In response to the COVID-19 pandemic there are special rules for people entering Switzerland. Depending on the type of travel, you might have to fill out an entry form, show proof of a negative test and/or go into quarantine.
This website will be updated when the latest decisions come into effect, i.e. on 26 June. In the meantime, you will find the latest information in the press release.
Notice for foreign nationals
You may not be allowed to enter Switzerland. Before you travel, you should check the following:
- Am I even allowed to travel to Switzerland? You’ll find the answer to this question on the website of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) as the SEM is responsible for Switzerland’s entry requirements.
- Only if entry is permitted: what rules are there? You’ll find the answer to this on the FOPH website as the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) is responsible for health-related measures at the border. Please also note the section Additional information for incoming tourists.
Anyone who has a Swiss passport or a valid Swiss residence permit can enter Switzerland at any time.
All travellers must take note of the health-related measures at the Swiss border:
You will find information on the individual rules in the relevant sections of this page:
Entry form
You will find the entry form for incoming travellers at swissplf.admin.ch. Fill out the form before you enter Switzerland.
Who has to fill out the entry form?
You must complete the form if one of the following applies to you:
- You are entering Switzerland by rail, bus or coach, boat or air. This also includes a stopover in Switzerland, for example air travellers who have to change flight.
- You have stayed in a country or area with an increased risk of infection in the ten days before entering Switzerland.
Children: The entry form must also be filled out for children. They can be included on the form of an adult travelling with them.
Exemptions to the entry form requirement
These exemptions only apply if you are travelling from a country that is not on the FOPH list of risk countries due to a variant of concern:
- Applicable from 31.5.21: you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and your vaccination meets the necessary requirements. This exemption applies for six months from the time that you are fully vaccinated.
- Applicable from 31.5.21: you have been infected with coronavirus and recovered. This exemption applies for six months from the end of the isolation period (the 11th day after the first positive test result).
These exemptions apply to travellers from all countries:
- You are entering Switzerland from a border area.
- In the course of your professional activities you transport passengers or goods across borders.
- You are entering Switzerland in a private vehicle. However, this exception only applies if you have not stayed in a country or area with an increased risk of infection in the last 10 days.
- You are in a private vehicle and are only in transit through Switzerland, and are travelling on directly to another country.
- You are travelling by bus, rail or air and are only in transit, without a stopover in Switzerland. This exemption only applies if you do not leave the means of transport. If you make a stopover in Switzerland you must fill out the entry form. This applies, for example, to air passengers who have to change flight.
Filling out and control
Fill out the electronic entry form on a computer or smartphone before or during travel. Once you’ve filled out the form you’ll be emailed a QR code as confirmation. Have this code ready for inspection when you enter Switzerland. If you are controlled you can show the QR code on your smartphone or produce a printed confirmation. If you have not filled out the entry form despite the obligation to do so, the controlling authority can punish you with a CHF 100 fine. The same applies if you provide false information on the form.
What do you do if you don’t have internet access to fill out the form?
Instead you should fill out the paper version before you board and begin your journey to Switzerland. You can download and print the paper version of the entry form yourself or ask for it from the transport operator staff.
Further information on the entry form
You'll find plenty of information in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). For example you'll find information on what to do if you don’t have a seat number or if there are technical problems, about data protection and about the paper version of the form.
Do you have questions that aren’t answer in the FAQs? You can call the infoline on +41 58 464 44 88 from 6am to 11pm, 7 days a week. You’ll find information on the costs of the call on the Contact information and links page.
Negative test result
When entering Switzerland, you must be able to show proof of a negative coronavirus test in two cases:
- If you enter Switzerland by air. Information in this regard can be found in the section Rules for entering Switzerland by air.
- If you have stayed in a location within the last ten days before entering Switzerland that is included on the FOPH list of risk countries. In this case, you must always be able to show proof of a negative test result, even if you enter Switzerland by bus, rail, car, boat, etc. Information in this regard can be found in the section Rules for entering Switzerland by land or water.
Children under the age of 12 are never required to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test on entering Switzerland. They are exempt from the test requirement on boarding and from the test requirement at the Swiss border.
For young people aged between 12 and 16, the same applies as for children, as long as they are not travelling from a country that is on the FOPH list of risk countries due to a variant of concern.
Rules for entering Switzerland by air
If you enter Switzerland by air, you must be able to show proof of a negative test at two different times: firstly on boarding the departing flight in the foreign country, and secondly at the Swiss airport (when crossing the Swiss border). Note: The tests accepted, and the exceptions to the test requirement, will be different at the two controls.
