switzerland

No restrictions in this travel advice

Avoid all but essential travel to part(s) of country

Avoid all but essential travel to whole country

Avoid all travel to part(s) of country

Avoid all travel to whole country

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• General
 

• There is a moderate danger of avalanches at certain times during the year in Switzerland's Alpine regions. Please exercise due care and attention and observe all written notices and warning instructions. See Safety and Security - Outdoor Sports Activities in Summer and Winter.
  
  
• There is a small residual threat from terrorism in Switzerland. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  
  
• 732,050 British nationals visited Switzerland in 2010. Most visits are trouble-free. See General -Consular Assistance Statistics.
  
  
• You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. Alpine conditions can be hazardous and you should ensure that your insurance covers winter/mountain activities. See General -Insurance.
  
  
• Travellers in a wheelchair or with impaired mobility may need special information to plan a trip.  The official website of Switzerland tourism provides useful information.

Safety and Security - Terrorism

There is an underlying threat from terrorism in Switzerland. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.

For more general information see our Terrorism Abroad page.

Safety and Security - Crime

Most visits to Switzerland are trouble-free. There is a generally low rate of serious crime in Switzerland compared with other European countries. However, crime does occur and you should be aware that petty theft is on the increase. Be particularly alert to pickpockets, confidence tricksters and thieves in city centres, airports, railway stations and other public places. If travelling overnight by train, you should take precautions against being burgled while you sleep by opportunist thieves. You should not become involved with drugs of any kind.

Safety and Security - Scams

Foreign visitors and residents can be targeted by scam artists. These scams can pose great financial loss to victims. If you receive an e-mail purporting to be from HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) offering a tax refund on provision of your bank details you should make absolutely sure that it is not part of a scam.

For more general information see our Victims of Crime Abroad page.

Safety and Security - Local Travel - Road Travel

All road users should follow instructions given by local police and officials on the main alpine transit routes, at bottlenecks and areas of heavy traffic congestion. A warning triangle is compulsory and must be kept within easy reach (not in the boot). Radar detectors are prohibited in Switzerland whether in use or not. The limit for alcohol in the bloodstream is 0.05% and police may request any driver to undergo a breath test or drugs test. Swiss traffic regulations are strenuously enforced. Any serious breach of the regulations can result in heavy fines and/or imprisonment.

To travel on Swiss motorways, road users must purchase and display a vignette or face large on the spot fines. Vignettes can be purchased at most border crossings, petrol stations, Swiss post offices, by phone (on 00800 10020030) and online (at http://swisstravelsystem.com). The price of a vignette is currently CHF 40.

Alpine winters often make driving more difficult. You should equip your car with winter tyres and snow-chains, and check road conditions prior to departure. The Swiss motoring organisation, TCS, has up-to-date information on its website: http://www.tcs.ch (GER/FR/IT only).

Many Swiss roads are narrow and winding and road conditions can deteriorate fast even in summer, especially during heavy rainfall and subsequent snowfall in higher altitudes. Speed must be reduced significantly to suit the conditions, especially on unfamiliar roads.

Drivers must be 18 years of age and hold a full (i.e. not provisional) valid UK, or other EU/EEA, driving licence is sufficient for driving in Switzerland. There is no need for an International Driving Permit. Drivers can find up-to-date information about road closures at: http://www.tcs.ch. Information about rails services is available at: http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/.

In 2010 there were 327 road deaths in Switzerland (source: DfT). This equates to 4.2 road deaths per 100,000 of population, and compares to the UK average of 3.1 road deaths per 100,000 of population in 2010.

Further advice on driving outside the UK can be obtained from motoring organisations such as the AA and RAC and for more general information see our Driving Abroad page.

Safety and Security - Local Travel - Air Travel

The revised EU-wide security measures that came into effect for all passengers departing from UK airports in November 2006 are also being implemented in Switzerland. For more details about this see Airline Security.

Safety and Security – Outdoor Sports Activities in Summer and Winter

Alpine travellers should take out supplementary insurance to cover extra medical costs such as repatriation. Ensure you are covered for sports activities such as skiing, potholing and mountaineering. Travel insurance must also include mountain rescue services and helicopter costs.

You should be aware of the risks involved in the more hazardous sports activities.  The following alpine hazards exist throughout the year:

• Avalanches and snow drifts
• Landslides and flooding
• Glacial crevasses and hollows
• Rockfall
• Thunder storms and lightning
• Altitude sickness
• Sun exposure
• Sudden weather changes

_{Please Do:}

• Take note of weather forecasts and conditions
• Make sure you are physically fit and have the necessary experience
• Be in a team of at least two
• Inform someone of your plans.
• Take warm clothes and wet weather gear.
• Use sun block (SPF20 or higher) and sun glasses.

