New testing requirements in Switzerland for Covid certificate….help

Did you complete the Travel Check on the US/Swiss embassy website. If you’ve been fully vaccinated I don’t think you need to be tested as mentioned.

If you are fully vaccinated all you have to do is complete the entry form. There is a link at the end once you complete this questionnaire. https://einreisecheck.admin.ch/check

I filled it out assuming depart US, no transit countries, Pfizer vaccine, arrive by plane. YMMV if you are transiting, had a different vax, are unvaxxed, etc. My deduction is that most countries do not want unvaxxed visitors so they are making it more challenging to arrive and to function.

You might also look at getting your QR code in advance here https://www.thelocal.ch/20210715/explained-can-tourists-use-switzerlands-covid-certificate-to-access-events-clubs-and-restaurants/.

Yes on what Sandra said! Check the Switzerland Travel Check. It will ask all the questions to let you know if you're good and if your vaccine is acceptable, etc.
If you're not vaccinated, it doesn't appear to allow entry to the country any longer - which is odd, since I haven't seen or heard any updates.

I'm here now but not planning to eat at any restaurants so I'm not much help on that part...sorry!

On the ground in Switzerland and it's confusing to all-
Swiss/restaurant staff and hotel workers.
American- generated QR codes do not work, nor do the QR codes from the Swiss tracker form.
Enforcement here is inconsistent because of the confusion.
At this point, count on eating at outdoor venues.
Read everything that has been posted here under Switzerland.
You can try to apply for the new Swiss Covid certificate, but folks here have had mixed results .
Good luck!

Yes - to clarify, the entry form you fill out before your flight is only to enter Switzerland - it has nothing to do with the Covid vaccination certificate rules inside the country. Once you are here, a Swiss or EU Covid certificate is now required to eat indoors at restaurants (including hotels), sit inside bars/cafes/etc, enter museums, etc. You don't need the certificate to go into grocery stores or other shops, eat outdoors, ride public transportation - basically anything that must be accessible to all (masks are still required indoors where certificates are not used).
As mentioned, some people have been able to get a Swiss vaccination certificate ahead of time (check the other threads for info - if you aren't leaving until next week you probably have enough time to try this) or have found individual restaurants/hotels that will accommodate them with only the CDC card when they explain the situation, but it is hit or miss. Officially there is no obligation to accept anything besides the Swiss or EU Covid certificates.
If you don't have a Swiss/EU vaccination certificate, one option is to obtain a "tested" certificate showing you have tested negative (valid 48 hrs for much cheaper antigen quick test, 72 for PCR) but the test has to be done at a place that can generate the Swiss Covid certificate for you. There are tests available in the airports when you arrive (you can book appointments online or there are walk-in options) and throughout the country at clinics and some pharmacies, although appointments can be limited outside of cities and not all pharmacies issue the certificates. You could ask your hotel about options locally. I haven't heard yet if anyone has confirmed that they got tested for free as a tourist or had to pay out of pocket.

The whole situation is new for everyone here and there has been a lack of clear information from the government about how to deal with tourists from outside the EU. Hopefully more information will come soon (maybe even this week) about a fix for this, whether it's a Covid vaccination certificate that is designed for tourists or something else. Hopefully you will have more info and clarity in time for your departure.

Also, just fyi: the app that businesses use to scan the QR codes only works on approved, secure certificates (Swiss or EU Covid certificates) that can be verified by the system and does not verify any other QR codes. This is why your entry form QR code or codes from other sources are not valid. And since every venue can't be expected to individually vet the validity of various other certificates/CDC cards/etc, this is why these are not officially accepted for the purposes of the new rules.

There is a press conference today at 2pm - will report if anything of interest is announced. The following proposal was out for consultation until today - let's hope they have made a quick decision about how to move forward:

COVID certificate for people vaccinated abroad
The Federal Council also addressed the issue of COVID certificates for people vaccinated abroad. Currently, only certificates issued by countries participating in the EU Digital COVID Certificate are technically compatible with the Swiss system. Under this proposal, anyone who has been vaccinated abroad with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and who resides in or travels to Switzerland would be able to obtain a Swiss COVID certificate. As in neighbouring countries, certificates are not to be made available for all WHO vaccines. Each canton must define a contact point for people who have been vaccinated abroad. All cantonal contact points are to be listed on a federal website. The Federal Council's proposal will now go out to consultation until 14 September.