1. Boarding control: The airlines systematically check your negative coronavirus test result prior to boarding. The results of the following tests are permissible for this control:
- A PCR test carried out within the last 72 hours
- A rapid antigen test carried out within the last 24 hours
Requirements for the test result on boarding
The document with the negative test result (in digital or paper form) must contain the following information:
- Last name, first name and date of birth of the person tested
- Date and time sample was taken
- Type of test
- Test result
If you are travelling internationally, we recommend that your negative test result is issued in English. However, this is not a legal requirement, other languages are also accepted.
If you are unable to show proof of a negative test result during the control, you are, generally speaking, not permitted to board the aircraft. Exceptions and details can be found here:
Exceptions to the test requirement on boarding
What should you do if you test positive before flying back to Switzerland?
These exemptions only apply if you are traveling from a country that is not on the FOPH list of risk countries due to a variant of concern:
- Applicable from 31.5.21: you can prove that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Your vaccination must meet the necessary requirements. This exemption applies for six months from the time that you are fully vaccinated.
- You can prove that you have had coronavirus and recovered. This exemption applies for six months from the end of the isolation period (the 11th day after the first positive test result).
- Applicable from 31.5.21: adolescents aged between 12 and 16.
These exemptions apply to travellers from all countries:
- You need to be transported to Switzerland urgently on medical grounds and can provide a medical certificate to prove this.
- You are only entering Switzerland for transit purposes and do not leave the airport.
- You are unable to have a nose and throat swab on medical grounds. In this case, the relevant medical certificate is required.
- You have Swiss citizenship or a residence permit issued by Switzerland and have no way of being tested abroad. In this case you must complete the self-declaration form to confirm that you had no way of being tested within a reasonable time or at reasonable effort and expense. If the information you provide is not true you risk criminal proceedings under the Swiss Federal Epidemics Act. You will find the self-declaration form at the end of the website in the tab Documents. Please note: The self-declaration only enables you to fly without a negative test result. As soon as you are in Switzerland you must be tested for coronavirus as soon as possible. This can be either a PCR or a rapid antigen test. If this test is positive, you must immediately go into isolation.
- Children under 12.
If you test positive for the coronavirus, you will not be allowed to fly. You will have to remain where you are and adhere to the rules that apply in that place to people who are infected. For example, you may have to go into isolation in the host country for a certain time and will therefore not be allowed to travel. You have to pay the costs arising in a situation of this sort yourself – unless you have travel insurance covering these costs or there are corresponding arrangements in the host country.
Repatriation: You may fly back if you are Swiss and need urgent treatment in Switzerland. In this case, however, you will be flown back in an aircraft that is specially equipped for transporting people who have contracted Covid-19.
2. Swiss border control: Border control authorities in the airport check the negative test result on a random basis. For this control, a result brought from the following test is permissible:
- A PCR test carried out within the last 72 hours
If you do not have a valid negative PCR test on entry, you must obtain one as soon as possible. The absence of a PCR or rapid antigen test upon entry by air, or the absence of a PCR test upon entry by land may be sanctioned by the control authority.
Regardless of whether you are controlled or not, the following rules also apply:
- Get a PCR or rapid antigen test as soon as possible.
- If this test is positive, you must immediately go into isolation.
Exceptions: Certain individuals are not required to show proof of a negative test result at the Swiss border. Information in this regard can be found under the heading Exemptions from the testing and quarantine requirement.
Why is a rapid antigen test taken in Switzerland permissible but this is not the case for a rapid antigen test taken abroad? The reason for this is that we are familiar with the quality standard for the test in Switzerland and know that it is sufficiently reliable. For rapid antigen tests taken abroad, the quality standard is often unknown.
Rules for entering Switzerland by land or water
If you have stayed in a location within the last ten days before entering Switzerland that is included on the FOPH list of risk countries, you not only have to go into quarantine, but must also be able to show proof of a negative coronavirus test (regardless of the means of transport you use).
Customs at the Swiss border check the negative test result of those entering Switzerland on a random basis. For this control, a result from the following test is permissible:
- A PCR test carried out within the last 72 hours
If you don’t have a PCR test result, the control authority at the border can punish you with a CHF 200 fine. Regardless of whether you are controlled or not, the following rules also apply:
- Get a PCR or rapid antigen test as soon as possible.
- If this test is positive, you must immediately go into isolation.
Exceptions: Certain individuals are not required to show proof of a negative test result at the Swiss border. Information in this regard can be found under the heading Exemptions from the testing and quarantine requirement.
