Visa Switzerland, we help you to get an overview. When do you need a visa? If you decide to enter Switzerland, you will need one. Of course, it is important to distinguish how long your stay is and for what reason you want to enter. Are you only here as a visitor or vacationer or do you want to work here or even live and work here for a longer period of time? All these questions must be clarified in advance, so that you can then apply for the right visa in the following.
As already mentioned, there are two different types of visas, in Switzerland there are exactly two pieces that are distinguished.
Visa types in Switzerland
The visa application form C or also called Schengen visa, you need for a stay up to 90 days. This visa is used for tourism and visitor purposes. However, if you want to use this visa for gainful employment, you must also present a work permit.
There is also the visa application form-national visa D. This visa allows a stay for more than 90 days, including gainful employment or family reunification, for persons already residing and working in Switzerland.
These visas can either be obtained from the Swiss diplomatic mission or downloaded directly online if you do not need a contact person.
The download is available at the following link:
Visa application form (admin.ch)
Visa Switzerland – What to consider?
Here you will find a list of what you should pay attention to:
- You should fill out the application as early as possible, because the processing time is usually 6-8 weeks, sometimes even longer if you just get a lot of applications at once.
- Note that there are costs associated with these visa applications. A visa for an adult costs about 80 CHF and a visa for a child costs about 40 CHF. Children are only those who are between 6-12 years old.
- If you download the application and fill it out yourself, be sure not to forget any signatures and attach important documents, otherwise the processing may take even longer.
- If you fill out the application yourself, please hand it in at the Swiss representation abroad.
In some cases you have the possibility to apply for a visa online and return it online. For more information and whether this is explicitly possible in your case, see the following link.
Online visa system (swiss-visa.ch)
Furthermore, if you want to move to Switzerland for a job, you can ask all questions and procedures at the so-called Office for Migration and Labor Market Authority in the respective canton you want to enter.
If you only want to come to Switzerland for a vacation or a visit, you can ask at the respective State Secretariat for Migration and Immigration.
We hope we can help you with this information and wish you good luck with your entry.