According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, around 260,000 Portuguese citizens with a citizen card reside in Switzerland, a number that has remained stable over the last few years, slightly below the historical maximum, recorded in 2016 (around 275 thousand), and only behind France, where the model of double celebrations of Portugal Day was inaugurated, eight years ago.

Since the head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, launched the double celebrations in 2016, in conjunction with the then prime minister, António Costa, and with the participation of both, an unprecedented model of double celebrations of the 10th of June, first in Portugal and then together with Portuguese communities abroad. Switzerland is the seventh foreign country to host the celebration, after France (2016), Brazil (2017), United States (2018), Cape Verde (2019), United Kingdom (2022) and Africa do Sul (2023), and in 2020 and 2021 there were only ceremonies in Portugal due to the covid-19 pandemic.

During the celebrations in Switzerland with the Portuguese community, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luís Montenegro will visit Geneva, Bern, and Zurich on Tuesday and Wednesday.