A case of forged documents in Switzerland, which resulted in nearly 50 people being detained, has revealed that many people have obtained false documents and are continuing their stay in the Swiss territory with such documents.
According to an article published by SRF, about ten per cent of residence permits are obtained through unlawful ways, as Alexander Ott of the Bernese immigration police reveals, Schengen.News reports.
We assume that ten per cent of the residence permits were obtained fraudulently. There is certainly a large number of unreported cases.
The issue of counterfeit documents needs to be tackled urgently, especially due to the fact that these documents are very accessible.
A search in the darknet could reveal that buying a Swiss or EU passport costs around CHF 1,600, which is approximately €1,700. The offers are also being heavily advertised on social media, as nau.ch reports.
Moreover, there is a wide range of documents that are offered, with the advertisements often being in English or the Russian language. The selection of documents that could be bought ranges from identity cards to passports and residence permits. The new Swiss ID, issued in 2023, could also be forged, as was reported by the authorities.
Investigators Say That Fradulent Documents Are a Serious Issue in Switzerland
According to Simon Baechler, the head of the Neuchâtel Criminal Investigation Department, the issue of forged documents is more common than it is believed to be.
Foreigners often come to Switzerland presenting fake identity cards from Bulgaria, Lithuania, or Belgium to obtain their residency permits.
The magnitude is realistic. The more you search, the more you find.
The reason why fraudulent documents could be on the rise is related to the fact that many people have yet to learn about the security features that a passport holds, while the authorities also reveal that counterfeit documents are getting increasingly more advanced.
According to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security, 1,863 forged identity documents were collected at the Swiss border in 2024, with this number being on the rise ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
Marcel Schafroth, a document expert at the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security, says that the counterfeit documents are increasingly improving, especially when it comes to plastic documents. In this case, the border guards also need training to detect such documents, as the expert recommends.