You can try changing your passport in Switzerland.

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The RAZAM.CH Association warns about the possible dangers of traveling to Belarus such as imprisonment for subscribing to and commenting on so-called “extremist” resources, participating in peaceful protests in 2020, providing financial assistance to victims of repression in Belarus, as well as to fighters on the side of Ukraine, among other motives.

We remind you that it is possible to renew your passport in Switzerland.

Razam.ch has addressed the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) with an inquiry regarding the situation with Belarusian passports, which, since September 2023, can no longer be issued or renewed in consular offices of the Republic of Belarus abroad. We received an official joint response from SEM and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA), which includes an algorithm of actions for those Belarusians who cannot renew the expired Belarusian passport due to the risk of persecution by Belarusian authorities during the visit to Belarus.

In such cases, it is necessary to contact the cantonal migration authorities with a petition to obtain a Swiss passport for foreigners. To successfully submit the petition, you need the following:

  • The expired passport.
  • Evidence proving that you cannot be required to travel to Belarus to replace your passport. The evidence, if possible, should be provided in its original form and in one of Switzerland’s official languages.

Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the individual circumstances of the Belarusian citizen.

The described mechanism is not unique to citizens of the Republic of Belarus; it is outlined in Swiss legislation concerning the status of foreign nationals:

  1. To be registered and reside in Switzerland, foreigners must have a valid identification document (see Articles 13 and 89 of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act).
  1. Exceptions are made for refugees and stateless persons (see Article 8, paragraph 2 of the Ordinance on Registration, Residence, and Employment).
  2. A foreign national is considered undocumented if they do not have valid travel documents from their home country, and they cannot be expected to make efforts to obtain these documents from their authorities (see Article 10, paragraph 1(a) of the Ordinance on Travel Documents for Foreign Nationals).

For all inquiries and questions, you can contact info@razam.ch.

We offer you a template for the petition to obtain a passport for a foreign national.

Take care!