Published on 1 February 2026

Protocol matters

Foreign diplomats based in Bern and Geneva represent their home country's political, economic, cultural and military interests in Switzerland.

Ambassadors accredited to Switzerland are received by the President of the Swiss Confederation at the Federal Palace on New Year's reception. — © Federal Chancellery/Béatrice Devènes

The Diplomatic Corps is the body of diplomatic staff accredited to a state. It is headed by a dean (doyen). In Switzerland, the representative of the Holy See, the apostolic nuncio, is recognised as the dean of the Diplomatic Corps. In Switzerland, the Apostolic Nuncio (Holy See's representative) traditionally performs this function.

Diplomats represent the political, economic, cultural and military interests of their home country in the host country. They also safeguard their state's interests in connection with international organisations. The special status of Diplomats is governed by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Representing their country’s interests

Some 146 countries have accredited an ambassador to the Federal Council. Half of these representations are based in Bern. Just under a quarter are based in Geneva, as their heads also serve as Heads of Permanent Missions to the UN and other international organisations. These individuals therefore hold dual accreditation to the Federal Council and to the UN. Around one quarter of the ambassadors accredited to Switzerland head a diplomatic mission based abroad (for example in Paris, Rome, Berlin or Brussels).

Bilateral diplomacy is diplomacy that takes place between two countries. In multilateral diplomacy, representatives of several states seek a common solution, as is the case, for example, within the UN.

Accreditation of new ambassadors

There is an established procedure for accrediting new ambassadors to Switzerland, which is set out in the Protocol Regulations for the Swiss Confederation and based on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The key stages are set out below:

• Prior approval (agrément)

  Before officially appointing someone to represent it, the sending state informally asks the FDFA whether the proposed appointee is acceptable as an ambassador. Switzerland (represented by the Federal Council and the FDFA) must approve the appointment and has the right to reject a proposed appointee without giving reasons (Art. 4 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations). This prior approval is known as ‘agrément’. The ambassador will only officially be appointed once the agrément has been obtained.

• Arrival and provisional accreditation

  The arrival of new heads of mission must be notified without delay to the FDFA Protocol. New heads of mission pay an initial visit to the head of FDFA Protocol and, at the meeting, present true copies of their credentials and predecessor's letter of recall. From this point on, new heads of mission are deemed to be provisionally accredited, which means they may fully exercise their functions, subject to some exceptions. These restrictions include contacting members of the Federal Council, the presidents of the National Council and Council of States and the cantonal governments.

• Ceremony to present credentials

  This is the most formal part of the procedure during which heads of mission officially present to the President of the Swiss Confederation original copies of their credentials, which have been issued by the head of state of the sending state. Following this ceremony, which is traditionally held in the Salon de la Présidence at the Federal Palace, ambassadors are deemed to be fully and officially accredited. The Protocol Regulations provide further aspects, such as specifying who may accompany the head of mission (maximum of three people, including partners and diplomatic staff) and the dress code (dark suit, national dress or uniform).

Prior to arriving in Switzerland: Checklist for heads of mission and other diplomatic staff

Events for the Diplomatic Corps

Every year, a variety of events are organized for the Diplomatic Corps, aimed at fostering exchange and maintaining relationships both among ambassadors themselves and with the Federal Councillors and staff of the federal administration.

In mid-January, according to the Protocol Regulations for the Swiss Confederation, the Papal Nuncio, as doyen of the Diplomatic Corps, presents New Year’s greetings to the President of the Swiss Confederation at a New Year's reception held at the Federal Palace. The Swiss president returns the greetings on behalf of the Federal Council in an address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Switzerland.

This ceremony is attended by ambassadors and chargés d'affaires, presidents of the National Council and Council of States, chairs of the foreign affairs committees, and the head of the FDFA. Prior to this, the President of the Swiss Confederation accepts greetings from the Bernese authorities (the Canton, City and ‘Burgergemeinde’ of Bern).

In spring and autumn, the President of the Swiss Confederation or State Secretary invites the ambassadors on a one-day excursion to a region of Switzerland. These informal events typically include cultural and tourist activities, often combined with a visit to a company, and aim to give members of the Diplomatic Corps a deeper understanding of Switzerland beyond the Federal Palace, while promoting exchange between the ambassadors and the Swiss authorities.

Visits to the cantons

Visits to the cantons are a good opportunity for foreign ambassadors to gain a better understanding of Switzerland's complex federal system and to represent and promote the political, economic and cultural interests of their home country effectively at regional level. The procedure for arranging visits to the cantons is outlined in Protocol Regulations.

Links

• New Year’s speeches, The Federal Council (de)
• Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations (fr)
• Vienna Convention on consular relations (fr)

Documents

• Directory of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps

  French

  PDF866.18 kB3 February 2026

• List of national holidays

  French

  PDF164.86 kB3 February 2026

• Order of precedence

  French

  PDF196.58 kB19 January 2026