Switzerland—Most restrictions lifted as of Feb. 17th.

Thanks Carrie , the news keeps getting better !

A little confused here….it does state Switzerland will no longer issue Swiss Covid Certificate ‘ but will continue to issue Covid certificates recognized by EU assuming that other countries would require certificate for travel and in other settings. Cantons will still be able to impose a certificate requirement .

• if we have/need an EU certificate that is not bound by 270 days….will it be accepted?

  • although Switzerland (if all goes well) expires the Swiss Covid certificate….separate cantons can impose their own? How would that work?…especially if visiting several different cantons during time in Switzerland?

Chris, the Covid certificate recognized by EU is for Swiss citizens. They might still need proof of vaccine to travel to other countries.

As a tourist, you will not need a covid certificate in Switzerland after tomorrow. So, you don’t need to worry about the 270 days.

Edited to add: Of course, things can always change in the future if the situation declines again. But for now, I think you are safe to shift your focus to trip planning. Start thinking about all the great things you will do in Switzerland. 😊

Wow, Switzerland just jumped to number one on my prospective travel list, overtaking England. No longer masking on Swiss trains after March 31 would be nice, and also it suggests a possible ending of quarantine even after a postitive test on March 31. So if one tested positive for the test to go back to the US one should still of course exercise good judgement, but no longer having to worry about an actual quarantine requirement would also be reassuring.

According to the State Secretariat for Migration, nationals from third countries traveling to Switzerland for tourism or visits still have to prove that they are fully vaccinated when entering Switzerland.

https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home.html

So…. We still need to comply with the 270 day rule😞….. which is not going to work for us since our booster was October 2021 and our trip is July.

So I go back to my question ….if I have an EU certificate issued by France (not going to France in July)…..will it be accepted? Right now AFAIK….there is no expiration date on that certificate but the Swiss Covid app cuts it off at 270 days🤨 which in my case is July 13 2022 and we leave to return home July 15th.
My friend’s Swiss pass expires June 28 2022 since her last shot was October 2 2021.

Chris, try not to worry. Christoph Berger, the President of the Federal Vaccination Commission, just stated in an interview that he thinks a fourth vaccination is unnecessary. So, without a second booster, I suspect Switzerland, like some other countries have already done, will not put an expiration on the booster (3rd shot).

I hope so Carrie since a 4th vaccine is not recommended unless immune comprised…which we are not.

Thank you so much Carrie for staying on top of this😌

From what I read on the link provided ….it seems we still need to comply with the testing requirement:

The Federal Council's decision to lift the health-related measures at the border (testing requirement) on entry as of February 17, 2022, does not change the continuing pandemic-related entry requirements for third-country nationals (see below).

Hi Chris, I just emailed the State Secretariat for Migration for information about the validity of the booster. I’ll let you know what I hear back.

Thank you Carrie for all your hard work😊

I got a little confused reading this. What does "third-country nationals" mean? Am I right to interpret that travelers no longer need a negative Covid test to enter Switzerland? We are transiting in Zurich in May on our way to Greece. So I need to make sure I understand everything. It gets complicated with so many changes. We will still bring our CDC vaccination certificate with us. I don't feel safe leaving home without it!

kmkwoo, as a US citizen, you are considered a third-country national when entering Switzerland. So, according to the State Secretariat for Migration site referenced above, you currently need proof of vaccine to enter Switzerland. Keep in mind things are constantly changing. You will want to use the Swiss travel check tool prior to your May trip to check any requirements at that time.

Chris, below is the response I received.

Thank you for your inquiry.

To see what rules apply to your own particular situation when entering
Switzerland, consult the online: https://travelcheck.admin.ch/home.

For further information on entry-restrictions, please consult our
FAQs.

Currently, entry for tourism purposes or visits from an SEM risk
country is only possible for fully vaccinated persons, with the last
dose within 270 days of entry (see FAQ "High-risk countries”).

