This page was last updated on 16 December, 2021.
At a Glance
Travel Restrictions
Entry For Vaccinated Travelers: Allowed
Vaccination Requirements: In order to facilitate travel, the Swiss authorities have revealed that the country recognised as valid proof of immunity against the COVID-19 disease all the vaccines that have been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as well as the ones that are part of World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Listing, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Consequently, this means that all the vaccines listed below are recognised as valid proof of vaccination in Switzerland:
Comirnaty Pfizer/BioNTech by BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH
Spikevax, formerly Moderna by Moderna Biotech Spain, SL
Vaxzevria, formerly AstraZeneca by AstraZeneca Ab
Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) by Janssen – Cilag International NV
BIBP/Sinopharm by Beijing Institute of Biological Products
Covishield by Serum Institute of India
CoronaVac by Sinovac Life Sciences
Covaxin
“You will be regarded as vaccinated if you have been vaccinated with a vaccine that has been authorised by the European Medicines Agency for the European Union or is under the WHO Emergency Use Listing and has been administered in full in accordance with the requirements or recommendations of the country in which the vaccination was administered,” the statement of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reads.
Tourist Entry: Partially Allowed
Testing: Negative PCR test is required for all countries.
Quarantine Required: Depends
Quarantine Details: Quarantine for 10 days required for some countries.
Local Restrictions
Lockdown in Effect: Partial
Events: Partially Allowed
Transport: Operational
Shopping: Open
Restaurants and Bars: Open with restrictions
Detailed Travel Advisory
Published 08.12.2021
1. Passengers are not allowed to enter.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals and residents of Liechtenstein and Switzerland;
– passengers with a “D” visa issued by Switzerland;
– nationals and residents of EEA Member States;
– passengers arriving from Schengen Member States;
– passengers arriving from Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Hong Kong (SAR China), Indonesia, Ireland (Rep.), Jordan, Korea (Rep.), Kuwait, Macao (SAR China), Monaco, New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay or Vatican City (Holy See). If they transit through other countries, they must stay in the international transit area of the airport;
– spouses, registered partners, children under 21 years, grandchildren under 21 years, dependent children, dependent grandchildren, dependent parents or dependent grandparents of nationals of EEA Member States. They must present proof of their relationship;
– passengers with proof of being spouses, registered partners, children under 21 years, grandchildren under 21 years, dependent children, dependent grandchildren, dependent parents or dependent grandparents of “British Citizens”, “British Overseas Territories Citizens” from Gibraltar or British nationals with a Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode issued by the United Kingdom, who have a residence permit issued by Switzerland:
– with reference to the CH-UK agreement form 25 February 2019; or
– issued before 1 January 2021;
– unmarried partners of residents of Switzerland. They must have a written invitation from the residents in Switzerland and present proof of their relationship;
– passengers arriving from countries other than Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at most 12 months before arrival. Vaccines accepted are AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm and Sinovac. More details can be found at https://tinyurl.com/hyk4cbj7 ;
– unvaccinated passengers younger than 18 years if they are traveling with their fully vaccinated parents/guardians;
– merchant seamen;
– military personnel with a letter issued by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland or the Federal Department of Defense of Switzerland.
2. Passengers are not allowed to transit if arriving from a non-Schengen Member State to another Schengen Member State.
– This does not apply to:
– nationals and residents of EEA Member States and Switzerland;
– passengers arriving from Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Hong Kong (SAR China), Indonesia, Ireland (Rep.), Jordan, Korea (Rep.), Kuwait, Macao (SAR China), Monaco, New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay or Vatican City (Holy See). If they transit through other countries, they must stay in the international transit area of the airport;
– spouses, registered partners, children under 21 years, grandchildren under 21 years, dependent children, dependent grandchildren, dependent parents or dependent grandparents of nationals of EEA Member States and Switzerland. They must present proof of their relationship;
– passengers with a “D” visa issued by a Schengen Member State they are traveling to;
– passengers arriving from countries other than Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at most 12 months before arrival. Vaccines accepted are AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Covaxin, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm and Sinovac. More details can be found at https://tinyurl.com/hyk4cbj7 ;
3. Passengers must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at most 72 hours before departure from the first embarkation point.
