Visas for Switzerland, without the guesswork

Short stays in Switzerland run on the shared Schengen rules — one C visa (or none, for exempt passports) covers all 29 countries. Everything else is national: where you apply, who runs the centres, and every stay over 90 days.

How Switzerland takes applications

Good to know about Switzerland

• Switzerland's swiss-visa.ch portal generates the application before any centre visit.
• Swiss missions also issue ALL visas for Liechtenstein.
• Non-EU, non-EEA: Switzerland applies Schengen via bilateral agreement; quotas apply to some EU-national permits too.
• Cantonal discretion means two identical work-visa files can take very different times in different cantons.

Staying longer than 90 days

Long stays need cantonal approval before the D visa: the canton's migration office decides, the embassy only executes — timelines depend on the canton.

Check your situation

Pick your passport for an exact answer — visa, visa-free, or free movement:

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