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SKIING

Covid-19: What will the ski season look like in Switzerland this year?

The ski season in the Swiss Alps usually begins at the end of November, but at this point uncertainties still prevail about how it will be rolled out.

Published: 12 October 2021 11:39 CEST
Ski slope measures have not yet been decided on in Switzerland
Questions still remain about what rules will be implemented for skiers, like the ones pictured here in a Swiss resort of Verbier. Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

Please note: On October 19th, Switzerland announced the Covid certificate will not be required for winter sports. Click here for more information. 

With the start of the season just weeks away, the details surrounding skiing are still up in the air.

In that sense, things look somewhat similar to 2020; at that time, Switzerland was in the midst of the second coronavirus wave and authorities debated whether to open the ski slopes or keep them closed like most of Switzerland’s neighbours.

In the end, the slopes opened, but only after ski resorts implemented rigorous protective measures, such as wearing a mask on ski lifts and cable cars, and respecting distances in queues.

This year, the big question is whether the Covid certificate should be required on the slopes.

Lukas Engelberger,  president of the Conference of Cantonal Health Directors, said a mandatory certificate for ski lifts and at ski resorts would make sense and would allow to eliminate the mask requirement. 

“I could imagine that the Covid certificate would be imposed in ski resorts”, said Hans Wicki, president of the Association of Swiss Ski Lifts.

This umbrella association is currently in talks with the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) about the implementation of the certificate and suspension pf other measures.

No decision has yet been made at the federal level, but the ski area of Fideriser Heuberge in Graubünden has already decided to make the certificate compulsory for skiing or staying in its resort.

Regardless of whether the certificate will be mandated for skiing, it will nevertheless be required to access restaurants, bars, and other indoor venues in ski resorts.

Can foreign tourists ski in Switzerland?

Unlike the previous season, when people from abroad were banned from skiing in the Swiss Alps and only residents of Switzerland were allowed to do so, this year the slopes will be open to foreign residents.

However, they would have to comply with entry rules.

While vaccinated tourists enjoy unrestricted entry, those who have not had their jabs will have to undergo a Covid test (PCR or antigen) before coming, and then again four to seven days after arrival — and pay for the screening themselves. Costs vary from one place to another, but usually don’t exceed 50 francs.

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

The rules are much tighter for the unvaccinated travellers from high-risk countries, who are banned from entry. 

This list currently includes the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Israel and several other countries, unless these people have a valid visa for a Schengen or European Union country. 

Conversion of certificates

Another hurdle for foreign skiers — and tourists in general — is that from October 11th, people coming to Switzerland from non-EU /EFTA countries have to convert their health passes to a Swiss certificate and pay 30 francs for this service.

That’s because their QR codes don’t work in Switzerland.

People coming from the US, the UK and India will be among those obligated to make this change.

How Americans can get Switzerland’s Covid certificate with proof of US vaccination

How exactly the conversion process works when a foreign tourist wants to obtain a Swiss certificate, and how long the waiting times are, is still unclear at this point.

Nor surprisingly, Swiss tourism officials and ski resort operators are concerned that non-European tourists will be put off by the financial and logistical obstacles and ski instead in countries that have such a requirement in place — like France.

READ MORE: Can the UK’s NHS app be used in Switzerland?

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For members

TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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