In Afghanistan, day by day events are rolling over and over again. Eleven out of 35 Swiss people have already left the country, the FDFA explained in a press conference on Friday. The rest are stuck in Afghanistan. The FDFA has knowledge of the Swiss who want to be evacuated – but this is not offered free of charge.
“The FDFA has been advising against traveling to Afghanistan for a long time,” said a Federal Council press release this week. If you travel to Afghanistan privately or for professional reasons, you do so at your own risk, according to the federal government “20 minutes” reported.
Not a safe country for 23 years
The evacuees will therefore receive an invoice from the federal government upon arrival in Switzerland. The Department of Foreign Affairs charges fees for services abroad. These have to be paid by the people themselves.
According to the official travel advice, Afghanistan has not been a safe country since 1998. This corresponds to the time in which the travel advice from the foreign department is available – 23 years.
If you act negligently, you bear the costs
According to the Swiss Abroad Act it says: “Every person bears responsibility for the preparation and implementation of a stay abroad or when carrying out an activity abroad.” In the event of an evacuation, the fees can be waived. But that only happens if the person has not acted negligently.
According to the ordinance, a person behaves negligently who does not follow the recommendations of the federal government, such as travel advice and individual recommendations of the FDFA. It is therefore clear: all the people concerned who are currently still in Afghanistan have acted negligently.
Swiss plane to Uzbekistan: “More and more Swiss are reporting from Kabul”(01:06)
Amount between 400 and 1700 francs
According to the “Sunday newspaper” the bills for an evacuation flight are between 400 and 1700 francs, depending on the route. However, depending on the effort involved in the evacuation, there could be additional fees, says an EDA spokeswoman.
In this case, however, the FDFA has a margin of discretion. Extraordinary, unpredictable events can play a role as well as the question of whether someone has travel insurance or not. (What)