Unfortunately the State Secretariat for Migration SEM is not competent
to answer your question as we are not responsible for the definition
regarding validity of vaccination.

All we can tell you is that at the moment, the Federal Office of
Public Health FOPH sets the validity date to 270 days for full
vaccination, this in accordance with EU recommendations. This
regulation can of course undergo changes as the year progresses.

Contact details FOPH: Tel. +41 58 464 44 88 / [email protected]

Please also note:
• The entry regulations are subject to continuous
change. You will always find the latest information on our website.

• This information only refers to entry into Switzerland. For
information on leaving or entering another country, please contact the
authorities of the country in question.

• When travelling by plane,
the airlines themselves decide under which conditions they transport
passengers. The Swiss authorities have no influence on this decision.
Therefore, please clarify the conditions of carriage with the
respective airline.

Chris, because Switzerland is following the recommendations of the EU, here is what the EU currently states regarding the booster:

As of yet, no standard acceptance period will apply to certificates
issued following the administration of booster doses, given that
sufficient data regarding the period of protection is not yet
available.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_6837

The only advice I can offer is to continue to wait and see how things evolve.

Carrie…I did the travel check link…..according to that link asking about vaccination status…there is an ‘I’ next to are you fully vaccinated….clicking on it shows:

The duration of validity of a vaccination is 9 months from the date of complete vaccination; for the Janssen vaccine, the duration is 9 months from the 22nd day after vaccination.

My ( and I’m sure others) only option right now is to check ‘I’m partially vaccinated’ . Because according to Switzerland my vaccine validity date ends 2 days before my group tour ends.

Following it through to end of questions Travel Check tells me: You Can Not Enter Switzerland.

Chris, you would select fully vaccinated as you stated you were fully vaccinated and boosted. You have to answer the questions as of today, not what you would enter later in the summer. The tool is set up to provide info. based on today's information. I think you are trying to predict what the tool might say in the future, and you can't do that.

Hi Carrie,

Thank you for helpful information. I am wondering whether the same rules apply when you are a US citizen but arriving via train. I went to the check link that you sent. We will be arriving on the TGV. It says no additional pandemic measures apply to us....We all have our boosters, but right now it will be 282 days from last shot when we enter Switzerland. I want to purchase Bernina Express Tickets and now I am confused.

ETA If I input the US I get asked whether I am vaccinated. If I put France (we will be entering Switzerland a week after arriving in Europe), which is where our train will arrive from, the travelcheck questionnaire does not ask about vaccination status.

I played around with the travel check survey and the big factor it seems is not where you live or citizenship but where you are coming from. As of today if you are coming from Austria or Germany it doesn't even take you to the next vaccination question but skips over it and says yes you may enter no pandemic restrictions apply. Before today it asked where you have been for the last ten days, but that question has been dropped, and it used to ask for vaccination status even if coming from Austria or Germany but that question has also been dropped.

So, if one has a booster overlap problem it looks like if you start your trip (and it says for flying a stop over doesn't count) in an approved country like Austria or Germany you could then enter Switzerland without a problem. Of course Austria has the same booster issue problem, but one could start off in Germany.

Tmalave……this is my concern as well…since I have 12 days to get our deposits back and this expiration date of our proof of full vaccination when no one is talking about additional boosters or that the lifting of restrictions which includes showing said proof for travelers will apply to nationals from third countries.

tmalave, there are no checks for proof of vaccine when arriving by train.

Chris, are you doing a RS tour? Another forum member had similar concerns about Italy and received this email from the RS staff. So, I would contact them.

I emailed Rick Steves Tours as I fly to Italy for my tour with them on
May 10th, 1 day after my booster becomes 6 months old. They basically
said what has been discussed above, they expect the Italian government
to change that or their own citizens will not be able to do anything
let along tourists. However, if that does not happen they assured me
they will issue a full refund for the tour for those affected! Great
to hear but of course I'd rather be going to Italy!

