SwissCommunity Training and Education Command Armed Forces Personnel Area of application of law/guidelines Rodtmattstrasse 110, 3003 Berne, Switzerland Telephone +41 800 424 111 Email: personelles.persa@vtg.admin.ch www.vtg.admin.ch The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad will also hold a webinar about military service on 20 September 2023 (see adjacent text). Participation in the webinar is free of charge. OSA to hold more webinars after successful debut Retirement abroad and the OASI state pension scheme were the important themes of the inaugural webinar held by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) last February in collaboration with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO), and Soliswiss. Retirement is on many expatriates’ minds, given that the number of Swiss pensioners in the “Fifth Switzerland” is currently increasing by around three per cent every year. During the webinar, Michel Malizia of the FDFA, Philippe Girard and Susan Flückiger of the SCO, and Nicole Töpperwien and Isabelle Baur of Soliswiss all provided insights into this complex issue. The event was a big success, with over 500 Swiss Abroad dialling in from around the world. A recording of the webinar is now available to watch at revue.link/webinar. The event attracted very positive feedback, which is why OSA has decided to hold more webinars on issues of interest to the Swiss expatriate community. A webinar on estate planning for Swiss Abroad took place on 13 June 2023 in partnership with the FDFA. Webinars on the following themes are scheduled to take place. 20 September 2023: Military service for Swiss Abroad (see the adjacent article) 17 October 2023: Banks 13 December 2023: Social security and health insurance These events are part of OSA’s ongoing mission to inform and advise the Swiss expatriate community. Given the success of the format, it intends to offer further webinars next year. STEPHANIE LEBER, OSA “Will I have to do military service when I return to Switzerland?” Question: “I live in France and have both a Swiss and French passport. I am 18 years old and would soon like to start a university course. I am now thinking of studying in Switzerland. Will I have to do military service when I return to Switzerland?” Recruits in Colombier (canton of Neuchâtel). Drills are an integral part of basic military training. Photo: Keystone Answer: Military service in Switzerland is mandatory for all Swiss men but voluntary for Swiss women. You are obliged to do military service after you turn 18, and are liable for conscription until you reach the age of 25. You must complete basic military training within a year of conscription. Provided you are living abroad, you are exempt from conscription and military service in peacetime. However, if you return to Switzerland to study and therefore intend to stay in Switzerland for a period of more than three months, you will be liable for conscription and obliged to do military service – assuming that you are deemed fit for military service. You will consequently be obliged to report to the relevant cantonal district command within 14 days of your arrival in Switzerland. Alternatively, you have the option of doing civilian service instead of military service. If you do neither military service nor civilian service, you must pay a levy called the military service exemption tax. If you return to Switzerland after you turn 25, this tax obligation will continue at the latest until the end of the year in which you reach the age of 37. Military service is also mandatory if you hold dual nationality. However, if you can prove that you are a dual national and have already carried out military service or civilian service in the other country of which you are a citizen, you no longer have to do military service in Switzerland. Switzerland has concluded bilateral agreements with various countries – including France – with regard to military service for dual nationals. In your specific case, you can do military service in either France or Switzerland, after which the obligation to do military service or pay exemption tax would then no longer apply in any other country. If you have any other questions regarding the military service obligation for Swiss Abroad, please address them to: STEPHANIE LEBER, OSA LEGAL DEPARTMENT 37 Swiss Review / August 2023 / No.4
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