Hello. My wife and I are both U.S. citizens, retired and living in Mexico. We both received our COVID vaccinations in the U.S. and are planning a trip to Switzerland and France in mid-September. We purchased our plane tickets through British Airways but the outgoing flight is with Iberian (IA) transiting through Madrid and arriving Geneva. Our return flight is with BA and transiting through London Heathrow back to Mexico City. My concern and question is whether we might have a problem arriving in Switzerland if our flight originated in Mexico. I'm thinking that BA would not have sold us the plane tickets if there was a problem. We certainly do not want to quarantine upon arrival. Does anyone have experience with this issue or know where I can get answers? Many thanks.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5597 posts
I'd suggest reading the entries under the Switzerland section of this Forum. There has been extended discussion here. The Swiss government is expected to issue a covid-status update August 11. You will also find a link in which you enter your origin and transfer countries, to determine your status for quarantine- or not. Transferring through Spain may/ not impact your status, as things keep changing.
Also check Flight Aware [or similar site] to determine if your flight is even flying currently. Many of us have had some unwelcome surprises regarding the flights that we were sold.
Safe travels and good luck!
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11773 posts
You should be able to find your answer here https://einreisecheck.admin.ch/check.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17417 posts
You cannot expect BA to keep track of the shifting requirements and rules on point of departure, transit airports, etc. for every country. And whatever those rules are now, they could change. Switzerland is planning to re-evaluate the rules on August 11 so you may know more then.
Presumably the tickets can be cancelled or changed without penalty? I thought that was the current BA policy.
Posted by
OP
22 posts
Many thanks for your replies and suggestions. I have checked the Flight Aware site and see that the Mexico City-to-Madrid flight, so far, has not been affected as well as the Madrid-Geneva connection. I also checked the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration website and their link to Travel Check and found that even for travelers from "High-Risk" countries, such as Mexico, we can visit if we have been fully vaccinated with an approved Covid vaccine and fill out the entry form. Although, I did not see anything requesting a pre-departure Covid test. I'll assume that that is a requirement but not sure if it would be just an antigen test or the PCR. I'll check other posts for other travelers' experiences. So, it appears that our trip is still on and we can re-focus on our itineraries. Thanks again!
Posted by
171 posts
We flew into Zurich from L.A. via D.C. two weeks ago. Upon entry the Swiss officer barely looked at my passport before stamping. It took less than 5 seconds. He didn't ask me for proof of my vaccine, negative test results, nothing except for my passport. However, both United Airlines and Viking Cruise lines required all of that before our trip.