@hopper18

Thank you so very much for your generous response! You have offered us so much useful knowledge on this subject. We are traveling from the US fully vaccinated so we will now; 1. Go online and try our luck to obtain certificate before we leave. 2. If this doesn’t work we will try to obtain one when we land in Zurich at an airport testing site (if they are open past 6:00 pm) 3. If above doesn’t pan out we will continue by train to Luzern and try our best to figure it out there.
We are very grateful that we now have a plan of action! Yesterday we felt completely lost. Now we have such a better understanding and although it seems like a bit of a mess hopefully some of this will be straightened out before we get there. Thank you, thank you! So extremely helpful, we appreciate your response!

Glad you found it helpful. Hopefully you are able to get a certificate one way or the other and won't have to deal with testing! I still think it's surprising that they didn't seem to think about this scenario when announcing the new rules...I know there are not many non-EU tourists around at the moment, but still!

Karen, you have received excellent advice from Laurel and Hopper and you are fortunate because you still have a week before flying to Switzerland.
If you click on the link Laurel provided you will be able to fill out the Covid certificate form. If not, keep on trying. Do not wait until you are in Zurich.
The owner of the small hotel where we are staying in Mürren told us yesterday that we could eat in the restaurant for breakfast and dinner since we were vaccinated.
Today she informed us that she had received an email from the Hoteliers Association stressing the importance of the new guidelines. As owner, she would have to pay a fine if she did not follow the guidelines. She said “they” will check.
We can understand that and are trying to focus on all the things we can do rather than be upset. We didn’t come to Switzerland for the food.
We applied for the Covid certificate late Saturday night using the link Laurel provided in another post, but have not yet received our certificate.

Hi Carol,
Thanks for your response and report on what you are experiencing, this is extremely helpful for us. Yes, we will apply for certificate today and see what happens. I hope you don’t have any problems in regards to hotels and restaurants during your visit, such an interesting time for travel with the rules changing daily. Also hope it hasn’t been too rainy for you, we’ve been checking daily and looks a bit spotty. Happy and safe travels to you!
Karen

Karen, we are on week 3 of our time in Switzerland. We have had beautiful sunny days. We saw the Matterhorn the day we went to Zermat, even though the weather forecast called for rain. It was a sunny day.
One thing we have learned is not to trust the weather forecast 100%. Also, the weather can change depending on the time of day, especially in Mürren.
Today looks like it will be a cloudy, gloomy day, so we may pass on a hike and head down the valley.
We’re thankful to be in Mürren, away from crowded cities, while we wait for our Covid certificate. One thing for sure is we won’t starve. And I’m not particularly fond of Swiss food, except for the salads which have been so fresh.

Hi Carol, I’m staying in Gimmelwald right now and hope to have my certificate in time for Luzern on Saturday. I was walking around Murren earlier today, who knows maybe I walked right by you. This is my third time to Gimmelwald and I hope to return much sooner next time (last visit was 2016… was supposed to return in 2020 but we all know what happened there). It’s such a magical place here. The fresh Swiss Alps mountain air and the sound of cowbells are good for the soul! As the saying goes, “if heaven’s not what it’s cracked up to be, send me back to Gimmelwald!”
-Brian

Brian, I’m amazed that so many people on the Switzerland forum ended up in the Lauterbrunen area this year. I don’t think you passed me in Mürren today. We were hiking the Mountain View Trail. But yesterday we were in Gimmelwald. Too funny.

About your application for your Covid certificate: we too are waiting for ours through the Canton of Bern whuch we filled out Saturday. Meanwhile we continue to eat outside.
Based on the quick turnaround people have had through the Valais Canton, we went ahead and filled out that application this afternoon.

