toshiko
🇨🇭 Switzerland · Schengen member since 2008 · EFTA/EEA associate

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

Official portal: State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) / swiss-visa.ch

Application centres: TLScontact in some countries (e.g. the UK), VFS Global in others.

Good to know about Switzerland

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:

Short-stay visa (C) — tourism & visiting

Short-stay visa (C) — business

National long-stay visa (D)

Digital nomad visa (national)

Other destinations

🇦🇹 AustriaSchengen member since 1997🇧🇪 BelgiumSchengen member since 1995🇧🇬 BulgariaSchengen member since 2024🇭🇷 CroatiaSchengen member since 2023🇨🇿 CzechiaSchengen member since 2007🇩🇰 DenmarkSchengen member since 2001