Embassy of Switzerland in Sri Lanka
Federal Office of Public Health - Media release 27.01.2021
Entry regulations Switzerland
Switzerland suspends the entry of foreigners from non-EU/EFTA countries and the United Kingdom for short stays of up to 90 days (with few exceptions) until further notice. Airport transfer is permitted without restrictions. For details please refer to the webpage of the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration SEM.
The new test-and-release strategy (starting 08.02.2021) also applies to persons arriving in Switzerland from a country or region with a high risk of infection. On arrival, these travellers must present valid proof of a negative PCR test result that is no more than 72 hours old. They then have to quarantine for ten days; they can leave quarantine after seven days if they again test negative (antigen rapid test or PCR test). All persons arriving by air even from a country that is not considered high risk must be able to show a negative PCR test result before boarding the plane. You can find more detailed information on the Federal Office of Public Health webpage.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) - 19.01.2021
Swiss Travelers in Sri Lanka and the Maldives should register on TravelAdmin. The data collected will facilitate the evaluation of the presence of Swiss citizens in the respective countries.
Please regularly consult the travel advice of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.
All Swiss citizens in Sri Lanka and the Maldives are advised to follow the instructions and recommendations of the respective local authorities.
Should you plan to travel out of Sri Lanka or the Maldives, please contact the airlines directly. Also, please visit the following webpages regularly for updates on flights:
www.caa.lk (Sri Lankan Civil Aviation Authorities)
www.sltda.gov.lk (Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority)
www.caa.gov.mv (Maldivian Civil Aviation Authorities)
www.iata.com (International Air Traffic Association)
If you have further questions, please direct your inquiry to colombo@eda.admin.ch or call +94 (11) 269 5117. Further, you may also contact the Helpline of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (Tel. +41 800 24-7-365 / +41 58 465 33 33). In an emergency, the FDFA Helpline can be contacted around the clock.
For health related questions or needs, please consult with your physician, hospital and the local authorities. For Swiss sources, you may consult information of the Federal Office of Public Health FHPO. The FHPO has a hotline, available 24/7, for your questions: +41 58 463 00 00.
Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan authorities announced that the international airports in the country (Colombo BIA and Mattala HRI) will be reopened for inbound flights on 21.01.2021.
Here (PDF, 1.9 MB) you can read the Sri Lanka Tourism safety protocols published by the Ministry of Tourism based on the health guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health.
Guide for Tourists arriving in Sri Lanka. (JPG, 94.2 kB)
For regular updates on the situation in Sri Lanka related to Covid-19, you can go to the following webpage:
Health Promotion Bureau Sri Lanka
Maldives
The airport in the Maldives was reopened on 15.07.2020 for tourists' arrivals. Please note that a negative PCR-test is mandatory: the sample for the PCR test must be taken not more than 96 hours prior to the scheduled time of departure from the first port of embarkation en-route to Maldives.
For regular updates on the situation in the Maldives related to Covid-19, you can go to the following webpage:
As the official representation of Switzerland, the Embassy covers all matters concerning diplomatic relations between the two countries. It represents Swiss interests in the areas of political, economic, financial and legal affairs, as well as science, education and culture.
