Short-term Swiss tourist visa (Swiss Schengen visa)

If you are not from the EU or EFTA and wish to come to Switzerland to stay for three months (but not more than three months), make sure you first have a valid passport or travel document.

Swiss tourist visas for stays of less than three months are short-term Schengen visas that allow entry to the entire Schengen area, including Switzerland, for 180 days. Switzerland Schengen visas are usually used for tourism, business, participation in sporting or cultural events or educational programs. If you want to stay longer, you will need a long-term Swiss visa to enter the country.

In some cases, some non-EU citizens do not require a visa to enter Switzerland. For example, Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians and US citizens are exempt from Swiss visa requirements unless they come to work for more than eight days or in certain occupations. Citizens of Japan, Malaysia and Singapore do not require a visa to enter Switzerland, but they must submit the same documents when applying for a residence permit.

However, most other nationalities require a Swiss tourist visa. Unless you already have a long-term residence permit issued by another Schengen country, which is equivalent to a visa. Nonetheless, these long-term residence permits do not give you the right to work in Switzerland. Temporary residence permits - L and B permits issued for one year - are different from Swiss visas.

If you are employed by a business based elsewhere in the EU/EFTA and that company sends you to work in Switzerland, you can enter Switzerland and stay in the country for 90 days, but you should Notify authorities.

If you hold a Swiss B, C or L permit, you do not need a Schengen visa as long as you are traveling with a valid passport or travel ID card and residence permit.

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