Indeed there is some wrong information here. Let me try to clarify the process.
According to the AFMP and the Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO), EU/EFTA citizens have the same right to export their AHV/AVS pension worldwide as Swiss citizens. While “third-country” nationals (e.g., from India or Brazil) may lose their pension if they move to a country without a bilateral agreement, EU citizens do not. Because of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) , your Swiss retirement (AHV/AVS) is “exportable” anywhere in the world.
You can receive your Swiss AHV pension anywhere in the world. It does not matter if Switzerland has a social security agreement with the specific country.
If you retire early and travel before reaching the official AHV retirement age, you will have “contribution gaps.” Each year of missing contributions reduces your final pension by about 2.3%.
The 5-Year Rule: EU citizens moving to a “third country” (outside EU/EFTA) can join the Voluntary AHV to keep paying in and avoid gaps. You must have been insured under the compulsory AHV for at least 5 consecutive years immediately before leaving Switzerland. You must apply to the Swiss Compensation Office (SCO) in Geneva within one year of leaving the compulsory system. Instead of a life certificate, the SCO focuses on your payment status. If you fail to pay your contributions for more than a year without a valid reason, you are automatically excluded from the voluntary insurance scheme and cannot re-join.
When you retire, every year the SCO will send you a “Life Certificate” (Lebensbescheinigung). You must have this signed by a local authority (embassy, notary, or police) and mail it back. If you are roaming, you need a reliable correspondence address or a way to receive this mail, or your payments will stop. You can have the pension paid to a Swiss bank account or a foreign account. Unlike Swiss nationals who often benefit from an “automated exchange” between Swiss embassies and the SCO, non-Swiss EU citizens residing outside the EU/EFTA usually must complete the manual life certificate process.
At retirement age there are significant differences how to claim the pension depending on your place of residence - in the UK it’s IPC Newcastle, in Spain it’s INSS, in Thailand or other non EU country direct payment by SCO Geneva. EU countries + UK use the EESSI, you do not apply for Swiss pension directly. If you reside outside the EU you need to contact SCO and submit form 318.370. Regarding the life certificate, non-Swiss EU citizens still don’t benefit from the automated data exchange and will need to fill out the manual form. Outside the EU the manual form is mandatory.
This wasn’t part of the original question but I figured it’s worth clarifying the health insurance situation. The country responsible for your health insurance (the “competent state”) is determined by where you receive your pension, not necessarily where you lived last. If you only receive a Swiss pension: Switzerland is responsible for your health insurance. Your Swiss insurer will issue the S1 Form, which you register in your EU country of residence to receive local healthcare. If you receive a pension from your EU residence country: That country is responsible for your health insurance. You do not need (and cannot usually have) Swiss insurance or an S1 Form. If you receive pensions from multiple countries (including Switzerland) but NOT from your EU residence country: The country where you were insured for the longest period is generally responsible for your health insurance and the S1 Form. If you live outside the EU you need to get a private health insurance. For specific calculations or if you have pensions from several EU countries, you should contact the Common Institution under the Federal Health Insurance Act (Gemeinsame Einrichtung KVG) in Solothurn, as they manage health insurance coordination for people living abroad.
What S1 Form means in practice: You receive medical treatment in your new country just like a local citizen, but Switzerland pays the bill behind the scenes. You do not pay the high “Swiss-resident” rates. Swiss insurers have special tariffs for residents in EU countries, which are usually significantly cheaper. One of the biggest perks of being under the Swiss system (LAMal) is that you usually retain the right to travel back (Right to return) to Switzerland specifically for medical treatment, which will be covered at Swiss rates. You can compare Swiss health insurance premiums on the official Priminfo.ch calculator by selecting “Residence abroad.” In most cases, you cannot keep your Swiss basic insurance (LAMal) when you move your permanent residence to a non-EU/EFTA country. You must deregister and cancel it.
but the question here concerns the payment of the AVS pension when the time comes. The administrative guide is not very clear in my opinion Social security agreements In principle, the payment should be made regardless of place of residence, but this is an EU document driven, and it’s not the first time that bureaucrats have overlooked something, possibly leaving Switzerland free to treat Swiss and European citizens differently as soon as they leave either of these two territories.