Please enter your request for a Swiss identity document online (one request per person) and follow the instructions on the website:
Applying for an identity document
You have to apply for a passport online at the Swiss representation where you are registered. Please note that registration is mandatory for all Swiss citizens who stay in the consular district and are deregistered in Switzerland.
In exceptional cases, you may also apply for your passport by phone to the representation where you are registered. When you apply for a new passport, you have the opportunity to order an identity card at a reduced price.
You will receive online acknowledgement of your request.
As soon as your personal data has been verified by the competent office, a link to make an appointment for the capture of your biometric data will be sent to the email address you indicated in your application (usually within a week) and you will be informed what documents to bring and the fees to be paid.
Please note that the personal data contained in Swiss identity documents (family name, first name, date of birth and place of origin) are taken from the Swiss civil status register (Infostar).
Do not hesitate to contact the Swiss representation responsible for your place of residence if you have any questions concerning an ID document request or an appointment for the capture of biometric data.
Passport Offices in the U.S.
- Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Cayman Islands - Consulate General of Switzerland in New York
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands - Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco
California, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming - Embassy of Switzerland in Washington
District of Columbia (DC), Delaware (DE), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Maryland (MD), Missouri (MO), Nebraska (NE), Virginia (VA), West Virginia (WV), Northern Mariana Islands (MP) and Guam (GU).
Applications for minors or persons under guardianship
In case one of the legal representatives is unable to appear in person at the Swiss representation to apply for the issuance of a Swiss travel document to a minor or a person under guardianship, a written consent should be signed. Therefore it is recommended that the absent legal representative complete the form “declaration of consent” which is available on the right side of this page.
The data in the passport is based on the information recorded in the Swiss civil registers. Before submitting an application for a biometric passport, it is of the utmost importance to ensure that the information recorded in the Swiss civil registers is up-to-date in order to avoid unpleasant delays in the issuance of a new passport. If the applicant is in doubt, the competent representation should be contacted as soon as possible.
Recording of biometric data
All applicants must attend in person for this procedure and present a valid ID document to confirm their identity.
For organizational reasons, it is essential to make an appointment. This can be done online via the link which will be sent to you by E-mail after your passport application has been checked and approved or by telephone.
Minors and applicants in the care of a guardian must be accompanied by their parents or guardian, who will be required to give their consent by signing the application form.
Divorced or unmarried parents must provide proof of custody of the child, and in the case of joint custody, both parents must give their consent.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Your passport doesn’t have to be near its expiration date for you to have your biometric data collected.
Your biometric data can be collected at any Swiss representation abroad which are equipped to do so and at any Swiss processing center.
You just have to make sure you initiate the registration through the representation where you are currently registered and indicate in step 9 under the remarks where and when you want to have your biometric data collected.
Processing Time and Delivery
Applications should be submitted in good time.
Travel documents are produced in Switzerland and it usually takes between 3 and 4 weeks to obtain the new document.
When the quality of your new passport has been checked, it will be sent to you as in the past.
Cancellation of Previous Swiss Passport or Identity Card
To have your new passport or identity card sent directly to your home address from the processing office in Switzerland, you must submit your old Swiss passport and/or identity card to be cancelled at the time of your application. Otherwise, your new passport and/or identity card will be sent to the responsible Swiss embassy or consulate and then kept there until you submit your document for cancellation. In the latter case, higher postage fees apply.
Important information to give when filling out the online passport application
Under the heading "Delivery address":
- If you still need your current identity documents while waiting for the new documents, indicate “processing centre”. You will be contacted for an exchange of identity documents in due course;
- If it is possible to cancel your identity documents at the time of your visit, indicate the address of your domicile or another delivery address so that the new documents can be forwarded directly by post.
Under the heading "Remarks"
- Mention an alternative processing centre in Switzerland or abroad (i.e. a different Swiss representation abroad or one of the cantonal passport offices), if you wish to make an appointment for the biometric data capture in a place other than the Swiss representation responsible for your place of domicile.
FAQs – frequently asked questions about passport or ID applications
The statutory delivery period is 30 days abroad and 10 days in Switzerland.
Once your application is reviewed, you receive an email inviting you to make an appointment to record your biometric data. You must do this in person at the Swiss representation where you are registered or, if you are in Switzerland, at the cantonal passport office.
To record their biometric data, minors must be accompanied by their parent/s or legal guardian/s. A divorced parent with sole legal custody of their child must present an official document to that effect. Where divorced parents have joint legal custody of their child and only one parent is able to attend the appointment, the absent parent must present written authorisation for the issuing of the child’s passport or identity card.
