Updated on October 16, 2026
In 30 seconds
Anyone who has worked in Switzerland and in Italy normally receives a pension from each country in which they paid contributions for at least one year. European rules allow periods to be added together to open the right, but each country pays its own share. The second pillar (occupational pension scheme) has its own rules when you leave Switzerland.
This text is part of the guide Italians in Switzerland: Legal Guide.
In this article
Which rules apply
Switzerland and the EU coordinate their social security systems through the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons. The Agreement does not unify the rules: it coordinates them. Before deciding any step, it helps to understand which system each period of work falls under.
First pillar: AVS and AI
The AVS (also called AHV in German-speaking Switzerland) is the Swiss old-age and survivors’ insurance. AI is the Swiss disability insurance. Anyone insured in Switzerland and in an EU state normally receives a partial pension from each state in which they paid contributions for at least one year. If a period is too short, the periods in the other states are added to open the right, but the amount does not increase. AVS pensions continue to be paid to people living in an EU or EFTA state. Supplementary benefits are paid only in Switzerland.
Second pillar: what happens when you leave Switzerland
Anyone who leaves Switzerland permanently can generally ask for the exit benefit in cash (art. 5 of the Vested Benefits Act). If you settle in an EU state and are subject to compulsory insurance there, the mandatory part (the legal minimum) cannot be paid in cash (art. 25f). The part above the legal minimum is not covered by this ban.
For married people or people in a registered partnership, payment in cash requires the written consent of the spouse. If consent is missing or is refused without good reason, you can ask the civil court to step in.
If you do not say how to keep the funds (a vested-benefits account or policy), the pension fund transfers them to the substitute occupational benefit institution within two years.
Italian pension
INPS (the Italian national social security institute) has a dedicated procedure, the pension application under international rules, for people with insurance periods in several countries. To whom to submit the application as a resident in Switzerland, and how the Italian share is calculated, should be asked of INPS or of us before acting.
The concrete steps
- Reconstruct your career. A list of employers, cantons and years, in Italy and in Switzerland.
- Ask for the extract of your individual AVS account. It shows the contributions paid.
- Identify the second-pillar funds. Each employer may have a different one.
- Do not withdraw the exit benefit in a hurry. First check whether the mandatory part is blocked and whether your spouse’s consent is needed.
- Submit the application to the competent country. For procedural details, check the instructions of the institutions.
- For taxes on a foreign pension, turn to a tax adviser (commercialista).
Frequent case · A problem that happens often
A man worked eight years in Lugano and then twenty years in Lombardy. On returning to Italy, a colleague tells him to “withdraw the whole second pillar.” In fact, part of it may stay blocked if he is subject to compulsory insurance in Italy. Before signing the request, he needs to know what is mandatory and what is not, and whether his wife has to consent.
Frequent case described in general terms: names, places and details do not refer to real people or cases.
The best solution for you
Before leaving Switzerland. The best path is to reconstruct your career and ask for the extract of your individual AVS account. It is usually best not to withdraw the exit benefit in a hurry, because the mandatory part may stay blocked.
After the withdrawal or the application. You submit the pension application to the competent country, with the periods from both states. It is usually worth checking the institutions’ instructions, because each country pays its own share.
If the pension fund or the spouse does not cooperate. For payment in cash, the written consent of the spouse is needed. If it is missing, you can turn to the civil court. If you indicate nothing, the funds pass to the substitute occupational benefit institution within two years.
What to do right away
- List employers, cantons and years, in Italy and in Switzerland.
- Identify the second-pillar funds and ask for the AVS extract.
- Do not sign the request for payment in cash before you know what is mandatory.
No path guarantees an outcome.
Learn more: Legal guides from Studio Legale Fiorentino.
How attorney Fiorentino can help you
- He can help you understand which parts of the second pillar are mandatory and which are not.
- He can follow the request for the spouse’s consent and, if needed, the steps before the civil court.
- He can organize the documents for a pension application with periods in several countries.
Frequently asked questions
Can I receive the Swiss pension if I live in Italy?
AVS old-age pensions continue to be paid to people living in an EU or EFTA state. For your case, it is worth checking with the competent compensation office (cassa di compensazione).
Can I get my AVS contributions refunded?
For an Italian citizen, the rule must be checked before asking for any refund. It is worth contacting the Swiss compensation office or us.
Can the second pillar be withdrawn entirely?
It depends. The mandatory part cannot be withdrawn in cash if you settle in an EU state and are subject to compulsory insurance there.
Is my spouse’s consent needed?
Yes, payment in cash requires the written consent of the spouse. If it is missing, you can turn to the civil court.
What happens if I decide nothing?
The institution transfers the funds to the substitute occupational benefit institution within two years of the vested-benefits case arising.
Official sources
Pages of institutional websites consulted on October 16, 2026.
- ahv-iv.ch – Social security in Switzerland (leaflet 890) – partial pensions, supplementary benefits, substitute institution (page in Italian)
- fedlex.admin.ch – Vested Benefits Act (RS 831.42) – text in German, arts. 5 and 25f
- inps.it – Pension application under international rules – existence of the procedure for periods in several countries (page in Italian)
Read also
- Italians in Switzerland: Legal Guide (complete guide)
- Moving Back from Switzerland to Italy: AIRE, Customs and Pension Provision
- Italian Cross-Border Workers: Taxes, the 2020 Agreement and Health Insurance
- Divorce Granted in Switzerland: How to Have It Recognized in Italy
The firm
The firm is based in Naples (Piazza Giovanni Bovio 22 and Via Monte di Dio 14) and works throughout Italy; the first meeting can be held by video call. To ask for a consultation: WhatsApp or phone 347 5264190.
Informational text, prepared with the help of artificial intelligence tools. It does not replace advice on a specific case.
Author: attorney Renato Giuseppe Fiorentino
Updated on October 16, 2026
Do you have a similar issue?
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