How to get a visa to Switzerland yourself. Step by step plan.

What visa do you need for Switzerland?

This is what a Schengen visa to Switzerland looks like.
Switzerland provides many visas with which Russian citizens can cross the border.

The most common is a tourist visa (category C). Received by citizens who have made a reservation for a bus tour in Switzerland or have booked a hotel in the country.

The next most popular is the visitor visa . The second name is visa by invitation . It is slightly different from the tourist one, since it is issued to persons coming to Switzerland to visit friends or relatives who live in the country.

Category C includes a work visa , which is issued by citizens who intend to work with business partners in the country or officially take a job in the state.

A transit visa is issued in Switzerland . It is required for tourists who fly through the state to other countries that are not members of the Schengen agreement.

This is what the national Swiss visa looked like before Switzerland joined the Schengen and Dublin agreements (December 12, 2008).

The national visa is represented by a study document. Issued to persons who are sent to study in the state for a period not exceeding 90 days.

Another type of entry permit, which is not so common, but is still issued, is a fiancé visa . Opening such a document allows you to stay in Switzerland until a representative of the fair sex gets married here.

Types of visas to Switzerland also include a child's document. It is suitable for persons under the age of majority.

How to get a visa to Switzerland?

The easiest and most convenient way to apply for a Swiss visa is to contact a visa center.
Photo taken from travelingyuk.com. A pressing question is how to obtain a visa to Switzerland. This process is no different from the usual procedure for obtaining permission to enter the Schengen zone, but this procedure has a number of features. It is better to carry it out through a consulate or visa center, since it will not be possible to submit all documents with wet notary seals via the Internet.

A Swiss visa can be obtained from embassies, consulates or visa centers.

Visa procedure

First you need to prepare documents for a visa to Switzerland. You need to take a passport (after returning from abroad, the document must be valid for 3 months). To affix the visa, two blank pages are required.

Before processing the document, you must make a photocopy of your foreign passport (only the first page). It is imperative to scan other Schengen visas that were previously issued to the person. When applying for a permit, you cannot do without:

1. Form filled out by hand. The application form for a visa to Switzerland is completed using English, German or Italian. You can also fill out the form in French.
2. 3-4 photographs (measurement 3.5 by 4.5 cm).
3. A ticket or copy that confirms that the traveler will reach the country.
4. Medical insurance valid in Schengen territory. A person must be insured for 30 thousand €.

It is important to note! If the tickets have an open date, the visa will be refused.

It will not be possible to obtain a visa to Switzerland without providing a certificate of booked accommodation for the holiday period (you can use a travel company voucher). Provide confirmation of payment with the specified phone number and last name.

Schoolchildren or students must provide a student ID, as well as documents indicating that the trip has been paid for.

If a tourist travels by invitation, a document confirming this must be submitted. The person or sponsoring company sends this certificate by mail.

List of documents for a Schengen visa, complete list (8900 Downloads) Route sheet for a Schengen visa (One Download) New rules for obtaining a Schengen visa (1239 Downloads) Sample sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa in English (1462 Downloads) Certificate of employment for a Schengen visa, sample (2076 Downloads)

• Detailed information about documents for a Schengen visa ->

Confirmation of solvency

To make a visa to Switzerland available for Russians in 2021, the required amount of money is taken for the trip. For one day - at least 100 francs. To confirm solvency, provide a bank card statement.

It is important to know! If at the time of travel a tourist does not have the necessary amount to stay in the country, he is given the opportunity to partially confirm his financial ability. In this case, it is necessary to issue a warranty declaration.

Application form for a visa to Switzerland

It is recommended to fill out the Schengen visa application form in English in capital letters. It is prohibited to provide false information in the application form. Blots and strikethroughs are not allowed.

The application data is filled in with contact information (mobile phone number, email address, passport details). Then you need to indicate information about your job, but if the person is unemployed, this item is left blank.

Indicate information about the purpose of the trip. The next point is filling out information about the Schengen of other countries that the person previously received. The last stage is information about the trip itself, when it will take place, how much money is needed for the trip.

At the end of the document you need to put the date of completion and sign.

The application form for a national visa to Switzerland is slightly different from Schengen. But filling it out will also not cause serious difficulties.

Application for a Schengen visa to Switzerland (306 Downloads) Sample of filling out an application for a Schengen visa to Switzerland (318 Downloads) Application for a national visa to Switzerland (119 Downloads) Sample of filling out an application for a national visa to Switzerland (One Download) How to convey Russian letters using Latin alphabet (944 Downloads) Instructions for filling out the application form for a Schengen visa (2336 Downloads)

• Read more about filling out the Schengen visa application ->

How to fill out a Swiss visa application correctly

Photo requirements

Photographs must be 3.5 by 4.5 cm in size, and the image should be taken in color against a light background. One photograph is glued to the application form, and an application is attached there. The images are signed on the back and the passport number is indicated on them.

