gobordaGlobal mobility intelligence
Work & skilled workersEffectiveHigh impactVerified

Federal Council enacts legal and ordinance changes from the EU Migration and Asylum Pact

🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAsylum1 recorded versionLast change 20 May 2026
ConfidenceVery high · 90%

Current rules

Switzerland, as an associated Schengen-/Dublin-state, adopts parts of the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact. This includes implementing new jurisdiction criteria and procedures from the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, the revised Eurodac Regulation, and the new screening procedure according to the Screening Regulation. Specific ordinances have been adjusted to concretise these legal changes, such as AsylV 1, AsylV 3, VEV, and VZAE. The screening procedure enables rapid identification, registration, and assignment of individuals at Schengen external borders to the correct procedure (return, asylum procedure, or transfer to another Schengen state via the solidarity mechanism). A legally enshrined solidarity mechanism will relieve highly burdened states at the external borders. The goal is to reduce the number of asylum seekers without a prospect of protection and relieve the Swiss asylum system. Adjustments also include information requirements for screened persons, details on the screening form, information exchange regarding health status before Dublin transfers, audio recordings of Dublin interviews, roles of fingerprint and facial image experts, handling of unaccompanied minors, and data transmission to third countries under the Eurodac Regulation.

Overview

On 20 May 2026, the Swiss Federal Council approved revisions to various national ordinances to implement parts of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact. These changes, alongside legal amendments passed by Parliament, will become effective on 12 June 2026. The measures aim to enhance border controls, streamline asylum procedures with a new screening process, and reduce secondary migration within the Schengen area.

Who is affected by the latest change

  • People at the outside borders of the Schengen area who will be screened
  • People applying for asylum in Switzerland
  • Countries in the Schengen/Dublin system, especially those with many asylum requests
  • Children who arrive alone and seek asylum
  • Government bodies that handle asylum and migration cases

What changed in the latest version

Before

The old system for handling asylum applications and border controls in Switzerland did not include the new single screening process. It also did not have the specific way for countries to share the burden of helping people. The old system did not include the updated Eurodac regulations or the Asylum and Migration Management regulations. These are all new features from the EU Migration and Asylum Pact.

After

Switzerland is a country linked to the Schengen and Dublin systems. It will adopt parts of the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact. This means Switzerland will put new rules into practice about who is responsible for asylum applications and how they are processed. These rules come from the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation and the updated Eurodac Regulation. Switzerland will also use the new screening process from the Screening Regulation. Specific Swiss rules, such as AsylV 1, AsylV 3, VEV, and VZAE, have been adjusted. These adjustments make the legal changes concrete. The screening process quickly identifies, registers, and places people at the external borders of the Schengen area into the correct process. This could be for return, asylum, or transfer to another Schengen country through the burden-sharing system. A legally-backed system for countries to share the burden will help countries at external borders that receive many people. The aim is to reduce the number of asylum seekers who do not have a real chance of protection. This will ease the pressure on the Swiss asylum system. The changes also cover what information must be given to people who are screened. They include details about the screening form. They also cover sharing health information before Dublin transfers. Dublin transfers move asylum seekers to the country responsible for their claim. The changes also cover audio recordings of Dublin interviews. They define the roles of experts who check fingerprints and facial images. They describe how to handle unaccompanied minors. These are children travelling without an adult. The changes also cover sending data to other countries under the Eurodac Regulation.

This policy change is important because it connects Switzerland more closely to the EU's changed asylum system. It will affect how asylum seekers are processed at Switzerland's borders and within its system. The new single screening process at the external borders of the Schengen area and the system for countries to share the burden directly address the goal of stronger controls. They also aim to reduce people moving between countries within the Schengen area after making an asylum claim. The policy aims to reduce the number of asylum seekers who do not have a real chance of protection. This will ease the pressure on the Swiss asylum system. These adjustments affect people seeking asylum. This is especially true for how their data is handled, how health information is shared, and the specific steps they will go through.

Explained simply

Imagine all the countries in Europe that are part of the Schengen area decided to update their rules on who can come in and ask for help (asylum). Switzerland is part of this group, so it has to update its rules too. Starting 12 June 2026, there will be new checks at the border to quickly figure out who people are and what their situation is. This is to make sure people go through the right process quickly and to make it harder for people to claim asylum in one country and then move to another. It's like having a new, more organised way to process everyone at the entrance.

Frequently asked

Version history

  1. v8Effective 12 Jun 2026EffectiveHigh impact
    Federal Council enacts legal and ordinance changes from the EU Migration and Asylum Pact

    On 20 May 2026, the Swiss Federal Council approved some changes to laws and rules. These changes implement parts of the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact. The new rules will start on 12 June 2026. Switzerland is a country linked to the Schengen and Dublin systems. This means Switzerland will adopt new rules about who is responsible for asylum applications and how they are processed. These rules come from the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation and the updated Eurodac Regulation. Switzerland will also use a new, single screening process at the external borders of the Schengen area. This screening will quickly identify, register, and place people into the correct process. This could be for return, asylum, or transfer to another Schengen country. The changes also include a way for countries to share the burden of helping people. This helps countries that receive many people. Switzerland has also changed its own rules, such as AsylV 1, AsylV 3, VEV, and VZAE.

Timeline

  1. Takes effect

    12 Jun 2026

    Switzerland, as an associated Schengen-/Dublin-state, adopts parts of the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact. This includes implementing new jurisdiction criteria and procedures from the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, the revised Eurodac Regulation, and the new screening procedure according to the Screening Regulation. Specific ordinances have been adjusted to concretise these legal cha

  2. Announced

    20 May 2026

    On 20 May 2026, the Swiss Federal Council approved revisions to various national ordinances to implement parts of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact. These changes, alongside legal amendments passed by Parliament, will become effective on 12 June 2026. The measures aim to enhance border controls, streamline asylum procedures with a new screening process, and reduce secondary migration within the S

Other routes in this country

1 / 6