Switzerland is one of the most developed and expensive European countries by tourist standards with gorgeous mountain landscapes. The country is not a member of the European Union, but is included in the group of states that have signed the Schengen Agreement. Therefore, today all Russians who dream of seeing the famous Swiss villages and sights can apply for a Schengen visa.
Which visas can I apply for in Switzerland?
When planning to go abroad, a person usually thinks: "Do I need a visa?". To Switzerland, as well as to any other European country, a Russian should definitely apply for a visa, but which one is needed? To answer these questions, it is worthwhile to figure out what kind of visas are generally available in this state.
Do I need a visa (Schengen) for Switzerland or not? Given that the country has signed the Schengen Agreement, optionsseveral appeared. In order to understand how to apply for a visa to Switzerland for Russians, you need to decide on the date and purpose of the trip.
Visas can be: short-term, long-term and transit (this is one of those that are available to tourists). Among other things, of course, there are student, business and work visas.
Schengen visa
What is the easiest way to issue an entry document to Switzerland: a Schengen visa or not? Most often, people travel as tourists, in which case it is easier to apply for a regular short-term Schengen visa type C. It allows you to stay within the Schengen zone for three months in a six-month period. In general, this should be enough to see the main places and attractions, since a Schengen visa to Switzerland involves the main time of stay in the territory of this state.
National visa
The second option for a visa to Switzerland for Russians is a long-term type D, or national. According to such a document, stay in the country increases, however, the list of documents is slightly expanded and the requirements are stricter. Typically, such a visa is issued by people for a trip to Switzerland to visit relatives who have citizenship of this state. It is strictly forbidden to work on it.
Other visas
When transferring, do I need a visa to Switzerland in case of a transit flight? It is known that earlier there were transit visas of type A and B. Today, instead of the above visas, short-term documents are issued for crossingborder marked "Transit".
Do Russians need a visa for Switzerland with a 24-hour layover? It turns out not. Taking into account the fact that the waiting time for the next flight will not exceed a day, and the person does not intend to leave the transit zone of the airport, there is no need to issue any visas in advance.
Also, visas are divided into single, double and multi, or multiple. The latter, of course, is the most tempting, because with it there are no restrictions on the number of entries in a certain period of time the visa is valid. A single entry can be used for only one entry, but a double entry, respectively, for two. Moreover, you can cross the border with these visas, and traveling on a bus tour. There are also similar routes to Switzerland.
Getting a visa
It is worth being attentive to the terms of stay in the territory of the Schengen countries. If a person applies for a Swiss "Schengen", then entry into Switzerland should be a priority, as well as the number of days of stay. A visa may be denied if the original travel plan involves the least number of days in Switzerland. If during the trip there are several countries in which a person intends to spend the same time, then you need to apply for a visa at the embassy of the country through which he is going to enter the Schengen Union.
What documents do I need to submit for registration?
When the answer to the question of whether a visa to Switzerland is needed is clarified, you can safely take on the collection of documents. Type ofdocumentation may differ only depending on the purpose of the intended trip. Plus, you should know that even if you successfully obtain a visa at the border, they can still selectively check the presence of some documents and, in their absence, deploy back home.
When applying on your own, you should submit documents to the Swiss Consulate in Moscow. Its address is: per. Ogorodnaya Sloboda, 2/5 building №1.
The folder must contain absolutely all relevant papers listed on the official website of the Swiss representation in Russia.
Standard set for a Schengen visa:
- The registration begins with filling out a special questionnaire. You can enter your data in one of the four official languages of the country: French, English, German and Italian.
- Two color photographs 3.5 by 4.5 in size. One photo must be glued onto the printed application form, and the second must be attached to the folder with documents. Usually, the photo studio knows all the necessary requirements for photos for Schengen visas.
- Regardless of what kind of visa to Switzerland a person issues, a foreign passport must be valid for the next three months after returning from a trip to the Schengen area. A minimum of two blank pages is also required.
- If there are other passports with pasted expired Schengen visas (especially for the last three years), then it is best to enclose copies of them.
- Insurance for a visa ("Schengen") is issued without fail, by the way, it may be asked whencrossing the border. The medical document must comply with all Schengen requirements and, most importantly, be valid in all signatory countries. Also, insurance on terms should cover the entire period of travel, and the amount of insurance payments should not be less than thirty thousand euros. If a person applies for a multivisa, then insurance should be done only for the period of his first trip. True, in the application form it will be necessary to indicate that the applicant guarantees its registration before his next entry into the Schengen zone.
- If suddenly a person does not have the opportunity to come to the consulate or embassy of Switzerland himself and submit the documents with his own hand, then in this case he can ask for help at the visa center. The applicant will need to sign an additional paper, which refers to the consent of sending his documentation by courier service.
Moreover, the applicant will need to undergo a fingerprinting procedure. It is held every five years, regardless of whether he issues a national visa or a "Schengen" visa to Switzerland.
Additional documents for registration of "Schengen"
When the applicant completes the visa application form, a list of additional documents will become available to him.
Those who travel for a tourist destination, you need to put the following documents in the folder:
- Printed booking of air or other round-trip tickets. Also other papers that will confirm the purpose of the applicant's trip, such as a scheduled travel itinerary.
- Printed hotel reservation or other proof of accommodation for the period of travel.
- Certificate from the bank on the state of the account for the last 90 days or an extract on the current state of the account. The original statement must be officially certified by bank employees. A day for each person must be at least 85 euros.
- You can also confirm your financial viability with a certificate from work, which will indicate your monthly income. The amount must be at least 30 or 40 thousand rubles. The certificate must indicate the position.