Many accidents happen due to insufficient information, inappropriate equipment or overestimation of one’s own capabilities. Follow the advice given by local authorities and guides; to ignore such advice could put yourselves and other mountain users in danger.

Safety and Security - Political Situation

Switzerland Country Profile

You should respect the local laws and customs of Switzerland at all times.

Local Laws and Customs - Smoking in Switzerland

Since May 2010, smoking has been banned throughout Switzerland in the workplace and in most enclosed spaces accessible to the public, including bars, restaurants, cinemas, schools, shopping centres and sports centres. Exceptions can be made at a cantonal level where smoking licences are granted upon application to small restaurants, cafés and bars provided that such establishments clearly indicate on the outside that smoking is allowed, have adequate ventilation and only employ staff that have agreed to work in a smoking environment. Larger restaurants and bars have the option of providing separate areas designated for smokers.

See our Your Trip page.

Entry Requirements - Visas

You need a passport to enter Switzerland. If you are a British Citizen or British Subject with Right of Abode in the United Kingdom, you will not need a visa to enter Switzerland. Other British passport holders should confirm the current entry requirements with the nearest Swiss Diplomatic mission.

Entry Requirements - Passport Validity

You must hold a valid passport to enter Switzerland. Your passport must be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. No additional period of validity beyond this is required. However, it is always sensible to have a short period of extra validity on your passport in case of any unforeseen delays to your departure. You do not have to wait until your old passport expires to apply to renew it. Any time left on your old passport when you apply will be added to your new passport, up to a maximum of nine months. For passport applications in the UK, you should apply to the Identity and Passport Service.

You should obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before leaving the UK. The EHIC is not a substitute for medical and travel insurance, but entitles you to emergency medical treatment on the same terms as Swiss nationals. It also does not cover you for medical repatriation, on-going medical treatment or treatment of a non-urgent nature. See our EHIC page.

If you are a national of the UK or any other EU country, a Swiss national, a stateless person or refugee and you live in the UK, you can use the EHIC to get reduced cost immediately necessary healthcare when visiting Switzerland. Your dependent family members and survivors are also covered, regardless of their nationality. If you claim treatment under the EHIC scheme, you will still have to pay the full costs of medical treatment first and claim a refund from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) upon return to the UK. You will have to pay 50% of the costs of any "medically required" ambulance transport within Switzerland, including air ambulance.

Detailed information about the EHIC scheme, the treatment available under the EU/Switzerland healthcare agreement can be obtained from the Department of Health's website.

You should seek medical advice before travelling to Switzerland and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up to date. For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of the NaTHNaC and NHS Scotland’s Fit for Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

During the spring there is an increased risk of contracting illnesses through tick bites. Ticks are common in Switzerland at altitudes of up to 1,500m and may transmit infections or illnesses such as Lyme disease or tick-borne encephalitis (FSME). Vaccination is available for those travellers intending to visit rural endemic areas. Around 3,000 people are affected every year. If outdoors, please wear long clothing and a hat and possibly use tick spray to protect yourself from ticks. Most importantly, check your body for ticks after having been outdoors and immediately see a physician if you have any physical symptoms.

The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health has recommended that anyone born after 1963 who has not already been vaccinated against measles should be.  This recommendation also applies to those who have not already had medically-confirmed measles.

In the 2010 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 18,000 adults aged 15 or over in Switzerland were living with HIV; the prevalence percentage was estimated at around 0.4% of the adult population compared to the prevalence percentage in adults in the UK of around 0.2%. You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see our HIV and AIDS page.

See our Travel Health page.

General - Insurance

You should get comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. Check for any exclusions and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. You should ensure that this includes cover for mountain sports and air ambulance costs. See our Travel Insurance page.

If things do go wrong when you are overseas see our When Things Go Wrong page.


General - Registration

You should register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency.

General - Consular Assistance Statistics

• 732,050 British nationals visited Switzerland in 2010. Most visits are trouble-free.

General - Contact Details

British Embassy, Thunstrasse 50, 3005, Berne;
Tel:  +41 31 359 7700
Fax:  +41 31 359 7765
Website: www.ukinswitzerland.fco.gov.uk
Email:  info@britishembassy.ch

Office Hours:
General:
GMT:  0730-1130 and 1230-1600
Local Time:  0830-1230 and 1330-1700

Consular Section:
GMT:  0730-1130
Local Time:  0830-1230

General - Information about Switzerland

The official Switzerland Tourism website can provide you with information for planning you trip to Switzerland.