On our way! Will be in Lauterbrunnen on Friday!

@Jane that's awesome!!! We were in Lauterbrunnen yesterday. It was very cloudy and a bit drizzly. Hopefully the weather clears up but it's another cloudy rainy day all around here again today.

If you are in Lauterbrunnen, and it is rainy, we went to Trummelbach Falls down the road. My husband doesn't like heights so he didn't enjoy it as much as I did, but it was really impressive! It's only 11 CHF and a lift takes you up. Look it up - it's not for everyone but I like it! (Take a rain coat!)

Also, it's supposed to snow on Jungfraujoch later today and Friday and Saturday :-) not sure if that's in your plans at all, but I'm excited to go up whenever it really does snow! (We're in the area until Monday so we're just playing it all by ear off the daily weather)

As Jaime Lynne posted, kind of a yucky day in Lauterbrunen. We came to Wengen hoping we could do the Panoramic Walk from Männlichen, but it is foggy there.
Plan B: I read a suggestion from Laurel of Forest Grove to do the Staubbachbänkli walk. We are sitting on a bench overlooking Lauterbrunen, all alone, listening to the quiet. So great to “get away.”
Thanks Laurel for the excellent suggestion

I'm finding the weather report isn't always very trustworthy. We're waking up early each day to find the weather report has changed since the night before. Unfortunately it is a very overcast weekend, but tomorrow (Friday) may be the only reasonably clear-ish day in the area.

We're hoping for enough clear weather to get up to Harder Kulm for a couple hours of hiking and views (fingers crossed)

Regardless, the sun peeks through many times throughout the day, you just can't always see the mountain peaks... and isn't that what we come here for?
Still loving our time here :-)

Thank you….we will take whatever we can get….my memories of a few years ago were walking to Kleine Schidiegg and the sun poking in and out, in and out……and we may just park ourselves on a bench and eat Swiss chocolate❤️

Hoping the Swiss come out with guidelines tomorrow based on their request for info by 9/14.

Does anyone know what it takes to go through the following process? I'm jotting down what I've seen/read in various places but things keep changing
*we are vaccinated
1. US to Zurich via London Heathrow stopover - requires approved rapid antigen or pcr 3 days before because of London/UK requirement (not Swiss)
2. In Switzerland - waiting on new rules Friday to be announced how they will handle tourist vax cards
3. Zurich to US via London Heathrow stopover - believe US and UK requirement here are same - 3 days ahead rapid antigen or pcr (we are using the video call for this)

Anyone know if anything has changed with UK and they follow a 3 day rule for rapid antigen still?

Hello I applied for a Swiss covid cert on Sunday night via Bern canton site and then again via Valais on Tuesday night. I have not heard back on either and I know they were received correctly (green confirm message on screen after pressing “submit”). Is it taking this long for anyone else? Looks like people who applied last week got the QR code within 48 hours, but maybe they got really backed up the past few days. For Bern, the Cert should be sent via email and Swiss covid app for Valais (used generator code in the app). I was hoping to have it by the time I get to Luzern on Saturday. I’m staying in the Gimmelwald/Murren area right now where it’s really not been needed so far. I’m wondering whether I should resubmit or just be patient. Thanks
Brian
PS. I see the previous post noted a Swiss govt decision for tourist vax cards is expected tmrw, which is hopefully helpful

I know both cantons Bern and Valais have said they are getting tons of requests for certificates and are experiencing longer waiting times than before. Since you already applied to two different cantons and you'd just be adding more to the pile, I don't think you should resubmit. They have confirmed your applications and it seems like they're doing what they can during a high demand period.

I'd wait and see what happens tomorrow. And other than Sunday, the weather looks ok for the next couple of days so you could hopefully just eat outside or get take-away for a day or two. Worst case scenario, you could always look into getting tested in Lucerne. There is a place in the train station open until 11pm that will do a rapid antigen test until and send you a Covid certificate within an hour. The tourist office can probably give advice too.