– This does not apply to passengers younger than 16 years.
4. Passengers must:
– provide the contact details electronically at https://swissplf.admin.ch/home ; or
– complete the “Contact Tracing Card” form. The form is available at https://tinyurl.com/yckhd3sr or on board.
5. Passengers could be subject to quarantine for 10 days. A list of quarantine exemptions can be found at https://tinyurl.com/yjn3csr7
Detailed Tourist Information
EU nationals and passengers from Schengen countries can enter Switzerland.
Passengers from a few other Schengen-associated countries and low-risk countries are also allowed entry. On November 30th, these countries/regions are Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Jordan, Kuwait, Macao, Monaco, New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, UAE, Uruguay, and Vatican City, but you should check the list as it may change on short notice. If the travelers transit through other countries, they cannot leave the international transit area of the airport.
Passengers (who are not vaccinated) from other countries are not allowed entry unless they qualify for an exemption. These exemptions are frequently updated but they generally include Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens and residents (and their spouses or registered partners, children under 21, grandchildren under 21), nationals of EEA member states, and those with a compelling reason (in a situation “of absolute necessity”), among others. You should check the detailed list of exemptions, travel rules, and FAQ (https://bit.ly/3GlLMSF)
Fully vaccinated travelers who were fully vaccinated at most 12 months before arrival (who meet Switzerland’s vaccination requirements) are allowed entry.
Switzerland banned all flights from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, and Israel. Only Swiss nationals can currently return to Switzerland from these areas.
Switzerland also implemented an online tool, Travelcheck (https://travelcheck.admin.ch/home) , which gives you detailed travel rules based on your specific situation.
All travelers with vaccination certificates other than the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) or certificates compatible with the EUDCC must convert their vaccine certificate to a Swiss certificate before traveling to Switzerland. The application takes five days on average to process but it can also take longer in some cases. Switzerland recommends applying two weeks before traveling there. Those who are not resident in Switzerland will be charged 30 francs (about $32) for the application. The application and details are available here https://covidcertificate-form.admin.ch/foreign%C2%A0.
Effective December 4th, Switzerland removed the quarantine requirements for all travelers. However, it introduced stricter testing requirements instead. Everyone intending to enter Switzerland by air or bus must present a pre-travel PCR test (performed no more than 72 hours prior to boarding). Additionally, all travelers have to take a PCR or antigen test between the fourth and seventh day after entry. The test result (negative or positive) and the number of the entry form or a copy of the contact card must be self-reported to the local canton. Exemptions apply https://bit.ly/3EyLZkT (e.g. cross-border commuters, people under 16 who haven’t traveled from a country with a variant of concern).
All travelers will be required to fill out an online form with their contact details.
Lockdown Details
All shops are open. There are no restrictions on opening hours for service businesses.
Effective September 13th, all those over the age of 16 must present a COVID-19 certificate to go to a bar, restaurant, cinema, concert, theaters, fitness centers, swimming pools, museums, cultural events, casinos, zoos, libraries, water parks, and most big events. The certificate must show proof of vaccination, proof of recovery, or a recent negative test result. Effective October 11th, foreigners who have been vaccinated abroad with a vaccine approved by the EMA should be able to obtain a Swiss COVID-19 certificate. Those who cannot get their vaccine certificate recognized or are not fully vaccinated will have to have a negative test every 2 days (if the test is an antigen test) or 3 days (for PCR tests).
For a complete list of open businesses and permitted activities, check the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health website.
Sources
https://reopen.europa.eu/en/map/CHE/7002
Data Source: covidcontrols.co
