7 365 ✆ from abroad +41 58 465 33 33 www.twitter.com/travel_edadfae Online registration for Swiss citizens travelling abroad www.fdfa.admin.ch/itineris App available for free for iOS and Android Travel advice Plan well. Travel well.