Switzerland is a mountainous Central European country, home to numerous lakes, villages and the high peaks of the Alps. Its cities contain medieval quarters, with landmarks like capital Bern’s Zytglogge clock tower and Lucerne’s wooden chapel bridge. The country is also known for its ski resorts and hiking trails. Banking and finance are key industries, and Swiss watches and chocolate are world renowned.
To get your Switzerland visa approved, it is most effective to follow the steps below.
- Choose an appropriate visa type and the right consulate
- Book an Appointment at embassy or consulate ( Designated agents such as VFS office)
- Collate all the documents you need for your visa.
- For tourist & business visa, create a day wise travel plan (travel itinerary).
- Create a cover letter along with the travel itinerary, purpose of travel, you need to submit documents for your visa.
- Get Flight itinerary or ticket and proof that you have a place to stay (proof of accommodation)
- Get Schengen-approved travel insurance.
- Fill Switzerland Schengen visa Application form.
- Reach the consulate at the time of your appointment.
- Submit your documents and wait for your visa approval.
At any point if you need help, then you can use our Switzerland visa consultation service to help you.
We assist clients in obtaining Schengen visas on a daily basis, thus we are well-versed in the visa process. We have the unique advantage of knowing the most recent visa procedure, which will make it much faster and less likely for us to make mistakes that cause the visa to be denied.
What are the Switzerland Schengen visa Requirements Do I Need?
- Fill the Switzerland Schengen visa Application form
- Two Passport sized Photos: which should meet the visa photograph specifications
- Your Previous visa copies
- Your passport which should valid for minimum 3 months
- Create a day wise travel plan (travel itinerary) for tourist & business visa
- Round Trip Flight Itinerary
- Cover letter
- Proof of accommodation which is proof of that you have a place to stay
- Get Schengen-approved travel insurance.
- Your Civil Status Proof: Birth Certificate of your children, Marriage Certificate or death certificate of your any member etc.
- Proof of your financial status
- Proof of Sustenance
- Reach out the consulate at the time of your appointment.
- Submit all your documents and wait for your visa approval.
Additionally, the documents needed depends on an applicants work status so these documents may need to be provided as well.
Are you employed ?
- Employment contract
- Copy of latest bank statements of atleast 6 months. The bank needs to sign these.
- Leave approval letter from your company.
- Income tax Returns (ITR ) forms.
Self-employed..
- A copy of your business registration like Tax or Company TIN or PAN
- Copy of latest bank statements of at least 6 months. The bank needs to sign these.
- Latest Income tax Proofs (ITR)
For Student ?
- Proof of Enrollment
- No objection certificate from School or college.
If you are you retired..
- A copy of your pension order for last 6 months
- Bank statements signed by the bank.
Is the visa applicant a minor ?
* Birth certificate of the minor travelling to Spain.
* Spain Visa application form signed by both parents.
* Family court order. In cases where only one parent has full custody of the child.
* Certified copies of ID/passport of both parents
* Consent from the Guardianship Authority. If the minor will be travelling with only one parent, or alone with another person
If your main income is from a different source ?
- Any other proof of regular income such as rental certificate.
If you find any difficulties or if you are looking for any help please reach out to us, We provide Switzerland Schengen visa Consultation Services,
When it comes to Switzerland Schengen visa process, we are always up to date. As a result, we can move faster and with less risk of making mistakes that would result in a visa rejection
What are the Switzerland Schengen Visa Types and Requirements?
Categorize the visa types based on your purpose of visit and duration, and identify their respective additional requirements.
Swiss / Switzerland Transit Visa:
If you plan to stop at any of the Switzerland airports, you may need a transit visa.
You need to provide these additional documents when applying for the Swiss transit visa.
- A valid passport should be possessed by you, which remains valid during transit and has been issued within the last 10 years.
- Flight ticket to the ultimate destination.
- A visa to the target country is necessary (if required)
With a Schengen visa, you can travel to Switzerland and as well as to other 26 Schengen countries and you can stay there for up to 90 days. You can check the required documents for Switzerland Tourist Visa are same as mentioned in above main visa requirements section.
Additional Required Documents are:
- A Travel itinerary explaining your day wise travel plan.
- Proof of accommodation such as apartment, hotel or hostel or an invitation letter.
- Flight itinerary for visa or a fully refundable flight ticket.
Swiss / Switzerland Visitor Visa:
If you planning to visit any of your members or friends who are staying Switzerland for that you may need Swiss visitor visa, which can allow you stay up to 90 days within 6 month timeframe.
