MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Does the coronavirus affect trips to Switzerland?
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Hi Gaillinski! In addition to Ildikó’s answer: yes, (partially) replacing quarantine by quick tests for travelers from high-risk areas is indeed suggested by representatives of the Swiss tourism industry. As far as we can tell, there are no clear plans or a timeline yet. But as soon as we know more about this, or about other developments concerning the options for travelers from abroad, we’ll update the first post of this thread.
I’m sorry that things don’t look more positive right now. It must be tough not to know if your 3 months’ stay in Switzerland (which is a wonderful prospect!) can take place. Things do change quickly though, and there may be options for you this winter. It’s just too early to tell I’m afraid. Fingers crossed we can bring better news in a while!
Thank you both for your help!
HI all, I am really confused at the present situation.
We are planning to go from portugal to italy. In one of the days we are planning to go to swiss alps (through Bernina express train in Italy) exploring swiss alps and come back the same day. Just today, there has been restrictions about travel from Portugal in Switzerland.
In the art 4 F (http://www.admin.ch/opc/en/classified-compilation/20201948/index.html) , “it says clearly who intent to transit and can go to another country” (document about restrictions in Switzerland. )
Will our trip be considered as transit? If we are coming back on the same day back to Italy? Or do we need to quarantine in Switzerland??
Please advice us regarding this. Waiting for reply. Thank you.
Hi 3125 jain,
Thank you for joining MySwissAlps.
This is a very tricky situation.
Italy is currently not in the high-risk list but if you are travelling from Italy and have been in a high-risk country the past 10 days preceding your travel to Switzerland, you might be ask to self-isolate upon arrival unless you can prove you are a transit passenger travelling direct to your next destination in another country.
You can check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) here: http://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/aktuell/aktuell/faq-einreiseverweigerung.html#-571826228
I would personally recommend calling the infoline for a definite answer.
FOPH Infoline for travellers: +41 58 464 44 88 or send out an email to the email address listed on the pageRegards,
Anna
Thank you for the reply.
I called FOPH infoline and they said they do not know about this situation. I also mailed then and I am still waiting for email reply.
I think if I show them that I am going back to my hotel in Italy they will consider me transit passenger. But I am not sure if they will agree to it.
Best Regards,
3125 jain
Hi Jain,
Did you post the same question here? http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/can-one-day-rail-travel-be-considered-as-transit
If that’s you, please be sure to post questions in one thread only, and use one account for this forum. Thanks!
No I did not post. It is my friend who is also trying to find solution for this.
I did not know that he is also posting here. Sorry for the confusion.
We have a trip scheduled in June from the US. We were supposed to go last June, this is our rescheduled trip to hopefully use all of our credits as many did not provide refunds. Does anyone know if there has been discussion about how the vaccine will change travel? Will vaccinated people be allowed in without the quarantine if they come from high risk countries? Will all travel restrictions be dropped once the majority of Swiss are vaccinated? How is the vaccine roll out coming along in Switzerland?
Hi WTandBeyond,
I understand your concern. It is very difficult to predict what will be the rule in June as it is still too far from today.
I’ve read that at the moment Canton Graubünden does not require travellers from other countries to enter quarantine on arrival if they have received two vaccinations for COVID-19, although there are still exemptions. (Read more at http://www.graubuenden.ch/en/news-tips/2021/01/coronavirus-questions-and-answers-about-skiing-holidays-graubunden)
At http://www.covid19.admin.ch/en/epidemiologic/vacc-doses you find the up to date numbers regarding the vaccinations in Switzerland.
I recommend you to keep an eye on the first post of this thread, where Arno updates regularly the information. Also, have a look at http://www.myswissalps.com/coronavirus.
Stay safe,
IldikoAny more intel on this now that it’s April? I read that Europe is considering some sort of a vaccine passport and that the European Tourism Commission is really pushing for tourism to be allowed to resume. Here’s hoping Switzerland will allow people from the US in soon!
Hi WTandBeyond,
Yes, the European Union is working on what they call the “Digital Green Certificate”. It will be the official way to proof that one is not infected (through vaccination or a negative test). This will allow travel throughout the Union. Note that Switzerland is not part of the European Union, but they will likely join this initiative. I’m not sure yet if/how residents from outside of Europe can get the certificate. My guess is that all of this will apply from June/July 2021; certainly not earlier.
