🇨🇭 Switzerland — Embassies & Consulates

Switzerland's foreign affairs are managed by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), known in German as the Eidgenössisches Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten (EDA). The FDFA operates a global network of approximately 170 diplomatic and consular missions, including embassies, general consulates, consulates, and permanent missions to international organisations. Swiss citizens abroad — numbering around 800,000 and often called the "Fifth Switzerland" — are served through the Swiss Abroad Act (Auslandschweizergesetz, ASG), which governs consular services, registration in the Overseas Swiss Register (Auslandschweizer-Register), and political participation. Voting rights are maintained through the canton of origin, with ballot materials dispatched by cantonal authorities directly to registered overseas voters, enabling full participation in federal referendums and elections from abroad. For emergencies, the FDFA operates a Helpline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing assistance to Swiss nationals in distress anywhere in the world. Travel advice and safety assessments for all destinations are published on the FDFA's official portal. Switzerland is internationally recognised for its longstanding policy of good offices — acting as a neutral intermediary and protecting-power on behalf of states that lack direct diplomatic relations. The most prominent current example is Switzerland's role representing United States interests in Iran and Iranian interests in the United States, a function it has performed since the severance of US-Iran diplomatic ties in 1980. Switzerland has historically provided similar services in dozens of other bilateral disputes, reinforcing its reputation as a trusted neutral actor in international diplomacy.