Switzerland Travel Restrictions

I was talking with someone around things in Germany that I am unable to travel during this lockdown and Pandemic it was then my friend suggested to go to Switzerland and I started looking into the details about Switzerland Travel Restrictions and whether we can travel to Switzerland right now or not.

Now this post will be subdivided into multiple sections about what all things which you need if you are planning to travel to Switzerland and what are the current procedures for that.

All the information researched and updated are the one according to 28th March 2021.

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.

We will be talking about all the things which you need to know about Switzerland Travel Restrictions in an easy manner so that you don’t have to bang your head around the official websites.

Entering into Switzerland

Now there are set of rules around entering into Switzerland and this is going to be applied on all the people who are permitted to enter into Switzerland.

Also the one who are living in Switzerland from before and are just returning to the country.

Below are the things which you will need

Entry Form

The electronic entry form for incoming travellers is available at swissplf.admin.ch. Important: Fill out the form before your entry to Switzerland.

Who has to fill out the entry form?

Almost everyone who enters Switzerland must fill out the entry form. Children can be included on the form of an adult travelling with them.

Exception: If you’re entering from a region on the border with Switzerland you don’t need to fill out the entry form.

There are various situations in which you do not have to fill out the form:

If you are entering from an area on the border with Switzerland with which close economic, social and cultural exchanges take place.
If in the course of your professional activities you transport passengers or goods across borders.
If you are entering Switzerland solely for transit purposes and are travelling on directly to another country.
If you are entering by your own means of transport, e.g. by car. However, this exception only applies if you have not stayed in a country or area with an increased risk of infection within the last 10 days.

What is the process after filling the Entry form?

Once you have filled the entry form before you travel to Switzerland. 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.

What do you do if you don’t have internet access to fill out the form?

In this situation before travelling you should download and fill the paper version of the entry form. You can download and print the paper version of the entry form yourself or ask for it from the transport operator staff.

Now if you are still not clear about the Entry Form of the Switzerland Travel Restrictions then you you’ll find plenty of information in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

You can also call the infoline on +41 58 464 44 88 from 6am to 11pm, 7 days a week.

Negative test result

As currently all countries are asking for the negative Covid Test before entering the rules are same with Switzerland as well.

What happens when you are coming to Switzerland via Flight?

If you are coming to Switzerland by air then you have to show this test twice once when you are boarding your flight and second when you are at swiss border.
Now customs at Airport check this randomly and the accepted test here is a PCR test within last 72 hours. So if you have done the antigen test before boarding the flight then you have to get testing again in Switzerland and based on your result go into isolation if required.

What happens when you are coming to Switzerland via Road/Water?

The Rules are simple in this case, if you are coming from risk highlighted country then you have to show the negative PCR results and also have to go into quarantine. The risky countries can be found here FOPH list of risk countries

What are the Quarantine Rules?

If you are entering into Switzerland from a risky countries from the above list mentioned i.e. you have stayed in any of those countries 10 days before entering Switzerland then as per the Switzerland Travel Restrictions you have to go into Quarantine.

The following do not exempt you from the mandatory quarantine requirement or shorten the quarantine period:

A negative test result.
A COVID-19 vaccination

What to do after entering Switzerland?

Don’t stroll around and directly go to home.
Report your arrival to the cantonal authority responsible within two days.
Stay in Quarantine for 10 Days , Quarantine Rule for Switzerland Travel Restrictions can be found here instructions on quarantine

Exemptions from the testing and quarantine requirement

There are some people who are exempt from the testing and quarantine requirement.

People who are travelling on Business Trip.
People who are travelling because of important medical reasons
Transit passengers who enter Switzerland for the purpose of transiting the country.
Transit passengers who have spent less than 24 hours in a state or area with an increased risk of infection.
People who in the course of their professional activities transport passengers or goods across borders.

Additional information for incoming tourists

Now if you are travelling to Switzerland then there are certain things you should know before hand.

Below infographics will share the details around different kinds of Bans and things happening under the Switzerland Travel Restrictions

As a traveller you should know about below points

Pubs are Closed
Catering Services like Restaurants are Closed.
Now there isn’t an information around that whether Museums and Zoo’s are open right now or not but they will open very soon.
Ski areas are open but not all so basically only those are open which are following the rules of the government mentioned on this page here

Now if you are wondering what all things are open and you want to read more around the Travel Restrictions of Switzerland then you read it here

One thing which you should know is that these are the rules about entering into Switzerland and this is only associated with Switzerland Travel Restrictions and if you are travelling from a different country then you have to research about the rules of your country as well in order to travel back to your home country.

Couple of Important Information which you can Refer and will need

This was all the information which you need about Switzerland Travel Restrictions if you are planning your trip to Switzerland for travel.

Now we do have covered couple of awesome itineraries about Switzerland which you can refer if you are planning to travel

Destinations

Europe

Switzerland Travel Restrictions | Everything you need to Know