Quarantine for persons arriving in Switzerland
Check the FOPH list of high-risk countries: Were you in one of the states or areas on the list at any point in the 10 days before entry into Switzerland? If you were, you are legally obliged to go into quarantine. In this case:
Follow the instructions under What to do after entering Switzerland and report your arrival to the cantonal authority. Despite having filled out the entry form you need to report your arrival to the canton.
The quarantine requirement is governed by the list valid at the moment of entry into Switzerland. The quarantine requirement also applies to children.
Exceptions: A negative test result does not override the quarantine requirement. However, certain people are exempt from the quarantine requirement. You'll find details in the Exemptions from the Testing and Quarantine Requirement section.
What to do after entering Switzerland
- Upon arrival, go immediately to your home or to other suitable accommodation (e.g. a hotel or holiday apartment). On the way there, keep a minimum distance of 1.5 metres from other people. If you are unable to maintain this distance, we recommend that you wear a mask. Avoid public transport if possible.
- Report your arrival to the cantonal authority responsible within two days.
- For 10 days after your arrival in Switzerland you must stay in your home or other suitable accommodation without going out. Avoid contact with other people and follow the instructions in the document instructions on quarantine (PDF, 343 kB, 31.05.2021). This document is also available in the languages of the migrant population.
- There is the possibility of shortening travel quarantine from day 7 onwards. You’ll find information on the Isolation and Quarantine site.
The cantonal authorities are responsible for monitoring quarantine, and they conduct spot checks. Anyone who fails to comply with the quarantine requirement is committing an offence under the Epidemics Act (in German), which can be punished by a fine of up to CHF 10,000.
Further information on quarantine
You'll find more information on travel quarantine in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). There you’ll find answers to questions on things like continued payment of salary and loss of earnings during quarantine.
Do you still have questions that aren’t answered in the FAQs? You can call the infoline on +41 58 464 44 88 from 6am to 11pm, 7 days a week. You’ll find information on the costs of the call on the Contact information and links page.
Contact details of the cantonal authorities
Contact the competent cantonal authority within two days of your arrival.
| Canton | Contact details |
|---|---|
| Aargau | Online application form (In German) |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden | Online application form (In German) |
| Appenzell Innerrhoden | Homepage (In German) |
| Basel-Landschaft |
Homepage (In German) |
| Basel-Stadt | Homepage (In German) |
| Bern | Online application form (In German) |
| Fribourg | Homepage (In German) |
| Geneva | Online application form (In French) |
| Glarus | |
| Graubünden | |
| Jura |
|
| Lucerne | Homepage (In German) |
| Neuchâtel | Homepage (In French) |
| Nidwalden | Online application form (In German) |
| Obwalden | |
| St. Gallen | Online application form (In German) |
| Schaffhausen | +41 52 632 70 01 |
| Schwyz | Online application form (In German) |
| Solothurn | Homepage (In German) |
| Thurgau | Online Application Form (In German) |
| Ticino | Homepage (in Italian) |
| Uri | Online application form (In German) |
| Valais | Online application form |
| Vaud |
Homepage (in French) |
| Zug | Online application form (In German) |
| Zurich | Online application form |
| Principality of Liechtenstein | Homepage (in German) |
Exemptions from the testing and quarantine requirement
The general rule: Anyone who has been in a country or area with an increased risk of infection must go into quarantine in Switzerland. However, various groups of people are exempt from the quarantine requirement and the obligation to present a negative test result at the Swiss border.
This is how to find out whether you are exempt from the quarantine and test* requirements:
- Check the FOPH’s list of risk countries: What category does the country or area you have been in fall into?
- In the relevant box you’ll find the exemptions that apply to you:
Exemptions for Category 1, countries
Exemptions for Category 2, countries with a worrying variant
Exemptions for Category 3, areas of neighbouring countries
In the following cases you are exempt from the quarantine requirements in Switzerland and the test requirement at the Swiss border.
- Applicable from 31.5.21: you can prove that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Your vaccination must meet the necessary requirements. This exemption applies for six months from the time that you are fully vaccinated.
- Applicable from 31.5.21: children and young people aged under 16.
- You are travelling to Switzerland for an important work or medical reason not able to be postponed.
- You have been in a country with an increased risk of infection for an important work or medical reason not able to be postponed.
- You were a transit passenger only travelling through a country or area with an increased risk of infection and were there for less than 24 hours
- You are entering Switzerland as a transit passenger who is only travelling through.
- In the course of your professional activities you transport passengers or goods across borders.
- You can prove that you have had a coronavirus infection and have recovered. This exemption applies for six months from the end of the isolation period (the 11th day after the positive test result).