The additional documents required to get Swiss Schengen Visitor visa are:
- An Invitation letter
- Without financial sponsorship, if you have planned to visit and to stay with family or friends in Switzerland: Then you must have submit the invitation letter from the invitee, in which should clearly mention the invitee’s
- name
- address
- Birth Date
- Official Identification Number
- Occupation
- And Permanent Residence
- The purpose of visit
- Stay Duration
- Accommodation Status
- Copy of the host’s passport
If you are planning travel Switzerland for business purpose, for which you need to apply for the Swiss Business visa. The additional documents required to get a Swiss Schengen Business visa, which are:
- Proof of relationship between your company and invited company or organization
- Travel financing proof
- Introduction letter from the employer
- Trade licensing Approval (if any)
- Proof of Trip Sustenance: in which, It should clearly mention that who is going to take responsible for expenses of the trip
- And Invitation letter from Invited organization or company
- If an Embassy, consulate or High Commission has refused you a Swiss visa in the last 2 years, you need to provide a Refusal Notice or a written explanation about the reasons of refusal.
Switzerland Diplomat Visa:
If you are diplomat or government officials who want to visit Switzerland for official meetings, for which you need apply for swiss diplomat visa and required additional documents are
- Official Note from consular department
- Travel purpose
- Proof for who is going to cover all your expenses for the visit
- Your Complete travel Schedule details like places you are going to visit, and date.
- If anybody traveling with you then need to submit list of those people, their passport number and their positions.
Swiss / Switzerland Medical Visa:
If you need to undergo any surgery or medical treatment in Switzerland or any other medical therapies, you must apply for a Swiss Medical visa before your trip. The additional required Switzerland Schengen visa documents are give below:
- Letter from local doctor stating diagnosis
- Evidence of payment for therapy (if any)
- Letter from national hospital or doctor stating agreement to treat patient and expected duration of medical treatment
- Overview of estimated treatment costs
- Letter of support (if any) for the treatment
- Proof of advance payment of 50 % – should have receipt from national hospital or doctor.
- A letter from the Ministry of Health saying that, if necessary, they would pay for your costs.
If you have planned to travel for Switzerland for Study purpose, Then based on stay duration you can apply for short term visa and long term visa.
- And the Additional Documents required to Apply to Swiss Schengen Student visa are:
- To attend, you need a certificate from the institute/school/university.
- You have to cover proof of payment of your study fees during your studies.
- No objection certificate from currently enrolled institution.
- The company in Switzerland signed the Internship Agreement.
Swiss / Switzerland Visa for Cultural or Film Crew or Swiss Sports Visa:
If you are planning to attend a sports event as a participant, have been invited as a guest to a cultural event, or are a member of a film crew planning to shoot a movie in Switzerland, you need to apply for a Swiss cultural visa, sports visa, or film crew visa.
The additional Documents required to Apply for Swiss Cultural visa or Sports visa or visa for Film Crew, which are:
- Invitation letter: The relevant body in Switzerland sent an invitation letter with details about the nature of events or activities to be held in Switzerland.
- Entry tickets of the event.
- Enrolment conditions.
- Detailed program of the event in Switzerland.
- Other required documents which present the Names of the applicants (crew members) and other relevant information about the event.
- Proof of previous performances
Do I need a Schengen visa from the Swiss Consulate only?
The Answer is No, Everybody think that, this is a silly question, but It’s not. Because, few individuals may have planned to only Switzerland, few may have planned to visit multiple countries, in that case where will you apply for your Schengen visa. So here is the perfect Answers
- In case you are visiting only Switzerland: you must apply for Switzerland Schengen visa at the Embassy or Consulate which representing the particular Country of your destination.
- If you are visiting multiple countries within Schengen Area: you must apply for visa at the Embassy or Consulate which representing the country of your main destination in which you are planning to spend most of your time.
- In case you are visiting multiple countries within Schengen Area with equal duration: you must apply for Switzerland Schengen visa at the Embassy or Consulate which representing the particular Country in which you will arrive first.
- If you are have planned to stay in Schengen Area for over 90 days: you must apply for residence permit but not for Schengen visa.
How Do I Apply for a Switzerland Short-Stay Schengen Visa?
You need to follow the steps which are given below to complete your visa Application process to get your Swiss Short – Stay Schengen visa.
- Decide which type Swiss visa you need to enter the Switzerland
- You need to decide where to submit your visa application
- Fill the Application form to get your Swiss Short-Stay visa.
- Collect all your necessary documents to apply for Swiss visa
- Book an Appointment
- Choose the correct embassy or consulate to attend the interview
- And wait for the visa result from the consulate
How do I book an appointment for Switzerland Schengen Visa?
It is very important to book an appointment for a Switzerland Schengen visa because you are not allowed to visit the embassy or consulate directly to submit your visa application. Before to visit embassy, you need to book an appointment. If you don’t make an appointment, you may ruin your flight and hotel bookings and travel plans.
