Whether you need a Switzerland visa or not depends on:
- The purpose of your trip.
- Nationality.
- Duration of your stay.
You should know that Switzerland visa comes into two categories:
- Non-immigrant visa (short-stay)
- Immigrant visas (long-stay)
If you stay in Switzerland for up to 90 days, then it is a short stay. If you stay longer than 90 days, then it is a long stay.
A few nationalities are exempt from Switzerland’s short-stay visa. They have the right to enter the country with travel documents or passports. The EU/EEA citizens are examples of such countries. If they want to stay longer, they must apply for the appropriate type of visa.
Many more countries need a short-stay visa to the Netherlands. They must apply for a visa even if they stay in the country for one day. The type of visa depends on the purpose of their visit to Switzerland. It could be:
- Business.
- Work.
- Studying.
- Tourism.
Anyone who wants to stay in Switzerland for longer than 90 days, needs a Switzerland long-stay visa. The type of visa they need depends on the purpose of their visit.
Requirements for Switzerland visa
The requirements for a Switzerland visa are as follows:
Application form for Switzerland Visa
You should download the related application form and complete it. Please be careful with what you fill in. The information you put in should be the same as your documents. Then sign and date it. Keep it to submit at your interview.
Two photos
They must be taken in the past three months, 35x45mm dimensions with a light background.
Passport/travel document
It must get issued in the past ten years, not later than that, with two blank pages. Its validity must be for three months beyond the date your trip ends. If you have had other passports, provide a copy of their personal details page. You need to submit a copy of your previous visas too.
Medical health insurance
It must be valid and cover your medical costs in Switzerland and the Schengen states for €30,000.
Cover letter
It is from you to the Swiss government explaining:
- The purpose of your visit to Switzerland.
- How you will cover your expenses.
- In case your host will cover you, his name, address, and your relationship to him.
- Proving that you have ties to return to your home country.
- Your itinerary.
Proof of accommodation
You must provide a document of the place you will stay in Switzerland. It is either:
- a hotel reservation receipt,
- invitation form,
- or rental contract.
Civil status
It includes your marriage certificate, your child’s birth certificate, spouse death certificate, etc.
Proof to have enough funds
You must prove to the Swiss officials that you have enough funds to cover your expenses in Switzerland. You will need at least €92.34 for every day you stay in this country.
The required documents according to your job status
Employed
- Contract of employment.
- Bank statements for the past six months.
- Permission letter from your employer.
- Income Tax Return (ITR)
Self-employed
- A copy of your business certificate/ registration
- The bank statements of your company for the past six months.
- Income Tax Return (ITR)
Students
- Enrollment proof
- Permission leave from your university/school.
Retired
- Pension statement for the past six months.
Visa Requirements for Minors
- Proof of parent’s regular income. It could be:
- work contract that shows monthly income
- bank statement
- business license
- Parents’ formal travel permission.
- If the child is traveling with one parent, formal permission of both is required.
Switzerland visa types
Different types of Switzerland visas are s follows;
Non-immigrant visa (short-stay visa)
Visitor visa
The types of visitor visas is as follows:
Switzerland Airport Transit Visa
Switzerland is one of the Schengen countries with lots of visitors. Since it is in the center of Europe, many planes pass through it and have a stop there. Based on your nationality, you might need a Switzerland Airport Transit Visa to catch a connecting flight in this country.
A Switzerland airport transit visa is a short-stay visa that also gets called an A-visa. With this visa, you can transit through one of the Swiss airports to take another flight to a non-Schengen country.
If you have this visa, you may not leave the Swiss airport you are transiting through.
Tourist Visa
Switzerland, with hundreds of villages and lakes and the high peaks of the Alps, is one of the most visited European countries. If you want to visit the land of Rolex watches for a holiday, you might need a Switzerland tourist visa.
A Switzerland tourist visa comes under the Switzerland short-stay visa category. As the name implies, it is for tourists who want to visit the country or people who want to visit friends and family. It also gets called the Switzerland Schengen visa. When you have a Switzerland Tourist Visa, you can visit all the other Schengen countries.