Thanks Hopper, appreciate the insights. I didn’t know there was a testing spot at the train station, which is very convenient as I am traveling via train. So I can stop by there if I don’t receive the code in the meantime. Either way it will be fine, no issues eating outside. Part of this is me wanting to feel “a part of” the European system by having an official Swiss covid Cert.

Cheers
Brian

Totally understand and hope there is a better solution for you and other travelers soon! But patience is definitely required and there is a lot of demand right now. As an example, it took a friend of mine 4 working days to get their certificate reissued last week (to fix a spelling mistake) - and that was someone who lives in and was vaccinated in Switzerland and already had an existing certificate! So I am not surprised that the wait is a bit longer for approval of foreigners vaccinated outside the country. Hang in there and stay flexible :)

Hi. We are in Zurich and the TI had been most helpful. You can go to their location at the main train station in Zurich and get a free covid test if you have been vaccinated in a third country but can’t get a Swiss pass. We did this today. It took maybe an hour from getting the test till results. We are now good for 48 hours and used the pass to visit the national museum and eat in a restaurant. You also have to present your id.

They are only doing the free test at that location through Sunday. They indicated a “solution” was expected for next week that won’t require regular testing. But we couldn’t find out what the solution is.

Hope this helps those of you in Zurich.

@hopper18
hi hopper, wondering if you've heard of any changes to the situation this week? We are in a little panic as traveling to Switzerland Thursday and read on another blog that Wengen (where we will stay) is very strict. We have all applied for our covid cert when it was first announced but only 2/4 have received one.
thanks for any new info you may have. If we can't get the certificate here in time is testing for the 48/72 hour temporary passes available in the Wengen/Interlaken do you know.
Very complicated situation, and weather may not allow for much outside dining while we are there.
thanks so much!
Karen

Hi Karen -
You can check the other thread I started (updated today) for some further information. Bern doesn't seem to be issuing certificates for tourists anymore at the moment, so if you are waiting for them, I wouldn't get my hopes up. Some other cantons are offering them but only with proof of a hotel stay in that canton. It's all a bit haphazard still as the cantons work out how they want to deal with this.

Officially, there is a "transition period" that started yesterday until 10 October during which your CDC card and photo ID should be accepted as proof of vaccination. In reality, some people have had issues with getting hotels/restaurants to accept this but hopefully this is just because the announcement came last week and the info is still trickling down. Others have had success showing their CDC cards and referencing this latest announcement, politely pointing out that it is valid until October 10th. If you have breakfast or meals at your hotel, you might want to email them ahead of time and just make sure they are up to date on rules and will allow you to eat indoors with CDC cards.

I can suggest bookmarking this official announcement so you can show it to any skeptical businesses
This links to the federal announcement in German -- just scroll down to the yellow box with the text in it where Oct 10th is mentioned for the relevant passage. (You can also flip it to English by clicking on EN in the top righthand corner)
https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/covid-zertifikat/covid-zertifikat-erhalt-gueltigkeit.html#1779825255
Here is a link from Switzerland Tourism that also contains wording about the 'transition period' https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/planning/transport-accommodation/travel-to-switzerland/where-and-when-is-what-open/

It's not the greatest system right now, but hopefully by the time you get here the hospitality businesses are more familiar with the situation and things are running a little smoother for those without certificates.

If you want to test: There are some testing possibilities in Interlaken/Wengen area, but you probably need to pre-book and make sure it's a place that can produce the certificates. I have also heard that it can be difficult to get the quick antigen tests because so many people try to get them before the weekend. You might try contacting the tourist office or your hotel to see if they have current information on which places offer testing with certificates.

Hope this helps

By the way - I am not sure if you are coming direct to Switzerland or from elsewhere in Europe, but just in case you have a Covid certificate from elsewhere in the EU, this will be valid in Switzerland and you don't need a Swiss one.

@hopper18
Thanks again Hopper, you are truly a wealth of knowledge on this subject. Very good to hear about the transition period, this helps a lot! I will email our hotels now and see what they say. Also I have made record of the transition period statements you provided in links.
Definitely, good info and appreciate your prompt reply!
Thank you!!
Karen