- If the salary is below the above figure, then as an option, you can issue a sponsorship letter. In this case, the sponsor will have to submit an extract from a personal bank account or a certificate of employment. Plus, you will need to put a copy of his ID in the document folder.
Transit flight through Switzerland
Do I need a visa to Switzerland when using one of the country's airports as a transfer hub? As already mentioned, in the case of a transplant, which fits within 24 hours, a transit visa for Russians is not required. To do this, a person should immediately get all the boarding passes necessary for the onward flight and wait for their flight in the transit zone.
If this option is not suitable for travel, then you need to apply for a transit visa. To do this, the embassy should submit:
- A foreign passport valid for another three months after the end of the trip. The passport must contain at leasttwo blank pages for gluing the visa.
- Copies of passport pages with personal data.
- Copies of previously issued Schengen visas.
- A completed visa application form. You can fill in one of the following languages: English, German, Italian and French.
- Two photos according to the model, as for a regular Schengen visa.
- Copies of all air tickets for the upcoming route (Russia - Switzerland - a third country and so on).
- A copy of a visa to a third country, if required.
- Medical insurance covering at least 30,000 euros. Its validity period must match the period of stay in the Schengen area.
- A copy of the hotel reservation or proof of accommodation in any other place. The transit visa is valid for five full days.
How to apply for a national visa to Switzerland type D?
In order to apply for a national visa to Switzerland, the following documents must be submitted to the embassy:
- The visa application form in triplicate, as mentioned above, you can enter information in one of the four official languages of Switzerland.
- A foreign passport with at least two blank pages for gluing a visa and affixing a border stamp. Passport must not expire earlier than three months after the end of the trip.
- Four photographs of a special format, as for a national visa type D.
- Copies of passport pages with personal data.
- Copies of previously issued Schengen visas.
- Reference aboutnon-conviction. In Russia, it can now be ordered online on the public services website, but you will have to pick it up at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- Any certificates and documents confirming financial security. For example, a bank statement or a certificate of employment indicating monthly income and position. If a person is not officially employed, then an option with a sponsorship letter is possible. In this case, the sponsor must submit a personal bank statement and a copy of ID.
- If you intend to move permanently to Switzerland, you need a document explaining the reasons. Usually this is a family reunion. In this case, a family member residing in Switzerland must also draw up a letter of confirmation of the relative's move.
- If a visa is issued to move a minor child to permanent residence, then a notarized and apostilled duplicate of the birth certificate, as well as consent to move from the second parent, if any, must be included in the document folder.
Visas for work and study
If it is possible to travel to Switzerland for the purpose of work, the request is also submitted for a national visa type D, however, in addition to the main documents, the applicant must attach:
- The original copy of the contract and its copy.
- A request for a work visa submitted personally by the applicant.
When traveling to Switzerland for the purpose of studying at any educational institution, the applicant mustattach documentation:
- Original letter from the educational institution confirming the applicant's enrollment and two copies.
- An extract certifying that the applicant has the necessary funds to pay for tuition, accommodation, and so on. Most often, a sponsorship letter is required here. In turn, the sponsor submits all the necessary documents confirming his solvency.
- Any available high school diplomas, diplomas and certificates. Their originals and two copies of each document are required.
- Detailed curriculum. She is sent by a Swiss educational institution.
- Two copies of the autobiography in any of the four official Swiss languages.
- Personal letter in which the applicant must explain to diplomatic officials why he wants to study in Switzerland.
- A letter of guarantee, according to which the student undertakes to leave the country after graduation.
Visa to Switzerland for children
To apply for any visa for a child, a separately completed visa application form will also be required, as well as:
- Birth certificate and, if available, a foreign passport. Since 2015, a law has come into force that marks on the presence of a child in a parent's passport indicate kinship and are not official permission for a child to cross the border of another state. If a father or mother has an old-style paper passport, then children who are not yet 14 years old are able to travel on it. But in order for the consular staff to make a note, inthis document should have blank pages, with a blank sheet for each child.
- Insurance.
- Two photos.
- Certificate from a school or other educational institution if the child has reached school age.
- If the child travels with one parent or a third party, a notarized export permit will be required. If the whereabouts of the second parent is unknown, then the court must take a certificate declaring the person missing. In the event that the other parent has died, his death certificate will be required.
- When leaving without parents, it is necessary to present copies of the parents' identity card, as well as an extract from their bank account, a sponsorship letter, which indicates the person who assumes all expenses for the child's stay in Switzerland.
Swiss visa fees
For citizens of the Russian Federation, the cost of a Schengen visa is 35 euros (about 2,700 rubles). When applying for an urgent visa, the fee is 70 euros (about 5,300 rubles). When applying for a national visa, the fee is 60 euros (about 4,500 rubles), for children from 6 to 12 years old - 35 euros (about 2,700 rubles).
When applying to the visa center, an additional service fee of 1800 rubles is paid. Children under six years of age and persons with disabilities do not need to pay fees.
Payment is made in ruble currency at the present exchange rate. When applying directly to the embassy, you need to pay the visa fee at the bank. In this case, the bank may also charge its own commission of 150rubles for each individual visa. The receipt of payment must be attached to all of the above documents on the day of the visa application. Visa fees are non-refundable if denied.
Visa processing time
Consideration of applications at the embassy is carried out at least within three working days. When applying to the visa center, the period increases to six days, taking into account the delivery of documents.
When submitting an incomplete package of documents, embassy employees may call the applicant for a personal interview. In this case, the processing of the application will be delayed for a few more days.
It is important to apply for a visa to Switzerland no earlier than ninety days before the intended trip (the minimum deadline is two weeks).
