From January 1, 2026, all conscripts up to the age of 40 will have to join the civil defence in Switzerland. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The Federal Council has implemented this measure to increase the number of civil defence personnel as of this date. Civil defence is already understaffed today. The increase in the civil defence age removes the reduction to 36 years of age in 2021 at team level and for non-commissioned officers, as announced by the Federal Council on Wednesday regarding the implementation of the partial revision of the Civil Protection and Civil Defence Act (CPA). This will increase the pool of people who have already completed their military service. The transitional period granted to the cantons to implement the lower age limit until the end of 2025 will therefore also be cancelled. Emergency meeting Parliament adopted the partial revision in March. This comprises two parts. In order to quickly address the acute shortage, the ...
