Federal Office for Migration

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

Entry

Please note that the general visa and entry procedure is described in detail in our information sheet:

Welcome! – Information sheet for entry to Switzerland (59 Kb, pdf)

1. General information on entry and visa procedures
2. Special information on Schengen
3. Border-crossing / Travel documents
4. For hosts in Switzerland
5. Travelling in the Schengen area with a Swiss residence permit
6. Questions on granted or refused visas
7. Long-term residency in Switzerland (more than 3 months) / Employment in Switzerland
8. Other questions

1. General information on entry and visa procedures

What are the requirements for entry into Switzerland?

Do I require a visa?

What type of visa is appropriate for my travel purpose? What visa application form do I need to complete?

How long does the visa procedure take?

How much does a visa cost?

Airport transit visa

Making an appointment at the Embassy – submitting/completing a visa application form – documents required

I cannot reach the Embassy

I cannot download the visa application form. What should I do?

Vistor’s visa – period of validity

Obtaining a visa during travel abroad

Entry of persons not requiring a visa

Entry into Switzerland by stateless persons

Addresses of Swiss Embassies abroad

2. Special information on Schengen

How long may a foreign national remain within the Schengen Area?

Entry with a Schengen visa

I have a Schengen residence permit – do I require a visa for Switzerland?

I have a Type D visa containing an entry saying "Suisse". Does this visa authorise me to travel around in the Schengen area?

I have a residence permit for GB/ Ireland/ USA/ Canada – do I require a visa for Switzerland / for Schengen?

I am a third-country national and subject to visa requirements if I want to enter the Schengen area. Further, I am holder of a British, a Romanian or a Bulgarian residence permit. My spouse has British citizenship. Do I need a visa if I wish to enter the Schengen area? Do I have to pay for it?

Why is my British residence permit (EEA Family member Residence Documentation) not listed in the list of residence permits issued by the member states (Annex 2 to the Schengen Manual)?

Travel facilities for school pupils

When is a visa issued free of charge?

Visa exemption for Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania

Visa exemption will come into force on December 15, 2010. However, please note that visa exemption is only valid if following requirements are met:

The person who travels holds a biometric passport issued by Bosnia-Herzegovina or Albania.
It will be a short stay in the Schengen area (maximum 90 days in a half-year period)
There is no gainful employment
The citizens who have a gainful employment in Switzerland are required to hold a visa.

If you have any questions, please contact the Swiss Embassy responsible for the area in which you reside:
Swiss representations

Visa exemption for Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia

I am a Romanian/Bulgarian national – do I require a visa? Is my identity card valid for entry?

I am a South African national – do I require a visa?

I've been informed by the Swiss consulate abroad that I cannot enter the Schengen area because of an existing record in the Schengen information System (SIS). Whom can I contact?

How is the adequacy of financial resources determined for stays in Switzerland and within the Schengen Area?

I am holder of a residence permit/work permit issued by a Schengen member state. Am I allowed to work in Switzerland?

3. Border-crossing / Travel documents

May EU or EEA citizens who are travelling on a non-valid travel document or without a travel document made out in their name enter Switzerland?

Will Swiss citizens be admitted into an EU or EEA member state if they neither have a valid travel document nor one made out in their name?

Will Swiss citizens be admitted into a non-EU or EEA member state if they neither have a valid travel document nor one made out in their name?

Are citizens of a non-EU or EEA member state who are subject to visa requirements admitted into Switzerland if they travel on an expired passport or if their passport has been annulled but still contains a valid visa?

Are child entries in passports recognised as valid for entry?

Are infants who are citizens of an EU or EEA member state authorized to enter Switzerland if they do not hold a travel document made out in their name?

Can minors travelling alone or accompanied by persons other than their parents or who do not have custody enter or exit Switzerland?

Are Italian citizens holding a renewed Italian ID card admitted into Switzerland?

What to do if you have lost your travel document?

Validity of travel documents

What is an official passport? Is it different from a normal passport?

4. For hosts in Switzerland

I would like to invite a guest to Switzerland. How should I proceed?

I would like to invite a business partner to Switzerland for a meeting. How should I proceed?

Letter of Invitation

Declaration of sponsorship

Where should I submit the sponsorship declaration?

Travel insurance

I have invited someone to Switzerland. Meanwhile, this person has been granted a visa and now requests money, saying I had to send it her, purportedly because the Swiss Embassy had thus advised her. Am I under an obligation to send any money?

5. Travelling in the Schengen area with a Swiss residence permit

I have a Swiss residence permit. Do I still require a visa for the Schengen area? What about Great Britain and Ireland?

My identity document is currently being extended. Can I still travel?

Can I stay in Switzerland or in another Schengen member state after my Swiss residence permit has expired?

I am a Kosovo national with a B or C permit but no Kosovo passport. Can I travel to Schengen countries on my old passport? Can I travel to Kosovo via Austria?

I am the holder of an F or N permit. Do I have the right to travel within the Schengen area?

Addresses of foreign embassies in Switzerland

6. Questions on granted or refused visas

The Embassy has refused my visa application (receipt of form refusing a visa)

How do I remit an advance on costs?

On entering Switzerland, third-state nationals (people who are neither EU nor EEA citizens) must prove they have sufficient means of subsistence, regardless of whether they are subject to or exempt from visa requirements. What is extent of financial means is expected? Is cash the only form of showing that third-state nationals can support themselves while in Switzerland?

How can I extend my visa?

What is the status of my application?

7. Long-term residency in Switzerland (more than 3 months) / Employment in Switzerland

I would like a residence permit for Switzerland for more than 3 months

I have got married abroad. How can my husband enter Switzerland?

Family reunification

I would like to work in Switzerland

Duty to notify the authorities

Addresses of the cantonal migration and employment authorities

8. Other questions

Where can I find information on the statutory provisions regarding visa and border matters?

Importing household goods / customs formalities

I would like to bring my pet to Switzerland. What points need to be considered?

Buying property in Switzerland