Whether you need a tourist visa for Switzerland depends on your nationality. The citizens of EU/EEA and a few more are exempt from it. Yet, many more need it.
Business Visa
Switzerland’s economy is one of the world’s most advanced free-market economies. From Swiss watches to chocolate, there are lots of business opportunities available. If you want to visit Switzerland to expand your business, you might need a Switzerland business visa.
Switzerland is one of the Schengen states. So, the members of the following list don’t need a visa for short-stays and an also business visa:
- 26 members of Schengen Area
- EU
- EEA
Apart from the above list, other countries and states are also free of Switzerland short-stay visa. See the section above to know if you need a Switzerland short-stay visa or not.
If you don’t need a short-stay visa to Switzerland, you don’t need to apply for a business visa. It is true when you want to stay for up to 90 days. If you stay longer, you need a visa.
If your nationality needs a short-stay visa, then you should apply for a business visa. The duration of your stay does not matter.
Student visa
If you want to take a short-term study course in Switzerland, you might need a visa. The short-term means up to 90 days. Not all foreign students need this visa. The situation divides into two categories;
Countries that don’t need a short-stay visa
If you don’t need a Switzerland short-stay visa, you don’t need to apply for a Switzerland student visa for short-term studies. For instance, the EU/EEA nationals who want to study in Switzerland for up to three months, don’t need a visa. But if they want to study longer, they need to apply for D-visa.
Countries that need a short-stay visa
If your country needs a short-stay visa for Switzerland, you must apply for a C visa – for short courses (summer schools, language schools) that last only up to three months. If the study course takes longer than 90 days, you must get a D visa –for courses that last longer than three months.
As explained, see the section above to know if your nationality needs a short-stay or long-stay visa for Switzerland.
Immigrant visas (Long-stay visa)
Work Visa
In case you want to get a job in Switzerland, you might need a visa. You should know the different application rules for EU and non-EU citizens.
The EU and EFTA citizens can travel to Switzerland to find a job for three months. It can get extend to six months under particular circumstances.
Whether the non-EU citizens can get a job in Switzerland depends on:
- Existing work quotas.
- Your educational level.
- Work experience.
- That no EU/EFTA candidate is available for the position.
You can not get a job in Switzerland under a tourist or business trip. If you want to work, you must leave the country and apply from your home country.
The EU/EEA citizens don’t need a visa to work in Switzerland for up to 90 days. They must register with the authorities. For longer, they need a residence permit.
Non-EU citizens need a work visa and a residence permit. Please note that the residence permit allows you to work while the work visa allows you to enter the country.
To get a Switzerland work visa, you must first have a job offer from an employer in Switzerland. Your to be employer will apply for a work permit on your behalf. When the work permit granted, you can apply for a work visa.
Other visas
Return Visa
You have a Swiss residence permit traveling abroad and;
- You lost your residence permit
- The residence permit got stolen.
What would you do?
You can apply for a return visa to get back to Switzerland.
Please note that the return visa is only for the Swiss residence permit holder whose document has been stolen or lost. If you have been out of Switzerland for too long and the residence permit has been revoked, you must apply for a new one.
You can apply for a return visa to the Swiss embassy or consulate of the country you are staying in.
Family Reunion Visa
Swiss citizens can bring their family members to the country under a Family Reunion Visa. The family members they can bring are as follows:
- Spouse, registered partnership,
- Children under the age of 18.
If they live for five steady years, they can get citizenship. Your family residence permit is valid the same as yours. The rules and regulations may differ according to your nationality.
Only the relatives of those who have a permanent residence can apply for a Family Reunion Visa. Temporary residents have to get special permission from local authorities to bring their family members to Switzerland.
Swiss Permanent Residence Permit
The citizens of every country that want to stay in Switzerland for longer than 90 days need a residence permit. The residence permit you will get is:
- Permit B.
or
- Permit L.
The validity of both permits is one year. While you can extend Permit B every year, Permit L can only get extended once.
Only the residence permit holders can apply for a Swiss Permanent Residence Permit. You must fulfill a few requirements to be eligible for permanent residence. The first requirement is to live in Switzerland for a few years. The required years differ based on your nationality and conditions.