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Entry by Road into Switzerland - 1 data point

Posted by (Abruzzo Mountains) on

This is a single data point, entirely unscientific, but I thought I’d tell the story anyway.

We arrived into Switzerland last night by car from Italy. We took the crossing on the main highway from Como. We had carefully timed our PCR tests to be well within the 72-hour validity. We had converted our Italian Green Pass EU Electronic COVID vaccination certificate to the Swiss COVID Certificate app. We had both our Canadian passports and our Italian carte d’identità to hand.

We were waved over at the border crossing and tried to hand them all this stuff. They were completely uninterested. All they wanted was our 40 CHF/EUR to buy the highway toll sticker (vignette). They wouldn’t even look at the paperwork.

Then, while out walking today, no one was wearing a mask. Masks indoors at the supermarket but not outdoors. Our AirBnB host came over to check us in and stood indoors chatting for a good 20 minutes with no mask. Ticino has the highest case rate in Switzerland currently. But apparently no one cares. Very different experience from the current behaviours in Italy.

Has anyone else entered by road or rail recently? Any experiences to share?

Posted by
2207 posts

Nelly - we've been by road into Belgium, France, and then back to the Netherlands in the last 30 days - No paperwork or checks at any point in those trips. We simply drove in, just as we did before Covid (and we were on a super-highway each time, not a backroad).

By Rail, we've been to Paris in the last 45 days. Arriving in Paris, we were met on the station platform and had to show our QR Code. On the return to the NL, no paperwork to get on the train in Paris was required - yet when the conductor came through (30 minutes into the ride, we showed our QR codes)... but no paperwork when we got off the train in the NL (at Rotterdam). Masks were required on all trains and there was total compliance.

Headed to Germany next month by car so interested to see how COVID numbers and restrictions in the NL will impact a German border crossing. Of course, all rules can change in the next 30 days.

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