Switzerland—No more test to enter requirement for vaccinated OR recovered

Look at you Carrie informing people like a pro !!! Brava !!

Go Carrie! Love this info!!!

Great post and even better news. Let’s hope more countries follow, especially here in the USA. The thought of testing positive and having to stay another xxx amount of days in quarantine is stopping so many people from traveling.

Great to know. Thanks!

Probably a dumb question but here it goes:

Downloaded Swiss Covid App and scanned my EU Covid Cert from France.

Swiss App took it and shows 3/3 vaccines with validity date til 13/10/2022.

Is my expectation correct that the app will auto-correct February 1?

That's a good question chris. You can be our test case. 😊 Please report back after Feb. 1 and let us know if the validity date changes.

I will Carrie🙏🏻😊

Thanks so much for sharing this info. This is great news! I was going to cancel our March trip because I did not want to test mid-trip, but it looks like that has been eliminated, so our trip is a go!

So does this mean taking a bus from Chamonix, France to Geneva will not require any show of recent Covid test? This will be in July. Thanks!

Kate, yes, that’s correct. Currently, no test is required to enter Switzerland if you are vaccinated or have recently recovered. Of course, keep an eye on things as the rules are always changing.

The Swiss gov. has an easy to use tool/travel check that you can use to check the current requirements. You can find that here:

https://travelcheck.admin.ch/check

Thank you, Carrie!

so it says that vaccination is valid for 9 months. So as long as it's 9 months since the booster (Moderna) we will be ok? Original 2 shots were way over 9 months of course.

ETX, yes, you would count the time from your booster. Switzerland is expected to make some changes next Wednesday that would end the need for the covid certificate. So, be sure to check for any updates before your trip.

Carrie (and all)--what would you do if you were me?
My family and I (myself, my wife and kids aged 16 and 13) are scheduled to fly into Zurich on next Thursday 2/17. we have all been vaccinated (less than 270 days ago) AND have all recently recovered from COVID (in the last few weeks). I saw that the requirement for a COVID certificate may be eliminated next week on wednesday 2/16. how certain is this? should I go ahead and get certificates anyway just to be safe? and, if I do get the certificate, which one should I get--vaccinated OR recovered? it doesn't seem like you can get one cert which covers both. all advice appreciated. thanks

Hi garrett, if I were in your shoes, I would apply for the certificates. I would rather be over prepared just in case. As the decision will be made on the 16th, I would be too nervous if I waited until then to hear when the changes would start. If you waited until after the decision on the 16th to apply for your certificates, if you need them, that wouldn’t give you enough time to make sure you received them in time. You want to make sure you have them if you need them to check into your hotel.

In looking at the certificate application, because you have all recently recovered, you need to apply based on your recovery status:

Attention: If you tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2-Virus since you
received your last dose of vaccination, you have to apply for a COVID
recovery certificate.

Good luck and have a great trip!!

Thanks Carrie. good advice and thanks for the clarification on the appropriate certificate.

A few related COVID questions for the forum:
-if I have the COVID certificates prior to my trip, do I not need a negative test within 72 hours of travel?
-Does my 13 year old need anything (COVID cert, negative test, other?) to get into the country?
-For those that have applied for the Swiss COVID cert recently, how many days did it take to get back after application? does it take the full 5 days or are they turning them more quickly?
-What documentation do I need to get back into the US?
Thanks!

Those vaccinated or recovered do not need a test to enter Switzerland. You can confirm this on the travel check tool:

https://travelcheck.admin.ch/home

Be sure to fill out the entry form for you and your wife. The children can be included on your forms:

https://swissplf.admin.ch/formular

Regarding your kids, scroll down to “Entering with children”

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/empfehlungen-fuer-reisende/quarantaene-einreisende.html#-2131529812

I have read on the forum that some have received the certificates within a day or two. I know one’s application was denied and they had to contact the canton for assistance. So, I would apply as soon as possible to allow time if you encounter any problems.

You can check the requirements to enter the US on the CDC website.

If you recently recovered from COVID-19, you may instead travel with
documentation of recovery from COVID-19 (i.e., your positive COVID-19
viral test result on a sample taken no more than 90 days before the
flight’s departure from a foreign country and a letter from a licensed
healthcare provider or a public health official stating that you were
cleared to travel).

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

Thanks again, Carrie. I hope this holds indefinitely.

Just wanted to let the forum know that our COVID certificate applications were turned around in about 24 hours, which is great. all four of us were approved on the first submission. great news, obviously. removes the potential of the last-minute stress!

Great, glad to hear that. Thanks for letting us know. Of course, we’ll find out on Wednesday if you’ll actually need them or not. 😊