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TRAVEL NEWS

Covid certificate: Can the UK’s NHS app be used in Switzerland?

Switzerland’s stricter Covid certificate rules may pose challenges for non-EU travellers. Here’s what we know so far.

Published: 10 September 2021 17:44 CEST
Updated: 16 November 2021 18:32 CET
Covid certificate: Can the UK’s NHS app be used in Switzerland?
Does the NHS app work in Switzerland? Photo by ERIC PIERMONT / AFP

PLEASE NOTE: From Monday, September 20th, Switzerland changed the entry rules, allowing those vaccinated with AstraZeneca to get a Covid certificate. Read here for more. 

This guide was last updated on November 16th, 2021. 

From Monday, September 13th, anyone visiting bars, restaurants, gyms or many other cultural venues, will need to show the certificate. 

The Covid-19 certificate – otherwise known as the Covid-19 pass or the green pass – is available in paper and digital form.

The pass “provides documentary evidence that you have had a COVID-19 vaccination, have had and recovered from the disease or have tested negative”.

EXPLAINED: What will Switzerland’s expanded Covid certificate look like?

Everyone over the age of 16 will have to show a Covid certificate. People aged 15 and under will not. 

What are the rules for entering Switzerland? 

You can show your NHS app or any other official evidence that you have been vaccinated, including paper evidence, when asked at the border. 

In order to enter Switzerland, you do not need to have a Covid certificate.

We have heard from some readers that border guards are reluctant to accept the NHS app, however Swiss tourism authorities have confirmed to The Local that a valid NHS app is sufficient for entry into Switzerland (either in electronic or printed form).

As a backup, please try and bring your paper evidence of being vaccinated with you. 

The vaccines accepted for entry into Switzerland are any of those which have been approved by the EMA and include those commonly administered in the UK.  

More information about the vaccines which are accepted for entry into Switzerland can be found at the following link. 

Reader question: Can I get a Covid certificate in Switzerland if I was vaccinated with AstraZeneca?

Can I use the NHS app in Switzerland? 

Currently, apps from other EU countries can be used in Switzerland anywhere where the Covid certificate is required. 

The situation for non-EU apps is more difficult and requires a specific approval. 

Fortunately, as of November 1st, 2021, the NHS app is officially accepted in Switzerland. A full list of foreign apps accepted in Switzerland can be found here. 

This was confirmed to The Local by Switzerland Tourism. You will be able to scan your NHS app into Switzerland’s Covid Check framework and it will be accepted, i.e. with the same status as a valid Swiss Covid certificate. 

How long has this been the case? 

A spokesperson from the Swiss government told The Local on September 10th that a policy change was being considered which would allow for non-EU apps to be used. This was also confirmed in a press release, which can be found here.

Officially Switzerland changed the underlying rules on November 1st, however some official government guidance continues to indicate that only EU apps will be accepted. 

This led to some confusion, with the government info line telling The Local as recently as November 16th that UK visitors should get the Swiss Covid certificate rather than using the NHS app in Switzerland. 

However, Switzerland Tourism confirmed on November 16th that the NHS app can be used wherever the Covid certificate is required – and will continue to be valid for the winter season. 

Many bars, restaurants and other venues across Switzerland accept the NHS app – along with other foreign, non-EU certificates like Israel’s green pass – where the Covid certificate is required. 

However, despite contradictory reports online – including from the UK government – the official Swiss government position is that only EU apps can be accepted where the Covid certificate is required.

More information is outlined by the Swiss government in English here. 

READ MORE: Switzerland to tighten entry rules from September 20th

This story has been updated to reflect the Swiss government’s decision to accept the NHS app domestically (i.e. wherever the Covid certificate is required).

Member comments

  1. Can one enter Switzerland from the UK with the vaccine certificate on the NHS App, if one is double vaccinated in the UK with Astra Zeneca?

    1. Yes, because AZ is approved by the EMA. But you won’t be able to visit anywhere requiring a Swiss/EU Covid Pass once you’re over here…….bars / restaurants etc.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Why is Switzerland going to collect a database of flight passengers?

Twenty years after the US began sharing a database of those flying in and out of the country in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Switzerland is set to follow suit - but not without some outside pressure. 

Published: 16 May 2024 15:51 CEST
Why is Switzerland going to collect a database of flight passengers?

Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems are databases that operate by flagging and tracking individuals who may pose a security risk. 

The data includes the name, destination, means of payment, and type of baggage for each passenger arriving or leaving a country via its airports. 

Until now, Switzerland has not participated in a PNR system in a way that allows data to be freely accessible to partners such as the EU and the US. 

Indeed, for years, it has been possible to circumvent the EU’s PNR systems by flying into Switzerland and crossing a land border with the EU. 

Now, however, Switzerland is being forced to comply. 

The United States has threatened Switzerland’s place in their Visa Waiver Program unless they share data. 

Similarly, the EU has applied significant diplomatic pressure to join their efforts – and considerable progress has already occurred, with agreements signed. 

Other countries have also signalled that Swiss carriers may withdraw their landing rights or impose heavy fines if Switzerland does not begin participating in a compliant PNR system. 

Changes in effect 2026

On Wednesday, Justice Minister Beat Jans announced at a press conference that a PNR program that worked in collaboration with other countries would come into effect in 2026. 

The reason given for the length of time it would take to go into effect was that a legal basis for the move does not yet exist in Swiss law—a dispatch on proposed legislation has only just been sent to the Federal Council.

Once passed by the Federal Council and then by the Council of States, the federal police will be responsible for tracking passengers via a new group – the Passenger Information Unit (PIU). 

The PIU will examine passenger manifests a day before and immediately before flights taking off or landing and compare them to shared lists of individuals involved in terrorism, organised crime, or who have committed violent crimes. 

If there is a match, information will be forwarded to authorities at the relevant airport.  

Privacy concerns 

Understandably, for the privacy-conscious Swiss, concerns have been raised. 

Both the right-wing SVP, the Greens and the SPD have voiced doubts about the security and privacy of passenger data. 

In response, the government has announced that all passenger data except for that relates to those linked to terrorist groups will be deleted after six months. 

To further ease concerns, Switzerland’s PNR system will be constantly monitored by the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act.

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