I am a passenger who has stayed in a state or territory with a high risk of infection, can I enter Switzerland?
Since 8 February 2021, if you return from a state or area with a high risk of infection, you must:
- before entering Switzerland, register your contact details via the electronic personal data registration form or on the contact cards provided by the OFSP.
- submit a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old. The check is done before getting on the plane. If the trip takes longer or if the PCR test result is not available quickly enough, it is possible to present the result of a rapid antigenic test carried out less than 24 hours before boarding. However, you must be able to present the negative result of a PCR test carried out less than 72 hours before arrival in the event of a second check at the Swiss border. If this is not possible, a test should be performed immediately at your expense.
- quarantine yourself for ten days. You can end this quarantine early by presenting to the competent cantonal authority the negative result of a test (rapid antigen or PCR) carried out at your own expense after seven days. However, until the tenth day, you must wear a face mask outside your accommodation or place of accommodation and keep a distance of at least 1.5 meters from other people.
Upon your arrival on Swiss territory, you must, within 48 hours, declare your arrival to the competent health authorities of the canton of residence or stay. In Geneva, the declaration is made to the cantonal doctor's service via an electronic form.
People in transit, that is, people who only enter Switzerland to cross it with the intention and the possibility of continuing their journey directly to another country, are not subject to quarantine. However, please check the restrictions for your destination country.
I am a passenger who has stayed in a state or area that is NOT at high risk of infection, can I enter Switzerland?
Since 8 February 2021, if you return from a state or area that is NOT at high risk of infection, you must:
- before entering Switzerland, register your contact details using the electronic personal data registration form or on the contact cards provided by the OFSP.
- submit a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old. The check is done before getting on the plane. If the trip takes longer or if the PCR test result is not available quickly enough, it is possible to present the result of a rapid antigenic test carried out less than 24 hours before boarding. However, you must be able to present the negative result of a PCR test carried out less than 72 hours before arrival in the event of a second check at the Swiss border. If this is not possible, a test should be performed immediately at your expense.
Children under 12 do not have to provide proof of a negative PCR test when entering Switzerland and before boarding an aircraft.
You are not subject to quarantine.
Which passengers arriving from a state or territory with a high risk of infection are exempt from quarantine?
The persons exempt from quarantine are passengers who:
- enter Switzerland only to cross it with the possibility of continuing their journey to another country: in this case they are transit passengers.
- have stayed in a state or area at high risk of infection for less than 24 hours as a transit passenger.
- have travelled to a state or area at high risk of infection for professional or medical reasons and who have not been able to postpone their trip, provided that the stay did not exceed five days.
- who can provide proof that they have already contracted SARS-CoV-2 in the last three months prior to entering Switzerland and that they are considered to be cured.
More information about the exceptions.
I am a passenger who has passed through an area with a high risk of infection, can I enter Switzerland?
Yes, even if you are a passenger who has passed through a state or zone placed on the list of territories at risk, you can enter Switzerland, and without compulsory quarantine, because it is the country of departure that is taken into account .
Additionally, people who have stayed in a state or area with a high risk of infection for less than 24 hours as a transit passenger are exempt from quarantine.
Since 8 February 2021, if you return from a state or area with a high risk of infection, you must:
- before entering Switzerland, register your contact details via the electronic personal data registration form or on the contact cards provided by the OFSP.
- submit a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old. The check is done before getting on the plane. If the trip takes longer or if the PCR test result is not available quickly enough, it is possible to present the result of a rapid antigenic test carried out less than 24 hours before boarding. However, you must be able to present the negative result of a PCR test carried out less than 72 hours before arrival in the event of a second check at the Swiss border. If this is not possible, a test should be performed immediately at your expense.
Children under 12 do not have to provide proof of a negative PCR test when entering Switzerland and before boarding an aircraft.
When I arrive at Genève Aéroport, will customs allow me to enter Switzerland?
Since 31 August 2020 onwards, passengers on flights from a country at risk can no longer enter Switzerland via another country. It is the airport of departure and no longer the transit airport that is taken into account. On the other hand, passengers on flights from a third country that is not considered to be at risk may enter Switzerland, even if they have made a stopover in the airport of a country at risk, provided they have not left the international transit zone of that airport. Further information (Coronavirus: Switzerland adapts its entry requirements for transit air travel).
You can find answers to the main questions concerning refusal of entry, free movement of persons and suspension of the granting of visas on the State Secretariat for Migration SEM website.
Entry into Switzerland remains subject to certain restrictions for non-Swiss nationals. Find out about entry restrictions for people from all countries, except Liechtenstein.
Since 15 June 2020, current entry restrictions have been lifted for all Schengen States.
Entry restrictions will be lifted since 20 July 2020 for 14 other countries as well as for European Union (EU) member states that are not part of the Schengen area.