OASI (AHV/AVS): Pension payments to people living abroad

Swiss citizens and citizens of an EU/EFTA member state have the right to draw their Swiss OASI pension abroad. The pension is usually paid out in the local currency. Where and how you apply for this depends on when you leave the country.

If you are already receiving an OASI pension you should inform your OASI compensation fund that you are leaving Switzerland. They will send your files to the Swiss Compensation Office in Geneva. As soon as you take up residence abroad, this office becomes responsible for you and you will receive your pension from there.

If you have also been receiving OASI supplementary benefits or personal independence payments, you will lose these additional benefits when you move abroad.

If you have reached the retirement age that applies in Switzerland, you can request that your Swiss OASI pension be paid to you abroad. The Swiss Compensation Office in Geneva will tell you exactly how to do this and which foreign liaison office you should contact if necessary.

If Switzerland has a social security agreement with the country where you live, your Swiss OASI pension will also be paid out abroad. If there is no such agreement, you will lose your entitlement to the Swiss OASI pension if you settle abroad permanently.

Switzerland has social security agreements with Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Israel, Japan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, the Philippines, Quebec, San Marino, Serbia, Turkey, the USA and Uruguay. Citizens of these countries who wish to draw their OASI pension abroad should contact the Swiss Compensation Office in Geneva. It will tell you which authorities to contact and how payment abroad works.

If Switzerland does not have a social security agreement with the country where you live that provides for your pension to be paid to you there, when you leave Switzerland you are only entitled to an interest-free refund of what you and your employer(s) have paid into the OASI fund. If you have to apply for this refund, you will find the form and the information you require on the website of the Swiss Compensation Office in Geneva.

If you have already received pension payments in Switzerland, these will be deducted from the refund.

You can draw benefits from your occupational pension plan (2nd pillar) if you live abroad. Contact your pension fund to find out more about the arrangements you have to make.

If you have paid into a third pillar fund, it doesn't matter where you live after you retire. Contact your third pillar institution for information on how to withdraw the capital.