Europe

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

• Health
• General
 

Travel Summary

• There is an underlying threat from terrorism in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.  Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  
  
• There is a moderate danger of avalanches throughout the year in Switzerland's Alpine regions.  Please exercise due care and attention and observe all written notices and warning instructions.  See the General (Sports Activities and Winter Sports) section of this Travel Advice.
  
  
• Around 826,000 British nationals visit Switzerland / Liechtenstein every year (Source: Swiss Federal Statistical Office, 2008).  Most visits are trouble-free. 109 British nationals required consular assistance in Switzerland in the period 1 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident: deaths (63 cases); hospitalisations (6 cases); and arrests, for a variety of offences (24 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (401 cases).
  
  
• We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  Alpine conditions can be hazardous and you should ensure that your insurance covers winter/mountain activities.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake.  See the General (Insurance) section of this Travel Advice and our Travel Insurance page.

Safety and security

Terrorism

There is an underlying threat from terrorism in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.  Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. For more general information see our Terrorism Abroad page.

Crime

Most visits to Switzerland and Liechtenstein 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.

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 pgae.

Political Situation

Switzerland Country Profile

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).

A full (i.e. not provisional) valid UK, or other EU/EEA, driving licence is sufficient for driving in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.  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://mct.sbb.ch/.

In 2008 there were 357 road deaths in Switzerland (source: DfT).  This equates to 4.7 road deaths per 100,000 of population, and compares to the UK average of 4.3 road deaths per 100,000 of population in 2008.

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.
  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.

Local laws and customs

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

Smoking ban in Canton Berne

Smoking in all public places (except in designated areas) is prohibited in the Canton of Berne.  This applies to areas such as hotels, restaurants and public places.

For more general information for different types of travellers see our Your Trip page.

Entry requirements

Visas

You need a passport or a National Identity Card (see the website of the Identity and Passport Service (IPS)) 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 and Liechtenstein.  Other British passport holders should confirm the current entry requirements with the nearest Swiss Diplomatic mission.

Passport Validity

Your passport should be valid for the duration of your stay.

Health

The Form E111 is no longer valid.  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.  For more information see EHIC. An agreement between the EU and Switzerland came into force on 1 June 2002.  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.  Similar arrangements apply to Liechtenstein.  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.  Tick-borne encephalitis is common to Switzerland, especially in the summer months in forested areas.

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 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 25,000 adults aged 15 or over in Switzerland were living with HIV; the prevalence rate was estimated at around 0.6% of the adult population. This compares to the prevalence rate in adults in the UK of around 0.2%.  You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information see HIV and AIDS.

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.

For more general health information see our Travel Health, Swine Flu and Avian Pandemic Influenza pages.

General

Insurance  We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check 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. For more general information see our Travel Insurance page.

If things do go wrong when you are overseas see our When Things Go Wrong page.
  Sports activities and Winter Sports   Alpine travellers should take out supplimentary 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.  You should also take note of weather forecasts and conditions, which can change by the minute in the mountains.  You should be well equipped, not undertake the activity alone, study the itinerary and inform someone of your plans.  Off-piste skiers should follow the advice given by local authorities and guides; to ignore such advice could put yourselves and other mountain users in danger.   National avalanche bulletin.

Registration

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.  More information about registering with LOCATE can be found here.  Liechtenstein

Conditions in Liechtenstein are similar to those in Switzerland and this advice is equally applicable there.  However, the crime rate is generally lower than in Switzerland.   Contact Details  British Embassy, Thunstrasse 50, 3005, Berne   Tel:  +41 31 359 7700 Fax:  +41 31 359 7765   Website:  www.britishembassy.gov.uk/switzerland  Email:  info@britishembassy.ch  Office Hours:   General: GMT:  0730-1130 and 1230-1600 Local Time:  0830-1230 and 1330-1700   Consular Section: GMT:  0800-1100 and 1300-1500 Local Time:  0900-1200 and 1400-1600   British Consulate-General Geneva   Avenue Louis Casai 58, Case Postale 6, 1216 Cointrin, Geneva   Tel:  +41 22 918 2400 Fax:  +41 22 918 2322   Office Hours:   GMT:  Mon-Fri:  0730-1030 and 1300-1400 Local Time:  Mon-Fri:  0830-1130 and 1400-1500