AVS for students (OASI / AHV)

Last checked: 8 October 2026. Unofficial student guide, not EPFL or government advice: confirm on the linked official pages before you act. Unfamiliar abbreviation? See the Glossary.

Most international students on a B study permit don’t pay: when the spring invoice comes from the Vaud AVS office, send a copy of your B permit for studies so they can grant a full exemption.

Civil domicile (domicile civil): the place Swiss civil law treats as your settled home , not merely where you stay temporarily to study.

Students with civil domicile in Switzerland

Official federal leaflet 2.10 (status 1 January 2025): Swiss and foreign students with civil domicile in Switzerland must pay a minimum annual contribution of CHF 530 to AVS/AI/APG from the 1 January following their 20th birthday. Compensation offices may add administration fees of up to 5%.

From the 1 January following their 25th birthday, students without gainful employment no longer pay only the flat student minimum; they pay contributions based on their social/financial situation (see leaflet 2.03 on non-employed persons).

If you study and work, you pay contributions on salary from the 1 January following your 17th birthday (employee + employer shares via payroll).

Source: 2.10 – Cotisations des étudiants à l’AVS, à l’AI et aux APG

Exemptions / reductions (federal leaflet 2.10)

You do not have to pay the student AVS/AI/APG contributions if:

1. You can prove that you (and your employer) already paid at least CHF 530 that year on employment income or loss-of-earnings allowances; or
2. You stay in Switzerland only to study and therefore have no civil domicile there; or
3. Your spouse is insured and gainfully employed under AVS rules and paid at least CHF 1,060 that year (double the minimum, including employer shares).

If employment contributions for the year are below CHF 530, you pay only the difference.

Source: same leaflet 2.10

How it works in Canton of Vaud (study place)

The Caisse cantonale vaudoise de compensation AVS (student affiliation is by place of study, not necessarily domicile):

• Universities/schools in Vaud send student lists; you typically receive an annual invoice in spring for the previous calendar year (example they give: spring 2026 invoice for 2025).
• The invoice is payable within 30 days, or send proof for full/partial exemption. For “stay only for studies / no civil domicile”, their table lists autorisation de séjour B pour études → exonération totale.
• Payment plans may be available (their page mentions from CHF 50/month) or an extra deadline on request.

Source: Étudiant·e·s | Caisse cantonale vaudoise de compensation AVS

Contact (from that page): Rue des Moulins 3, 1800 Vevey · +41 21 964 12 11 · online contact form on the caisse site.