The consulate will release appointments for the next 3 months at a time, at that time you can book an appointment. You can book an appointment with the Swiss Embassy, if embassy is not there in your location then you can book an appointment with the designated agent like VFS Global and BLSS Spain for Switzerland Schengen visa. This booking an appointment process will vary to country to country.
Sometime this designated agencies and embassies will allow the applicant to book an appointment online via email over the phone, otherwise they expect you to come to embassy in person to book an appointment.
What if I can’t find Switzerland Schengen Visa Appointment?
Consulates commonly handle more than a lakh of applications in a year and people book their appointments 2 to 3 months in advance. In that case, you can get an appointment with a consulate of different jurisdiction, this is how you can get an appointment for Switzerland Schengen Visa
There are chances that may not work sometime, but getting an appointments is still a factor. Then you can change your main destination in which you are planning to spend most of the time not as popular. Countries like Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland, etc. don’t have a very high inflow of tourists, in case you have planned to travel multiple countries in Schengen area.
Schengen Visa Experts will prepare your Travel Itinerary to help you get your visa approved. You just need to inform the consulate that you are going to spend more time on these countries as well as you are going to visit Switzerland too. Once the authorities approve your visa, you can travel to 26 other countries.
Still If you don’t get Schengen visa Appointment
This is quite risky and quite different method to get an appointment, In this process, you need to open multiple windows or tabs, check any slots are opening up in official website, and keep a close eye out to see if there are any open spots. And not forget to keep refreshing the page.
If you find any difficulty for getting an appointment, you can reach out to us, we have dedicated team, has 15+ years of experience to finding an appointment here at Schengen Visa Experts. Just Fill the form of Book an appointment, we will get in touch with you shortly.
Where Do I Book an Appointment for Switzerland Schengen Visa?
You can book an appointment online for Switzerland Schengen Visa, This online link vary from country to country. So you have to check the online link on your respective country.
Or You must book an appointment for the Switzerland visa with the Swiss embassy or consulate in their country or with a designated third party services or agents such as VFGlobal or BLSS Spain, If there you don’t have Swiss embassy or consulate.
Do I Get One Appointment for Switzerland Schengen Visa for My Whole Family?
The Answer is NO, If your whole family is planning to travel Switzerland, then each applicant from your family individually has to book an appointment for Swiss Schengen visa. If you are booking an appointment with the help of designated third party services such as VFS Global, in their portal, you can book 5 appointments for Schengen visa from one account. And It is not be possible to get same date for everyone, the dates may vary.
What Details Should I Fill to Book The Appointment for Switzerland Schengen Visa?
You need to mention your Name, Passport Number, Passport expiration issue date, etc. Otherwise, Since we are up-to date for giving consulting services to book an appointment or Switzerland Schengen Visa. We can take of your appointment booking if you send your information to us in terms of photo or in doc file.
The information details vary from country to country, and we will contact you to obtain any additional required details. As well as you will get an ARN (Appointment Reference Number) while you are booking an appointment which you need to carry to submit as part of your visa documentation.
If you need more details please go through this guide Schengen visa appointments, visit here.
Do I Need A Flight Ticket (Travel Itinerary) to Apply for Switzerland Schengen Visa?
Usually, the officials at embassy or consulate will ask for the flight itinerary if you have planned to visit Switzerland or any other Schengen area, you need to submit your travel itinerary or your travel reservations at embassy which proves that you not going to extend your stay in Schengen area.
When applying for a Swiss Schengen visa, you cannot consider a fully paid flight ticket as safe. In such a case, you can obtain a temporary booking from here – flight itinerary for visa purposes.
We Use FlightGen App to create the flight itinerary for our customers and you also can use this app. If you need more information, check out here – about using flight itinerary for visa.
What does a Travel Itinerary Mean When Applying for Switzerland Visa?
A travel itinerary is a day-wise plan of what you have planned to do in Switzerland if your visa is approved. All these information are clearly mentioned on your visa letter or your cover letter which need to submit at consulate to decide on your visa approval.
On this Flight Itinerary document, the following details must appear:
- Applicant or Passenger First Name and Surname
- Flight Number
- Reservation Number
- Return Dates and Departure
- Flight hours
- Price of the Ticket
- IATA airport codes
Please note that, the travel itinerary is must need to get your visa approval. If you fail to submit your travel itinerary, there is a high possibility that your Swiss Schengen visa will be rejected. In short, you won’t get your Swiss visa.
If you need more information about cover letter for Switzerland Schengen Visa please check here.
What are the Other Methods to Get a Swiss Schengen Visa flight itinerary?
- Dummy Flight Ticket
- Getting a flight reservation with a hold choice
- Reserving an airline ticket online
- Getting a flight reservation with help of travel Agent
- Request a refund if your visa application is denied.
