Published on 29 March 2026

OASI/IV – Old Age and Survivors' Insurance and invalidity insurance

Anyone who currently lives and works in Switzerland, or has done so in the past, and has contributed to the OASI and IV schemes may claim a pension on reaching statutory retirement age. Claimants are required to disclose information to their local compensation office. To avoid paying benefits that are not due, the SCO needs to verify that claimants are genuine and actually alive.

Switzerland has a three-pillar pension system:

• Pillar 1 – Old Age and Survivors' Insurance (OASI) and invalidity insurance (IV) – is a general, mandatory insurance scheme that provides a subsistence level income.
• Pillar 2 – the occupational pension – is mandatory for employees. The aim of the Pillar 2 pension, combined with Pillar 1, is to allow retirees to maintain the standard of living to which they are accustomed.
• Pillar 3 is a voluntary private pension to which individuals can contribute based on their needs.

Federal Social Insurance Office FSIO: Social security in Switzerland

• OASI/IV (Pillar 1)

  Old Age and Survivors' Insurance (OASI) comprises two kinds of pension:

  • an old-age pension that enables beneficiaries to enjoy a relatively financially secure retirement, and
  • a survivors' pension that helps widows, widowers and orphans overcome financial difficulties resulting from the death of an insured spouse or parent.

  Invalidity insurance (IV) benefits are paid to individuals who are fully or partially unfit to work on health grounds. IV is intended to facilitate the occupational and social reintegration of working-age beneficiaries.

  The Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) and the IV Office for Insured Persons Resident Abroad (OAIE) are attached to the Central Compensation Office (CCO). They are the points of contact in Switzerland for individuals living abroad who have queries regarding OASI, IV and voluntary OASI/IV (memberships, contributions, pensions, etc.).

  • Overview of the Central Compensation Office CCO

  Subject to certain conditions, Swiss citizens living abroad may join the voluntary OASI/IV scheme in Switzerland within one year of leaving the mandatory scheme. Pension recipients are required to disclose information to their local compensation office.

• Voluntary OASI/IV insurance scheme in Switzerland

  You have left Switzerland, are not a member of the mandatory OASI/IV scheme, and live in a non-EU or non-EFTA member state.

  Subject to certain conditions, you may join the voluntary OASI/IV scheme in order to maintain your Swiss OASI/IV insurance cover.

  You must submit a certificate confirming your membership to the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO), Voluntary Insurance – Contributions, in Geneva within a year of exiting the mandatory scheme.

  Information on membership requirements and formalities is available on the Central Compensation Office (CCO) website.

  • Central Compensation Office CCO: Voluntary OASI/IV

  In general, joining the voluntary OASI/IV scheme in Switzerland does not exempt you from paying contributions to mandatory social security schemes abroad. You can obtain information on your rights and obligations from the relevant social security office in the country where you live.

• Disclosure requirement for pension recipients

  Pension recipients must notify their pension scheme immediately of any change of circumstance that could affect the amount or type of payout received and any change of address or bank details.

  If you are registered with a Swiss representation, please also inform the representation of any change of address or civil status.

  • Central Compensation Office CCO: Pensioners' disclosure obligation)
  • Online desk for Swiss nationals living abroad

• Certificate of life and marital status

  To avoid paying benefits that are not due, the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) needs to verify that claimants are genuine and actually alive. A certificate of life and marital status is therefore issued to relevant claimants on an annual basis. The form is sent to claimants one year after benefits are first paid out. To ensure that pensions continue to be paid without interruption, the form must be completed, certified by the appropriate authority and returned to the SCO in Geneva within 90 days.

  Since 2022, a new procedure applies to Swiss nationals living abroad, who are registered with a Swiss representation, to verify that they are actually alive. As a general rule, applications for a certificate of life and civil status will no longer be issued. The relevant information, from the Register of the Swiss Abroad, will now be sent to the SCO directly. In exceptional circumstances, some registered persons may still receive an application. These individuals must complete the form and have it certified in order to ensure that there is no interruption in their pension payments.

  Other OASI/IV pension recipients must continue to provide certificates of life and civil status.

  Central Compensation Office CCO: Certificates of life and marital status

• Preparing for retirement – living abroad

  You live abroad and are approaching statutory retirement age. In preparation for your retirement, you will need to complete certain administrative steps.

  You must submit your pension application at least three months before you reach statutory retirement age so that the SCO has time to obtain the information it needs to calculate your pension.

  Further information on Old Age and Survivors' Insurance (OASI) is available on the website of the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO).

  Central Compensation Office CCO: Old Age and Survivors' Insurance

  Switzerland has entered into social security agreements with various countries. These agreements are mainly intended to ensure equal treatment for nationals of both countries. They also specify which legislation applies and set out the rules and procedures for paying benefits abroad.

  Where Switzerland has entered into a social security agreement, pension applications must usually be submitted to the social security liaison office in the relevant country of residence, which will direct claimants to the appropriate service.

  • Central Compensation Office CCO: Applying for pensions
  • Federal Social Insurance Office FSIO: Addresses of foreign ministries and liaison offices (German, French, Italian)

  For further information and in special cases, please contact the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) in Geneva directly.

  Central Compensation Office CCO: Adress, organisational matters

• Occupational pensions (Pillar 2 or vested benefits policy)

  Employees are required to pay into Pillar 2 occupational pensions. The aim of the Pillar 2 pension is to enable retirees to maintain the standard of living to which they are accustomed. Combined with Pillar 1, Pillar 2 pensions should provide an income equivalent to around 60 per cent of pre-retirement earnings.

  Eligible recipients outside Switzerland must submit their application directly to the pension fund to which the insured person's employer is affiliated.

  Where assets are held in a vested benefits account or under a vested benefits policy, applications must be submitted directly to the relevant entity (bank foundation, insurance company).

  Individuals who do not know whether they have Pillar 2 savings may contact the 2nd Pillar Central Office, which can help them locate any assets, vested benefits accounts or policies.

  LOB Guarantee Fund: Enquiry to the 2nd Pillar Central Office

Links

• Federal Act on Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, OASIA, SR 831.10 (German, French, Italian)
• Federal Act on Invalidity Insurance, InvIA, SR 831.20 (German, French, Italian)
• Ordinance on the Voluntary Old-Age, Survivors and Invalidity Insurance, VOASIO, SR 831.111 (German, French, Italian)
• Federal Social Insurance Office FSIO: International social security

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