Cash payout due to emigration

You are leaving Switzerland permanently and would like to withdraw some or all of your capital?

If you leave Switzerland permanently, you can withdraw all or part of your vested benefits (the non-obligatory component). The following table is a simple aid to help you find out if you can withdraw the full amount or only a part of your capital.

Example:

If you emigrated to Germany after 1.6.2007, you can request to have the non-obligatory component paid out to you. However, the obligatory component can only be paid out under certain conditions (if you are not contributing to German pension insurance).

When is a cash payout of my vested benefits prior to retirement possible?

This video explains when it is possible to receive a cash payout of your vested benefits before you retire.
Subtitles can be activated by clicking on the CC icon at the bottom right of the video.

List of EU and EFTA states
Emigration to	Emigration date	B) Withdrawal of non-obligatory component possible?	A) Withdrawal of full vested benefits amount possible?
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden	Before 01.06.2007	NO ¹	YES
	After 01.06.2007	YES	Conditional (clarification of social security obligation required)²
Bulgaria, Romania	Before 01.06.2009	NO ¹	YES
Bulgaria, Romania	After 01.06.2009	YES	Conditional (clarification of social security obligation required)²
Croatia	Before 01.01.2017	NO ¹	YES
Croatia	After 01.01.2017	YES	Conditional (clarification of social security obligation required)²
Not EU/EFTA state	-	NO ¹	YES

¹ If withdrawal of the full amount is permitted, it is not possible solely to withdraw the non-obligatory component.

² Clarification of social security obligation: If you have emigrated to an EU/EFTA state and are not subject to the social security obligation in that state (e.g. if you make no contributions to the local pension system), you may be able to withdraw the full amount. The Security Fund (liaison body) is responsible for this clarification and we require appropriate confirmation:

Confirmation from the LOB Guarantee Fund that you are not subject to the social security obligation in the state to which you have emigrated (see link).

Please note: The Principality of Liechtenstein has the same occupational pension provisions as Switzerland and therefore does not count as a foreign state in this context.

Since 1 January 2021, Great Britain is no longer considered an EU member state. Even with the new social security agreement, applicable from 1 November 2021, between Switzerland and the United Kingdom, the cash payment of the entire vested benefits can be demanded.

Next steps

We need a number of documents from you in order to make a cash payout. The documents we need depend on your account balance at the time of payout.

A) In these cases you can withdraw all your vested benefits:

Please select the case below that applies to you.

My vested benefits have a value less than CHF 20'000.00.

Please send us your details via the online form or send us the following documents:

Signed and completed form Cash payout of entire vested benefits due to relocation abroad < CHF 20'000.00
Copy of your OASI (AHV/AVS) card
Copy of your identity card or passport
If you are married or in a registered partnership: copy of your spouse’s/partner’s identity card or passport
If you are married or in a registered partnership: copy of your marriage certificate/partnership certificate
If you are divorced or your partnership has been dissolved: copy of the complete, legal divorce decree/decree dissolving your partnership
Copy of the confirmation of de-registration from your last municipality of residence in Switzerland or cancellation of your cross-border commuter permit
Original of your current confirmation of place of residence (not more than three months old)

Depending on the circumstances (see table above) we also require the following documentation:

Confirmation from the Guarantee Fund that you are not subject to social insurance obligations in the destination country (see link).

We may need additional information and documents. We will contact you if this is the case.

My vested benefits have a value greater than CHF 20'000.00.

Please send us your details via the online form or send us the following documents:

Completed form Cash payout of entire vested benefits due to relocation abroad > CHF 20'000.00 with certification of signature(s) (notary, municipality)
Copy of your OASI (AHV/AVS) card
If you are married or in a registered partnership: copy of your marriage certificate / partnership certificate
If you are divorced or your partnership has been dissolved: copy of the complete, legal divorce decree / decree dissolving your partnership and current certificate of civil status (not more than three months old)
If you are single or widowed: current certificate of civil status (not more than three months old)
Copy of the confirmation of de-registration from your last municipality of residence in Switzerland or copy of the cancellation of your cross-border commuter permit
Original of your current confirmation of place of residence (not more than three months old)

Depending on the circumstances (see table above) we also require the following documentation:

Confirmation from the Guarantee fund that you are not subject to social insurance obligations in the destination country (see link).

We may need additional information and documents. We will contact you if this is the case.

B) In this case you cannot withdraw all your vested benefits, only the non-compulsory portion:

Please select the case below that applies to you.

My vested benefits have a value less than CHF 20'000.00.

Please send us your details via the online form or send us the following documents:

Signed and completed form Cash payout of non-compulsory benefits due to relocation abroad < CHF 20'000.00
Copy of your OASI (AHV/AHS) card
Copy of your identity card or passport
If you are married or in a registered partnership: copy of your spouse’s/partner’s identity card or passport
If you are married or in a registered partnership: copy of your marriage certificate/partnership certificate
If you are divorced or your partnership has been dissolved: copy of the complete, legal divorce decree/decree dissolving your partnership
Copy of the confirmation of de-registration from your last municipality of residence in Switzerland or cancellation of your cross-border commuter permit
Original of your current confirmation of place of residence (not more than three months old)

We may need additional information and documents. We will contact you if this is the case.

My vested benefits have a value greater than CHF 20'000.00.

Please send us your details via the online form or send us the following documents:

Completed form Cash payout of non-compulsory vested benefits due to relocation abroad > CHF 20'000.00 with notarised signature(s) (notary, municipality)
Copy of your OASI (AHV/AVS) card
If you are married or in a registered partnership: copy of your marriage certificate / partnership certificate
If you are divorced or your partnership has been dissolved: copy of the complete, legal divorce decree / decree dissolving your partnership and current certificate of civil status (not more than three months old)
If you are single or widowed: current certificate of civil status (not more than three months old)
Copy of the confirmation of de-registration from your last municipality of residence in Switzerland or cancellation of your cross-border commuter permit
Original of your current confirmation of place of residence (not more than three months old)

We may need additional information and documents. We will contact you if this is the case.

Important information

We are obliged to report payments over CHF 5'000.00 to the tax authorities under the regulations.
If you have your residence abroad, source tax will be deducted on payments of CHF 1'000.00 or more.
If the social security obligation is to be clarified, we can only process your dossier further once a positive decision has been issued.