Do I Need Cover Letter When Applying For Switzerland Visa?
The Answer is Yes. Basically cover letter is a one of the mandatory document before you are trying to apply for Swiss Schengen visa. As per the VFS website you need to carry your cover letter during your Schengen visa appointment.
Is The Travel Insurance Mandatory For Switzerland Schengen Visa Application?
YES. When you are applying for Swiss Schengen visa, you need to have lot of mandatory documents accordingly. Travel insurance is one among them.
At the time of 2022, this travel insurance must cover COVID and also provide medical coverage up to $50,000 & repatriation of about 1 million . As well as the insurance must be 0 deductible. You can buy your insurance below.
Morever you can get your travel insurance for less than $1 per day especially from visitorscoverage.com .
Travel Insurance for travelers shields them from unplanned events that can ruin their trip by supporting them financially in different situations. These include medical problems, hospital bills, accidents, lost or delayed luggage, a lost or stolen passport, flight delays and cancellations, and even damage caused by a third party, among many other travel-related situations.
How Do I apply for Switzerland Schengen visa?
Follow these steps to apply for Swiss Schengen Visa:
- Type of Schengen Visa: Based on your purpose of travel to Switzerland, you need to decide your type of visa.
- Entries to Switzerland: Here you need to Decide how many entries to Switzerland or Schengen Area
- Required Documents: You need to collect all mandatory documents to apply for the Swiss Schengen Visa
- Book an Appointment: You need to book an appointment for Swiss visa online or with the help of designated agents or at corresponding embassy or consulate in person.
- Application Form: You need to fill out the application form to get an Swiss visa.
- Pay the Visa Fee: You need pay the Visa fee. The fees varies from one country to another.
- Submit the Application: You need to submit your Swiss Schengen application in person at your certain embassy or consulate 15 days earlier to travelling, but not before six months.
Where Do I Need to Apply for Switzerland Schengen visa?
This would be depend on your certain country and jurisdiction, You can apply one of the following:
- At Swiss Embassy
- Swiss Consulate
- Visa Application Center
Pay special attention of this fact and make sure that you know who can handles the visa in your city / country. Even thought if there is an embassy of Switzerland in your location they may not handle your visa application.
How Long Does It Take to Approve My Switzerland Schengen Visa Application?
Generally the processing time for Swiss Schengen visa is 10-15 days. If there are long extended holidays in between, it can take up to 25 days. Although it can take longer in certain cases like if embassy or consulate handling more than lakh visa applications, then it may extend up to 30 day. In some extreme cases it may take around 60 days.
Since Schengen visa dates are open for 2 months at a time, you can apply for an Switzerland visa up to 3 months before your trip.
Who can Apply for the Switzerland Schengen Visa?
If you are belongs European Union (EU), or European Economic Area (EEA) citizen, you can enter Switzerland without a visa.
The individuals / travelers from other countries may need a Schengen visa in order to enter the Schengen Area or Switzerland.
Foreigners who are not belongs to an EEA country, and want to work or do something related to work for a short time, like an internship, always need a Schengen visa (see also “Temporary work visa”).
People who are planning to visit more than one Schengen countries, then you need to submit your application in Swiss Consulate or embassy, only if:
- You are spending most of the time in Switzerland than other Schengen countries
- If you are spending equal amount of time in all Schengen Countries, But Switzerland is the one where you will enter first.
If my Swiss Schengen Visa was refused, what can I do?
If the Swiss authorities reject your Schengen visa application, you can file an appeal within 30 days of receiving your visa refusal. You can start the appeal process by obtaining your standard issued-visa refusal form. This form explains why your visa request was refused and guides you through the process of appealing.
You should send your request for a Swiss Schengen visa in writing. Either in German, Italian or French and explain why you are doing so and you need to submit this form in person or else someone can submit on your behalf. The same Consulate sends the result of the review to the application.
What is the Fee for Switzerland Schengen Visa?
The fee for Switzerland Schengen visa is € 80 for adults and €40 for kids over age of 6, for Nationals from Ukraine, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan €32. For children below 6 can apply for Schengen visa, for Holders of diplomatic, officials or service passports are travelling for official purposes, For a family member of an EU/EEA national the Swiss Schengen visa fees is free. If you are applying with designated agents such as VFS or BLSS, afterwards there is a processing fee of €20+
| Schengen Visa Category | Schengen Visa Fees |
| For Adults | €80 |
| Children between 6-12 years of age | €40 |
| Nationals from Ukraine, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan | €32 |
| Children Below 6 years of age | Free |
| Holders of diplomatic, officials or service passports are travelling for official purposes | Free |
| For a family member of an EU/EEA national | Free |