Swiss Review / April 2022 / No.2 28 Notes from the Federal Palace Amongst the tasks assigned to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), one of the main responsibilities is the provision of support to Swiss citizens travelling or living abroad. With almost 800,000 Swiss Abroad andmillions of tripsmade outside our borders every year, the Swiss consular representations are called upon to assist our fellow citizens on a daily basis. This role is partly administrative, similar to that of a municipal administration, but it also concerns support relating to difficulties or situations which require special protection. But be aware that this support is not absolute and there is no entitlement to it. We would like to remind you of the principles of individual responsibility and subsidiarity within the consular domain. The principle rooted in the Federal Constitution that “all individuals shall take responsibility for themselves” finds its corollary in the provisions governing consular work: “every individual shall exercise personal responsibility when planning or undertaking a stay abroad or when working abroad”. This means that careless or reckless behaviour and the absence of appropriate preparationwill result in the limitation of access to the services or protection available. According to the principle of subsidiarity, which also governs questions of consular protection, action from the FDFA can only be envisaged in cases where a person cannot find anymeans to help themselves. However, there is no entitlement to FDFA assistance. It is therefore the responsibility of each Swiss citizen abroad to do everything necessary to avoid finding themselves in a difficult situation and, should they find themselves in difficulty, to look for solutions themselves. At the same time, the FDFA does provide a number of tools to Swiss citizens. For (future) Swiss Abroad, the first thing to do is register with the relevant representation. This registration is a prerequisite for inclusion in the register of the Swiss Abroad and access to consular services. Whether following arrival or during the preparation stages, it is advisable to consult the large amount of information and advice published on the FDFA website. This information, which can be accessed directly from the FDFA homepage (under the heading Living and working abroad > Preparations for a stay abroad, emigration and repatriation), concerns the different steps of emigration or a return to Switzerland and provides a great deal of helpful advice. For travellers, it is necessary to consult the information for travellers and to register their trip on the Travel Admin system, via the mobile or web application, and to respect the recommendations made there. The Travel Admin application also contains a lot of useful information for preparing a trip, in the formof checklists, compleThe FDFA is there for you – but not all the time! Are you travelling or living abroad? Or spending your retirement in the sun? Or maybe visiting remote areas on your round-theworld trip? The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs is there to support you in times of trouble – provided you have done everything that can reasonably be expected of you to avoid problems. It is up to you to do what is necessary to avoid trouble. In the end, everyone is responsible for themselves. Photo: Chunip Wong, iStock
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