Iranian parents with Swiss visa unable to travel due to war + medical emergency – options?
Hi everyone,
I am looking for advice or similar experiences.
My parents and older sister are Iranian and live in Iran. They were supposed to visit me and my partner in Switzerland from April 28 to May 23 (they have a valid Swiss Schengen visa from Swiss Embassy in Iran from April 28 to May 25). However, due to the current war situation, their flight was canceled and at the moment they are unable to travel.
The situation is quite serious:
My mother has cancer and finished chemotherapy last month. Initially, her radiotherapy was planned to be completed by mid-April so she would be able to travel, but due to the war and disruptions in the healthcare system, it has been delayed and is now expected to continue until early May.
My father is at his 80s and had knee replacement surgery 2 months ago, so traveling is very difficult for him without support.
Swiss embassies in Iran is currently closed or not operational and they cannot go to neighboring countries like UAE for obvious reasons.
This is especially difficult because last year we already had to delay important family plans (including our wedding) due to the 12-day war, and now again everything is uncertain.
I live in Aargau with my partner (we are both EU citizens).
My questions:
Is it possible to extend or reissue their Swiss visa under humanitarian or force majeure circumstances from outside Switzerland? where should I contact for this matter?
Would it make sense for them to travel to Switzerland close to the end of their visa validity and then apply for an extension here due to medical reasons?
Has anyone done something similar, or contacted Swiss cantonal migration offices in advance in such situations?
Any experience with how Swiss authorities handle these kinds of exceptional humanitarian cases?
I’m especially worried because it would be very stressful and risky for them to arrive with only a few days left on their visa and then try to solve everything under time pressure.
Any advice or shared experience would really mean a lot right now.
Thank you 🙏