- Your activity in Switzerland is absolutely necessary to maintain the functioning of the healthcare system, public security and order or the functioning of institutional beneficiaries as defined in Article 2 paragraph 1 of the Host State Act of 22 June 2007 or Switzerland’s diplomatic and consular relations.
- You have been taking part in an event in a country or area with an increased risk of infection and can prove that your participation and stay were subject to a specific set of precautionary measures. Participation in an event means participation – generally on a professional basis – in a sporting competition or cultural event or a specialist conference for professionals.
These people are always exempt from the test requirement (but not from the quarantine requirement):
- Children under age 12.
- People who on medical grounds cannot have a nose and throat swab. In this case you need the relevant medical certificate.
In the following cases you are exempt from the quarantine requirements in Switzerland and the test requirement at the Swiss border.
- You were a transit passenger only travelling through a country or area with an increased risk of infection and were there for less than 24 hours.
- You are entering Switzerland as a transit passenger who is only travelling though.
- In the course of your professional activities you transport passengers or goods across borders.
- Your activity in Switzerland is absolutely necessary to maintain the functioning of the healthcare system, public security and order or the functioning of institutional beneficiaries as defined in Article 2 paragraph 1 of the Host State Act of 22 June 2007 or Switzerland’s diplomatic and consular relations.
These people are always exempt from the test requirement (but not from the quarantine requirement):
- Children under age 12.
- People who on medical grounds cannot have a nose and throat swab. In this case you need the relevant medical certificate.
In the following cases you are exempt from the quarantine requirements in Switzerland and the test requirement at the Swiss border.
- Applicable from 31.5.21: you can prove that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Your vaccination must meet the necessary requirements. This exemption applies for six months from the time that you are fully vaccinated.
- Applicable from 31.5.21: children and young people aged under 16.
- You are travelling to Switzerland for an important work or medical reason not able to be postponed.
- You have been in a country with an increased risk of infection for an important work or medical reason not able to be postponed.
- You were a transit passenger only travelling through a country or area with an increased risk of infection and were there for less than 24 hours
- You are entering Switzerland as a transit passenger who is only travelling through.
- In the course of your professional activities you transport passengers or goods across borders.
- You can prove that you have had a coronavirus infection and have recovered. This exemption applies for six months from the end of the isolation period (the 11th day after the positive test result).
- Your activity in Switzerland is absolutely necessary to maintain the functioning of the healthcare system, public security and order or the functioning of institutional beneficiaries as defined in Article 2 paragraph 1 of the Host State Act of 22 June 2007 or Switzerland’s diplomatic and consular relations.
- You have been taking part in an event in a country or area with an increased risk of infection and can prove that your participation and stay were subject to a specific set of precautionary measures. Participation in an event means participation – generally on a professional basis – in a sporting competition or cultural event or a specialist conference for professionals.
These people are always exempt from the test requirement (but not from the quarantine requirement):
- Children under age 12.
- People who on medical grounds cannot have a nose and throat swab. In this case you need the relevant medical certificate.
* The exceptions to the test requirement apply only when you cross the border in Switzerland, but not to the test requirement when you board the aircraft. You will find the exceptions to the requirement on boarding here.
Additional information for incoming tourists
On the Measures and Ordinances page you will see what rules and bans apply on a nationwide basis. In other words, these coronavirus-related measures at the very least apply all over Switzerland; the cantons may have stricter measures. This means you should also find out from the canton to which you are travelling what rules apply there.
Please also observe the distancing and hygiene rules that apply in Switzerland. This is the best way to protect yourself and others from infection with the coronavirus.
Have you started to have symptoms of illness after entering Switzerland? Take them seriously and follow the instruction on the Isolation and Quarantine page.
COVID-19 vaccination requirements
People who are fully vaccinated are exempt from many health-related measures at the border. These exemptions only apply for vaccinations that meet one of the following requirements:
- The vaccine is authorised in Switzerland. The person must also be fully vaccinated according to the FOPH recommendations.
- The vaccine is authorised for the EU by the European Medicines Agency. The person must also be fully vaccinated according to the requirements or recommendations of the country in which the vaccine was administered.
- The vaccine is authorised according to the WHO’s Emergency Use Listing. The person must also be fully vaccinated according to the requirements or recommendations of the country in which the vaccine was administered.
The exemptions to the health-related measures at the border apply for six months from the time that you are fully vaccinated. This six-month time limit applies because there is currently too little scientific data on how long the protection afforded by the vaccines lasts.
Last modification 23.06.2021
Contact
Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
Infoline for people travelling to Switzerland
Tel.
+41 58 464 44 88