Have you received a removal order and are wondering how much time you have left? The Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration regulates this in Art. 64d AIG. What matters is whether you were given a normal departure deadline or whether the removal is immediately enforceable.
The rule: 7 to 30 days
“Appropriate” means that the deadline must take the specific circumstances into account. You must be able to give notice on your job and flat, organise your departure and prepare your arrival in your country of origin. The longer you have lived in Switzerland, the more generous the deadline should be. For school-age children, they should if possible be able to finish the current semester. Health problems, such as acute treatment, can also call for a longer deadline. For an entrepreneur with two restaurants and employees, the Federal Supreme Court considered a deadline of three months appropriate to observe notice periods and find buyers for the properties (2C_631/2018).
The longer deadline can be granted on the authority's own initiative or at your request, in practice also after the deadline has been set and in some circumstances even after it has expired. Nevertheless, file the request as early as possible and document the reasons.
When the removal is immediately enforceable
By way of exception, the removal is immediately enforceable, or the deadline is less than seven days (Art. 64d para. 2 AIG), if:
- you pose a threat to public security and order or to internal or external security
- there are concrete indications that you intend to evade deportation (risk of absconding)
- an application was rejected as manifestly unfounded or abusive
- you are being taken back by a state under a readmission agreement
- you were previously refused entry under the Schengen Borders Code
- you are being removed under the Dublin association agreements
The law names in particular the following as indications of a risk of absconding: you do not comply with your duty to cooperate, your previous conduct suggests resistance to official orders, or you enter Switzerland despite an entry ban (Art. 64d para. 3 AIG).
Immediate enforcement is the exception, not the rule. It requires reasons, proportionality must be preserved, and you must have the possibility of an effective legal remedy. Even where a removal is immediately enforceable, suspensive effect can be requested and, depending on the case, granted.
Do I have to act already while the removal is not yet legally final?
No, not in an irreversible way. As long as the removal is not legally final, you cannot be expected to take irreversible steps, such as giving notice on your job or your flat. It is only reasonable to expect that, once you know it is legally final, you make the necessary arrangements for departure and do not wait idly for a deadline to be set (BGer 2D_32/2018; 2C_634/2018). When setting the deadline, delays between the date of the judgment and the date of service must also be taken into account, as must, if you are legally represented, the time needed to consult your legal representative.
What you should do now
- Read the decision carefully: date, deadline, information on legal remedies. The deadline for appeal is stated in the decision itself.
- Have it checked whether an appeal has prospects of success, and request suspensive effect.
- If needed, request an extension of the deadline and support it with evidence: medical certificate, school confirmation, notice periods, employment and rental contracts.
- Do not go into hiding. This increases the risk of coercive measures and can weigh on later applications.
- Look into return and reintegration assistance (Art. 60 AIG) if departure is actually pending.
Consequences if the deadline expires
After the deadline has expired, the removal can be carried out (Art. 69 AIG), with coercive measures up to and including deportation. An entry ban is possible (Art. 67 AIG), and unlawful residence can be a criminal offence (Art. 115 AIG). Anyone who can should therefore act before the deadline expires, including by filing an application for an extension of the deadline.
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Sources & further information
As of October 2026. This article provides an overview and does not replace individual legal advice; practice and requirements may differ depending on the canton and the individual case. This is a translation of the German original; in case of doubt, the German version prevails.
Note: Statutes are cited by their German abbreviations (AIG = Foreign Nationals and Integration Act, VZAE = Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Activity, AsylG = Asylum Act, BüG = Citizenship Act, SR = Systematic Compilation of Federal Legislation). Fedlex links lead to the German originals.