Botschafter Markus Börlin ©EDA

Dear visitor to the website of the Swiss Embassy in The Hague

Welcome to our home page, which will give you an insight into the work of the Swiss Embas-sy in The Hague, and provide practical assistance on important questions for Swiss citizens living abroad, particularly in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Since 16 May 2011, the Regional Consular Centre for the Benelux countries, which is affi-liated with this Embassy, has been responsible for assisting Swiss citizens living in the Bene-lux countries in matters relating to the issuance of passports and identity cards, marriage and marital status, visas and other issues. You can find relevant information via the link next to this text: "Regional Consular Centre Benelux".

The Swiss Embassy represents the interests of Switzerland in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The two countries have long maintained lively political, economic and cultural relations. Already hundreds of years ago, strong ties between the two countries were forged thanks to personalities such as Calvin and Erasmus of Rotterdam. Both countries achieved formal sovereignty in the same year, 1648, under the Treaty of Westphalia. Politically, Switzerland shares a number of core values with the Netherlands. These include commitments to promoting democracy and human rights, to strengthening the rule of law as a precondition for citizens' rights and liberties as well as for economic development, to providing social support to those in need of help, and to further developing international humanitarian law and general international law to ensure peace and justice. These values have particular relevance both in Switzerland, as the birthplace and headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and here in The Hague, as the seat of several international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Embassy maintains contact with these institutions and represents the interests of Switzerland in the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is also based in The Hague.

Situated in the heart of Europe, Switzerland is the second largest economic partner of the EU and the sixth largest of the Netherlands. Switzerland is an important transit country for Euro-pean passenger and goods traffic, a fact that is of particular interest to the Netherlands with Rotterdam as Europe's largest cargo port. To facilitate rail transport between Rotterdam and Genoa, Switzerland is making a significant contribution to a well-functioning and sustainable transport network throughout Europe, among other ways with the New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA).

Last but not least, a word to non-Swiss visitors to our website: if you have never visited Swit-zerland, I invite you to discover our country with your own eyes. Switzerland will offer you unforgettable experiences of its natural beauty and cultural diversity, and will impress you with its economic and scientific innovative power! This website will also provide you with much useful information and numerous helpful internet links.

With my best regards,

Markus Börlin
Swiss Ambassador in the Kingdom of the Netherlands