Hassle-free travel at your fingertips
You've got your hotel room with sea view sorted. But unwelcome surprises frequently crop up during a trip. To take the stress out of travel, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) recommends that you download the Travel Admin app, register, and enter your trips abroad before leaving for your holiday. The free app provides useful information, tips and checklists so that you may carefully plan your trip; what's more, it can prove to be an essential tool offering assistance in the event of an emergency.
After a cold and wet spring, summer has finally arrived. Slowly but surely, wanderlust is taking hold of the Swiss nation. Endless sandy beaches and refreshing waters await and, with them, the enticing prospect of unwinding for a short while. The travel restrictions resulting from COVID-19 are gradually being eased as the vaccination campaign progresses, and across the country holidaymakers are packing their suitcases. But the mantra 'plan well, travel well' still holds true.
Plan well. Travel well.
Planning a holiday can be stressful, particularly now that swimsuits, sun cream and toothbrushes are not the only items we need to remember; carefully-timed PCR test results and entry forms are now top of our 'what to pack' lists. It is important that you take responsibility for properly planning and organising your trip. To ensure that preparations for the upcoming summer holidays don't get on top of you, the FDFA is on hand to help with its Travel Admin app and travel advice.
The FDFA's free Travel Admin app provides useful information and customisable checklists so that you may carefully plan your trip. Travel documents, such as your passport and insurance policies, can be stored on the app. Forewarned is forearmed when it comes to travel insurance, which can cover medical expenses as well as rebooking or cancellation fees, among other things. The app also lists local emergency numbers and the addresses of Swiss representations in your destination country.
Prior to your trip, you should also consult the FDFA's travel advice – available directly on the app. Here, you will find information about security-related issues, such as politics and crime, in your destination country. The travel advice also assesses possible risks and recommends certain precautionary measures.
The Travel Admin app for your smartphone
Download the Travel Admin app for free on your smartphone – for a well-prepared and worry-free trip.
The Travel Admin app also accompanies travellers on the go
Something unforeseeable can easily happen during a trip abroad: your wallet containing all of your money gets lost at the market, you have an accident or fall seriously ill, or a nearby volcano is threatening to erupt. Should nationals of Switzerland or Lichtenstein find themselves in an emergency situation abroad, they may contact a Swiss representation for advice and assistance or call the FDFA helpline. The FDFA can only provide assistance when the persons concerned have tried everything reasonably possible to overcome the emergency situation themselves, in organisational terms and financially (e.g. by means of travel insurance, the police, hospitals, banks, friends and relatives).
In the event of a serious crisis, such as a volcanic eruption or political unrest, the FDFA can notify travellers from Switzerland via the Travel Admin app and, if necessary, contact them where possible. You can enter your details and those of any fellow travellers, together with your travel destination, into the app. This way, in case of a crisis when abroad, you can easily access important information and let friends and family know you are safe at the touch of a button.
Now that you've heard enough advice, the FDFA wishes you a relaxing and glitch-free holiday this summer.
Travel: Where can I find which information?
The Travel Admin app helps you to prepare your trip and accompanies you with useful information while you are away. However, various other departments and offices within the Federal Administration – particularly during the COVID-19 situation – also publish relevant and often rapidly changing information concerning your trip abroad and your re-entry to Switzerland. You will find a brief overview of information sources below.
To which countries can I travel?
In many countries, measures to contain the spread of coronavirus are still in place, including travel restrictions. The Federal Council currently advises against travel to countries in which a variant of concern is circulating. Further information can be found on the website of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and on the FDFA's website under travel advice, Focus Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Focus Coronavirus, FDFA
List of countries with a worrying variant, FOPH
Before travelling, check with the relevant foreign representations in Switzerland (embassies and consulates) about the current measures in place and about visa applications.
Foreign representations in Switzerland
Questions about consular services: FDFA Helpline
The FDFA Helpline is the single point of contact for enquiries about consular services.
FDFA Helpline
Entry into Switzerland
Anyone who has a Swiss passport or a valid Swiss residence permit can enter Switzerland at any time. You must, however, take note of the health-related measures of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) at the border.
Coronavirus: Entering Switzerland, FOPH
You can apply for a visa to enter Switzerland at the Swiss representations abroad.
Swiss representations abroad
Specific entry requirements of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) apply to those travellers who are neither Swiss citizens nor Swiss residents.
Q&A on entry and stay in Switzerland, the exceptions and suspension of visas, SEM