Widow’s pension from Switzerland

My Swiss husband recently passed away. Can I claim a widow’s pension?

Whether or not you can claim a widow’s pension after your husbands death depends on several factors.

If you were married at the time of your husband’s death, you must either have children or you must be at least 45 years old. If you do not have children, you must have been married to your late husband for at least 5 years prior to his death.

The widow’s pension you are entitled to receive from the social security office is equal to 80% of the old-age pension which your husband was eligible for.

If your husband was part of an occupational pension fund (pillar 2a), you can claim a widow’s pension equal to around 60% of his old-age pension from the pension fund. The exact pension you receive depends on the terms of your husband’s contract with his pension fund.

I have another question for this theme. My mother is Ukrainian. She married a Swiss last year and they made a decision to live in Ukraine because my mother has all family here. Her husband says that she can have a Swiss passport and a widow pension even if she will live in the Ukraine. I think he is not right. Can she have a widow pension if she will not have a Swiss passport and will live in the Ukraine? Can she have a Swiss passport without living in Switzerland? Thank you.

A person married to a Swiss citizen can obtain a Swiss passport, but only if certain requirements are met. The foreign spouse of a Swiss citizen can apply for Swiss citizenship if they have been married to the Swiss citizen for a minimum of 6 years and have a strong connection to Switzerland. You can find more information about expedited naturalization applications for spouses of Swiss citizens here.

Even if the foreign wife of a Swiss citizen does not have Swiss citizenship, she can still claim a widows pension based on her husband's social security contributions. You can find the application form here. The link "The deceased was a citizen of another country" will take you to the appropriate widow's pension application form for Ukrainian citizens. Different procedures apply to citizens of different countries, depending on the social security agreements which each country shares with Switzerland.

Best regards from Moneyguru

My husband died in 2016 ~ i did not realise i was entitled to a pension so i applied for a widows pension in June of this year ~ i also registered my husbands death in June of this year and my name change. All forms have been completed and accepted. I just heard from Swiss Embassy London that this next step ~ getting my name change document to place of origin Luzern ~ can take up to 6 months. Is this normal ? During these challenging times i could do with some assistance.

Thank you 

I would be very surprised if it took that long. Public offices in Switzerland are generally very efficient. In any case, you have the right to revert to your maiden name any time after your husband's death. This shouldn't impact your widow's pension at all.

P.s. If your husband was working for a Swiss employer at the time of his passing, you would be entitled to a widow's pension from his occupational pension fund in addition to the social security pension (AHV).