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Visa-exempt Schengen short stay

SwitzerlandShort stays and visits

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Explore pathways in Switzerland Read the five questions ↓

For the relevant traveller scope, is a visa, electronic authorisation, visa on arrival or no advance visa normally required?

No advance visa for nationals whom SEM lists as visa-exempt (checked via SEM's list of ID and visa provisions by nationality); for some nationalities the exemption applies only to holders of biometric passports. ETIAS is not yet required: in the near future nationals from 59 countries will have to obtain an ETIAS travel authorisation before travelling to the Schengen area, but at present travellers do not need to take any action.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The nationality matrix (which countries are exempt) was not captured; no universal nationality claim is made.

What short-visit purposes does this route cover?

Short-term stays without gainful employment, e.g. as a tourist or visitor. For some nationalities, a visa is still required for gainful occupation in construction/civil engineering, catering and hotels, cleaning, surveillance/security and erotic services, or for any other gainful occupation exceeding 8 days within a calendar year; for others, a visa is required for any gainful occupation, even of 8 days or less per calendar year.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • SEM does not give an exhaustive list of permitted visit purposes for visa-exempt travellers.

What maximum stay, rolling-period rule, validity and entry rules apply?

Third-country nationals may stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period; the days of entry and departure count. Stays longer than 90 days within 180 days require a permit. Once introduced, an ETIAS authorisation will be valid for up to three years or until the travel document expires and allows unlimited trips within the 90/180-day limit, without guaranteeing entry.

See recorded sources

What important funds, accommodation, invitation, insurance, onward-travel or passport evidence may be required?

The travel document must be valid for at least three months after the intended departure from the Schengen area and issued within the last 10 years. Visa-exempt travellers must prove the purpose and circumstances of the stay, have sufficient financial resources for the stay and return/transit (at least CHF 100 per day if self-funded; students with a valid student permit CHF 30 per day) and not be subject to an SIS entry-refusal alert, threat or entry ban. SEM recommends carrying a return ticket valid for a maximum of 90 days or an onward ticket (with any visa needed for the final destination), a letter of invitation when staying with private individuals, a hotel booking confirmation, and for business trips a letter from the inviting company (copies suffice).

See recorded sources
  • https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/themen/einreise/faq.0047.html
    be valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the Schengen area; and have been issued within the last 10 years.
  • https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/themen/einreise/faq.0047.html
    You must prove the purpose and circumstances of your stay in Switzerland and/or in the other countries you are visiting; You must have sufficient financial resources to cover the entire duration of your intended stay and for the return trip to your country of origin or for transit to a third country, or you must be able to obtain the necessary financial resources by some other lawful means; → See question 4.2 You must not be the subject of an alert issued in the Schengen Information System (SIS) for the purposes of refusing entry ; You must not pose a threat to Swiss security, public order, public health or the international relations of any of the Schengen states; You must not be subject to an expulsion order or any measure banning you from entering Switzerland. We recommend that you also carry the following documents with you: A return ticket valid for a maximum of 90 days or a ticket for continuing your journey to a country outside the Schengen area together with the visa required to enter the country of final destination; Letter of invitation to stay with private individuals or family members (no formal requirements, a copy is sufficient); → See question 9.1 Confirmation of a reservation at a hotel (a copy is sufficient); If you are on a business trip, a letter from the company that has invited you, confirming the dates of your stay (a copy is sufficient).
  • https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/themen/einreise/faq.0047.html
    Third-country nationals who remain in Switzerland at their own expense must be able to demonstrate their financial resources amounting to at least CHF 100 per day of their stay. Students with a valid student permit are required to demonstrate funds of CHF 30 per day.

Where/how is permission obtained when required, and under what important circumstances can a stay be extended or changed?

The checked official sources did not provide enough route-specific evidence to confirm where to apply and when a stay can be extended or changed.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • No exact active official source record and country-scoped substantive capture were available for this route at execution time.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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