Photo requirements for a Schengen visa (1109 Downloads)

• Read more about the photo for a Schengen visa ->

Medical insurance

To obtain health insurance in Switzerland, we recommend using the service cherehapa.ru

You can find out prices for travel insurance for Switzerland for 2 people using the form below:

Complete list of requirements for a health insurance policy for a Schengen visa (1097 Downloads)

• Read more about health insurance for a Schengen visa ->

Visa application procedure

In 2021, Russians can apply for visas to Switzerland in several ways - contact the embassy or any TLS Contact visa center, or use postal services. It should also be taken into account that biometric data must be submitted once every 5 years. There is a Consulate General of the country in St. Petersburg. But it provides services only to citizens living in the Northwestern Federal District.

Having chosen the embassy as the place to obtain the permit, you must proceed according to the following algorithm:

• prepare the required documents;
• go through the registration procedure on the embassy portal and make an appointment there (an alternative way to make an appointment is fax +74952258836 indicating your full name and desired date of application, telephone number for contact);
• go to the diplomatic mission at the appointed time, pay consular expenses, undergo biometrics (if necessary), submit the required documents and find out the date of response to the application;
• come at the specified time for an answer.

Visa centers are open in several Russian cities. When contacting the VC, you will need to pay not only the cost of the visa, but also the services of this institution.

The procedure for obtaining a permit through the CC does not differ from that which the applicant goes through at the embassy. But registration must be completed on the VC website. After reviewing the application by the consulate, the CC will send an SMS or e-mail to the client.

Switzerland Visa Application Center in Moscow

To use postal services, you must register on the VC website and pay fees online. Then you need to call the VC and inform that the documents will be sent by DHL. After paying for postal services, the documents are delivered to the main office of the visa center.

In what case is a transit visa to Switzerland issued?

A transit visa is required if the layover lasts more than 24 hours.
If you plan to enter Switzerland in transit with a Schengen visa, you will need to issue a special document. The only exception is a transfer from one flight to another, the duration of stay at the airport does not exceed 24 hours. The tourist must have tickets confirming further travel and a visa to the country where he is going.

Note! If you are transiting through Geneva airport, you must first issue a flight or boarding pass online.

It is important to know

The Swiss Consulate processes visa requests strictly. It is quite difficult to obtain a long-term multiple-entry visa without a reason. Visa officers carefully study your visa history. The correct use of previous Schengen visas may influence the decision to issue you a multiple-entry visa, as well as the issuance of a visa in principle.

There is no urgent fee for processing a visa request.

If you would like to try to influence the speed of processing of your visa request, please contact the Consulate by mail or telephone.

Case study: An applicant was refused a visa to Switzerland for the following reason: “A check of your visa history (the correct use of the visa issued to you by the Swiss Embassy) showed that you probably did not understand the basic principle of traveling on a Schengen visa... Taking into account the history your visits and based on the Schengen principles, a visa cannot be issued for the period you requested.

Full text of the letter:

Visa to Switzerland for a child

If a child has a separate passport, then he needs to obtain a visa in the same way as an adult.
Tourists are often interested in what kind of visa is needed to Switzerland for Russians traveling with children. When traveling to the state with your children, you need to apply for a visa. You need to fill out a form according to the sample and attach photographs to it.

If the child’s information is included in the passport, parents take a photocopy of this page. A birth certificate, original and copy of the document (translated into English or German and notarized) are required.

Children under 6 years of age are included in their parents’ passport, and their photograph is also pasted into it. Children who have their own passport apply for a visa in the same way as adults.

Sample consent for a child to travel abroad for one of the parents (890 Downloads) Sample consent for a parent to travel abroad for a child accompanied by a third party (764 Downloads)

• Read more about the Schengen visa for a child ->

How much does a visa to Switzerland cost for Russians?

A short-term document will cost the price of a visa and service fee at the document issuing center. The cost of a visa to Switzerland at the visa center is paid in rubles.

Track visa readiness

Paid SMS alerts will indicate visa readiness

After submitting documents and paying the consular fee, the applicant receives a receipt. It contains the application number, by which you can check the status of the visa, indicating the last name and the assigned sequence.

For an additional fee, the visa center will provide email and SMS notification services. As soon as the passport is ready, the applicant receives a message. To pick it up you will need to have your general passport and receipt with you.

To obtain a Swiss visa, it is important to prepare documents correctly and provide accurate information. If they meet the embassy's requirements, there will be no problems obtaining an entry permit.