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Travel: Do you need a Covid certificate to enter Switzerland?

Switzerland’s Covid certificate is needed to do most things in Switzerland, but is it required to enter into the country?

Published: 30 September 2021 17:17 CEST
A sign says no entry. Do you need to show your Covid certificate to enter Switzerland. Photo: DANIEL ROLAND / AFP
A sign says no entry. Do you need to show your Covid certificate to enter Switzerland. Photo: DANIEL ROLAND / AFP

Since September 13th, the Swiss government has considerably expanded the areas in which a Covid certificate is required. 

Previously only mandatory for nightclubs and larger events, the Covid certificate is now required in almost all indoor areas, including bars, restaurants, gyms and some private parties. 

Parallel to the expanded Covid certificate rules have been Switzerland’s entry rules. 

While Switzerland has had some form of restrictions in place since March 2020, the latest change came into effect on September 20 and was focused on ensuring those who entered were fully vaccinated or recently recovered from the virus. 

Do I need Switzerland’s Covid certificate to enter? 

Fortunately, you do not need Switzerland’s Covid certificate in order to enter the country – although it does of course help to show border police something they can recognise. 

The rules for entry are actually different than the rules for the Covid certificate. 

In some senses the Covid certificate rules are tighter than those for entry, but in other ways they are more relaxed. 

For instance, prior to September 30th, more vaccines are accepted for entry than for the Covid certificate, including both Chinese vaccines (Sinopharm and Sinovac). This has now changed (click here). 

However, for those coming from high-risk countries, evidence of a negative test is not accepted for entry, whereas negative tests can still get someone a valid Covid certificate. 

UPDATE: Which vaccines are accepted for entry into Switzerland?

To enter Switzerland from a country not on the high-risk list, you must be either vaccinated, have tested negative to the virus or recently contracted the virus and recovered. 

If you are coming from a high-risk country – which as at September 30th includes the United States, United Kingdom, India and several other countries – then only vaccination will suffice for entry. 

You can show paper evidence that you have been vaccinated abroad, or you can show an app which illustrates this (provided it is in a Swiss language or in English). 

More information about entry is available at the following link. 

EXPLAINED: Who can enter Switzerland right now and what are the rules?

Can I get a Covid certificate if I am abroad? 

Yes. You can apply for a Covid certificate online and upload your proof of vaccination et al, thereby organising a Covid certificate before you come. 

In order to do so, you will need to contact authorities in your canton of residence. 

More information on how to get the Covid certificate, including from abroad, is available at the following link. 

Canton-by-canton: How visitors can get Switzerland’s Covid certificate

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TRAVEL NEWS

Closure of A13 motorway: The alternative routes from Switzerland to Italy

As summer school break in many Swiss cantons is about to begin, your plans to drive south for the holidays may be seriously disrupted by the closure of one of the main routes between Switzerland and Italy.

Published: 25 June 2024 11:52 CEST
Closure of A13 motorway: The alternative routes from Switzerland to Italy

Italy is one of the most favourite summer destinations for many Swiss families: not only is it geographically close enough to get there by car, but it also has abundance of beaches and good weather is almost guaranteed.

But driving to Italy this summer, especially in the next few weeks, will be no simple matter.

Recent massive thunderstorms unleashed a landslide of mud and rubble, which destroyed a part of the north-south axis of the A13 motorway.

The collapsed section, between Thusis (GR) and Bellinzona (TI), is an important throughway for both passenger and commercial traffic, as it connects Switzerland with Italy.

The San Bernardino Pass, which straddles the A13, is consequently closed to traffic, as are the impacted parts of the motorway.

They will remain closed ‘until further notice,’ which is a general and non-specific term — primarily because nobody knows for sure.

According to the Graubünden cantonal police, this section will remain out of service “for months,” while the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) said it expects “to be able to reopen the A13 in three to four weeks.” 

But even this slightly more optimistic forecast is not definite.

Roads will reopen within this timeframe “only under the assumption that there will be no ‘nasty surprises,’ according to FEDRO. “The clean-up work and reconstruction depends, among other things, on the weather.”

Either way, if you are heading south in the immediate future, expect, as Swiss media reported, “impending traffic chaos.”

To make matters worse, the cantonal road, which is normally used as an alternative, was also damaged by the storm, and is closed to transit and through traffic in both directions.

What alternative south-bound routes are there?

FEDRO recommends the Gotthard route — either via the tunnel or the Pass.

There are other options as well, though they will take longer:

In Switzerland:

  • Over the Oberalp and Lukmanier passes
  • Over the Julier and Maloja passes
  • Over the Albula and Bernina passes via Poschiavo
  • Over the Grimsel and Nufenen passes
  • Through the Lötschberg car transport and the Simplon pass
  • From the Brünig pass road via Grimsel and Simplon
  • Via Martigny over the Great St. Bernard

Alternative routes abroad, for which fees may apply:

  • Via South Tyrol
  • Via Geneva through the Mont Blanc tunnel
  • Via Geneva, Annecy and the Fréjus tunnel

Will you be able to avoid traffic jams on these alternate routes?

It is highly doubtful.

During the holiday season, there is almost always congestion and bottlenecks in front of the Gotthard Tunnel, the Great St. Bernard, and the Lötschberg.

Traffic could be lighter if you avoid peak travel hours and weekends, but don’t expect miracles.

You can find real-time information about traffic jams and road conditions here:

TCS

strassen.gr.ch

Should you travel by train instead?

It is always a good idea if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, and trains are typically a more relaxing and reliable way to travel.

Except this summer.

From June 9th, and for at least three months, the train service between Italian cities of Domodossola and Milan will be interrupted due to railway works, also disrupting travel between western Switzerland and Italy.

A bus service set up by Swiss national railway company, SBB, will run between the two cities, adding at least an hour to the trip in the best traffic conditions.

But train traffic to and from other countries — including France, Germany, and Austria — will be chaotic as well.

You can find more information about these disruptions here:

READ ALSO: Why you should not rely on trains to and from Switzerland this summer 

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