Read the policies, reports, and plans on how we address issues like racism and reduce our carbon footprint, ensuring our actions align with the highest ethical standards.
In more than 70 countries, Médecins Sans Frontières provides medical humanitarian assistance to save lives and ease the suffering of people in crisis situations.
MSF Access pushes for access to, and the development of, life-saving and life-prolonging medicines, diagnostic tests and vaccines for people in our programmes and beyond.
Based in Paris, CRASH conducts and directs studies and analysis of MSF actions. They participate in internal training sessions and assessment missions in the field.
Based in Geneva, UREPH (or Research Unit) aims to improve the way MSF projects are implemented in the field and to participate in critical thinking on humanitarian and medical action.
Based in Brussels, MSF Analysis intends to stimulate reflection and debate on humanitarian topics organised around the themes of migration, refugees, aid access, health policy and the environment in which aid operates.
This logistical and supply centre in Brussels provides storage of and delivers medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions.
This supply and logistics centre in Bordeaux, France, provides warehousing and delivery of medical equipment, logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions.
This logistical centre in Amsterdam purchases, tests, and stores equipment including vehicles, communications material, power supplies, water-processing facilities and nutritional supplements.
BRAMU specialises in neglected tropical diseases, such as dengue and Chagas, and other infectious diseases. This medical unit is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Our medical guidelines are based on scientific data collected from MSF’s experiences, the World Health Organization (WHO), other renowned international medical institutions, and medical and scientific journals.
Providing epidemiological expertise to underpin our operations, conducting research and training to support our goal of providing medical aid in areas where people are affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or excluded from health care.
Evaluation Units have been established in Vienna, Stockholm, and Paris, assessing the potential and limitations of medical humanitarian action, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of our medical humanitarian work.
MSF works with LGBTQI+ populations in many settings over the last 25-30 years. LGBTQI+ people face healthcare disparities with limited access to care and higher disease rates than the general population.
The Luxembourg Operational Research (LuxOR) unit coordinates field research projects and operational research training, and provides support for documentation activities and routine data collection.
The MSF Paediatric Days is an event for paediatric field staff, policy makers and academia to exchange ideas, align efforts, inspire and share frontline research to advance urgent paediatric issues of direct concern for the humanitarian field.
The MSF Foundation aims to create a fertile arena for logistics and medical knowledge-sharing to meet the needs of MSF and the humanitarian sector as a whole.
A collaborative, patients’ needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development organisation that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases, founded in 2003 by seven organisations from around the world.
Noma is a preventable and treatable neglected disease, but 90 per cent of people will die within the first two weeks of infection if they do not receive treatment.
The GeoMSF platform is a dynamic one-stop-shop website for all of MSF's GIS related services and products. Access maps and applications through the catalogue, request geographical support, or produce a map on GeoMSF.
Frequently Asked Questions on Domicile Determination
Why do we need to identify domicile?
MSF’s pay structure is determined partly by salaries of other international NGOs (check Global Salary Grid) and partly by comparable salaries in the country of domicile (check home based top-ups). In addition, domicile determines where the contract will be issued for all countries where there are MSF Contracting Sections, in order to better integrate staff, whenever possible into their home social systems For countries where MSF does not have a Contracting Section, internationally mobile staff are contracted by International Contracting Office (ICO).
What is the domicile linked to in terms of pay and benefits?
In terms of pay & benefits policy, a person’s domicile has an impact on salary grid determination and determining travel & return ticket destination.
It also determines where MSF contracts the staff member. Contract location impacts statutory benefits, especially .
For countries where MSF does not have a Contracting Section, internationally mobile staff are contracted by the International Contracting Office (ICO) based in the MSF IO in Switzerland which means contracts for these staff are based on Swiss law.
Irrespective of contract location, a person’s domicile also influences income taxation obligations (for which the person remains responsible for declaring).
How is domicile defined?
The domicile is defined as the country in which the “epicenter” of one’s personal vital interests is located. The term “residency” is often used synonymously, but it is not the same. One person can have several residencies, but only one domicile. Joining MSF means becoming mobile and change – often frequently – the locations where international staff stay. However, this does not automatically mean that the domicile is changed likewise. The domicile is usually the place where someone has voluntarily fixed the habitation for him-/herself (and family) with the intention to stay there permanently, not for a mere special or temporary purpose.
What are the factors that help defining domicile?
The following is a not exclusive list of factors which can help determining domicile and eventually documents which help supporting them:
The country where the person pays taxes (based on documents from tax offices)
The country in which the person continues to have a (own or rented) house at their disposal (based on bank statement, utility bills, other official documentation, etc.)
The country where a person is legally able to work (based on work permit or passport or Social Security number)
The country in which the person’s dependent family is domiciled (based on international staff’s self-declaration)
The country to which the person wants to be repatriated in case of a medical evacuation (based on international staff’s self-declaration)
The country where the person is registered in the municipal population register (based on municipal registration certificate or electoral vote register)
The country in which the person has a bank and/or savings account, and cash withdrawals are regularly made (financial ties) (based on bank statement)
The country in which the person takes out private insurances (based on certificate from the insurance company or from private pension plan company)
The country that have issued the passport or visa of the person (if showing an official home address)
What are the documents needed to prove domicile?
The documents mentioned above might be necessary to “prove” one’s domicile. However, it is not possible to define a minimum number or required criteria as it largely depends on individual situation and the legal situation in country of that Contracting Section, as is the documentation needed to be able to issue a contract for international staff with domicile in a certain country depends on the legal situation in each Contracting Section.
Note: If the international staff member has no link with the country of nationality, but cannot prove domicile elsewhere either, the mission country will become the domicile for the duration of the mission. Pay will be positioned corresponding to the mission country, whilst the ICO will issue the contract. These situations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
When possible, a contract in the country of domicile provides substantial advantages in terms of access to social benefits and retirement benefits in particular.