Yes …we are doing RS Switzerland… we really are looking forward to this trip…yes I knew about that email….I’d hate to get over there and then not be able to partake in anything plus my travel partners 270 day validity which is June 28th…before we would even arrive.

From everything I’ve read Switzerland is wanting be in sync with other EU countries… I have not researched every single country but I did read the EU suggests the validity of vaccinations is 270 days.

What is frustrating is an expiration date on booster shot while several countries I have looked at do not attribute an expiration time frame

I was vaccinated last August and I am hoping to visit Switzerland in June….
So do I need to go get re-vaccinated ?

Under the current rules, you would need a booster shot. But, it's impossible to know what will be required this summer.

Wahoo, this is great info. Thanks for sharing. Thinking I would cancel our trip, I had gotten a refund for the Swiss Travel Pass I had purchased when it was on sale a few months ago due to the restrictive testing requirements. Fortunately I did not cancel our airfare, so we are now leaving in less than a month. I just wish the US would change its testing requirement back to 72 hours for US citizens to re-enter our own country.

Carrie…
This was my question early…
“I was vaccinated last August and I am hoping to visit Switzerland in June….
So do I need to go get re-vaccinated”
I’m still confused…I’m not due for a booster until May….but even if I get my booster
earlier…it wouldn’t be the 270 days before my trip…
So confused and getting sad I might not be able to go😞😢

I think if you are planning on getting a booster in May…you should be ok for August….last dose can’t be MORE than 270 days is my understanding

Some of us are going to need a 4th shot to meet that requirement:(

Hi again…
I will try and explain better…
I have planned my Switzerland trip for June….
I have been fully vaccinated in August of 2021…I am due for my booster in May…
Will I be able to get into Switzerland ???
😢😢😢

lweyant2, yes, you will be fine. Switzerland currently considers the vaccine good for 270 days (or 9 months). So, if you get a booster on May 1, 2022 for example, you will be able to enter Switzerland for 9 months after that date, or until Feb. 1, 2023.

Yay! Thank you so much Carrie ! Now I can sleep tonight !
Although I hope by May….they won’t even make us show these
vaccination passports anymore !🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽

I presume we’re just wiggling in: our boosters were 7 Sept 21 and we’ll enter Switzerland 5 Sept 22. Good grief! 😯

Whoops! I meant entering Switzerland 5 June 22..

Emily ….My booster was 10/15/21…. Switzerland says it expires 07/13/21… my travel partner’s booster was 10/02/21….Switzerland set her expiration as 06/28/21….we are supposed to enter 07/01/22 and depart 07/15/22.

It doesn’t look like my partner could even enter and mine expires 2 days before we planned to depart for home on the 15th of July…. So I’m not even sure if I could enter…..under current regulations.

I emailed the SEM immigration department and they said that "normal entry requirements apply to any persons entering Switzerland directly" from a country that is not on the high risk list. So it looks pretty clear that if you were in Austria, for example which as of next Tuesday I believe will allow visitors with just a negative test to enter (and is lowering the vaccine days to 180) without quarantine, one could then quite legally travel into Switzerland with just proper travel documents. The key word to me is "any". If the Swiss regulation stays in place this might be a good approach to take. One thing I would not do however is have a flight scheduled to go back to the US from Switzerland until the situation is clearer if I was in an uncertain status.

As my booster date will not suffice when I visit Switzerland next Autumn ,I am not terribly concerned . The FDA is currently assessing the practicality of a second booster shot , which appears to be likely .

Rob ….. our flights have been booked and since then they have gone up…..flying into ZRH so no option to transit from another country. We will wait and see.

This 180/270 business really burns me, they are just made up numbers. No one has that much research or experience yet with COVID. You're punishing me for "doing the right thing" as soon as I could.

Keep in mind that neither the EU nor Switzerland have any current plans to offer a second booster. So, the validity time on the booster will continue to change.

Have a look at the articles on boosters I just posted on the General Europe thread . Phred , I had you in mind