Transit visa rules
Travellers resident in the UK should be in possession of a ‘share code’ when passing through a Swiss airport.
If you hold a valid UK visa, this does not exempt you from visa requirements for transit through Switzerland.
Visa – Entry to and residence in Switzerland
Important Information regarding appointments
The availability of appointments is updated on a daily basis based on the processing capacity at VFSGlobal and the Embassy of Switzerland. If you do not find an available appointment, you will need to log in again.
It is the responsibility of the traveller to book a visa appointment in advance according to planned travel.
Appointments for short stay (up to 90 days) visa applications can only be booked through our Visa Application Centre VFSGlobal.
Queries for earlier appointments will not be answered.
Information for UK citizens
Entry: UK citizens do not require an entry visa for Switzerland for either short stays (up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the whole Schengen Area) or for long stays (over 90 days). For information on the validity of travel documents of third-country nationals (non EU/EFTA citizens) see Question 1.3 in the Frequently Asked Questions on Entry.
Residence, study and work: All enquiries about obtaining a permit for living, studying and working in Switzerland must be addressed directly to the responsible cantonal immigration and labour market authorities. See also the Frequently Asked Questions for UK citizens.
Information for British Travel Document holders
Holders of British Travel Documents blue and red cover (Convention of 28 July 1951 and Convention of 28 September 1954) do not need a visa for short stays in Switzerland up to 90 days in any 180-day period. If you are planning on entering the Schengen Area through another Schengen state, you must check the entry requirements for British travel document holders with the respective authorities in that state.
Various regulations apply for entering Switzerland. A basic distinction is made between citizens of the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries and those of other countries. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is the responsible authority in Switzerland.
Since Switzerland’s adherence to the Schengen and Dublin agreements came into force (12 December 2008), Swiss representations abroad are able to issue certain categories of visa, depending on the length of stay and purpose of the journey in Switzerland. Please select one of the following options.