We’ll update you in the original post of this thread as soon as more details are available.
Hi,
We are planning to visit Switzerland with our camper at the end of the April. We will be coming from the Netherlands. Do you have any idea about the current corona measures for camping? Are we allowed to enter and stay in our campervan if we show a negative test result?
We have checked this website below, but could not find anything about staying in a camper.
We would appreciate your help if you have any idea about whether camping is still possible or not!
Hi Zeynep, welcome to MySwissAlps.com!
Currently, the government in The Netherlands advises against traveling abroad (except for very urgent reasons). In case you understand Dutch: the situation is explained in detail at http://www.myswissalps.com/nl/forum/t/het-coronavirus-en-uw-reis-naar-zwitserland. If you do decide to visit Switzerland, you’ll have to present a negative test result, and a 10-day quarantine applies. This can be shortened if on the 7th day you can present a new negative test result. When returning to the Netherlands, testing and quarantine measurements will apply as well.
As far as I can tell, most campsites and camper sites are open, or will open on their regular seasonal dates. Of course hygiene and social distancing measures will be in place there too. So theoretically, a campervan trip is possible. If you decide to proceed, I advise that you contact the campings and/or camper sites you prefer to ask about the options and to reserve your spot in advance. The campsites we recommend are listed at http://www.myswissalps.com/campsites. Information about traveling by campervan can be found at http://www.myswissalps.com/car/caravancamper.
I hope this helps you out. Let us know if you have further questions!
@myswissalps the update that was posted for April 11, 2021… Is that for US citizens that live, work, or hold a Swiss passport? Not for those looking to vacation in Switzerland?? Thanks!
Hi Mbeaulieu726,
As far as I know citizens from countries not considered ‘high risk’ areas (which at the moment applies to the US) are allowed to enter Switzerland with a negative test result. To travelers from ‘high risk’ countries restrictions will apply. It’s hard to say who is allowed and not allowed to enter as the rules and measures are constantly being updated every few weeks. I would recommend getting in touch with the relevant authorities for clarification before making your travel bookings.
Maybe the following FAQ will help to answer some of your questions.
FAQ entry to Switzerland: http://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/sem/aktuell/faq-einreiseverweigerung.html
If you still have questions, you can forward your questions by email to corona@sem.admin.ch
Please provide details of your nationality, the country you are starting your journey in, the country that you are travelling to Switzerland from, and the reason why you are planning to enter or stay in Switzerland.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Anna
This is such wonderful news to hear and I hope it is a sign that there is a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.
I am scheduled (US citizen traveling from the US for vacation purpose) to first fly to Germany and then after 5 days there (IF I am able to travel there) fly to Switzerland. As far as I can tell, there are no restrictions around entering Switzerland from a Schengen Zone country, such as Germany. Is that correct?
Thank you so much for all you do to keep us informed. It is greatly appreciated!!!
Angela
Hi Angela,
Well, Schengen countries can be on Switzerland’s list of high risk countries as well. In fact, most of them still are at the moment. But Schengen countries are excluded from a complete travel ban. So people can still enter if needed, but again with a negative test and 10 days of quarantine. So it’s essential to re-check the status of things shortly before departure. What’s relevant here is the countries you’ve been to in the 10 days prior to arrival in Switzerland.
By the way, I highly recommend to travel from Germany to Switzerland by train. It’s more scenic and less hassle on the border in general. Details can be found here: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/germany.
Hi everyone,
I just updated my original post (the bold part). Again! Sorry for any confusion. It’s very hard to say who’s welcome in Switzerland already (as a tourist) and who isn’t. The situation changes on a daily basis. It’s very early stages yet to predict what will be possible from June, which is basically the earliest we can expect any international leisure travel to be possible again. We’re trying to get more clear and reliable information. We’ll keep you posted for sure!
Hi Arno
Perhaps I am reading the websites wrong but it looks to me like the US is not on the list of high risk countries on the FOPH website but is on the high risk list on the SEM website. To confound us even more the ch.usembassy.gov website (US embassy in Switzerland) states under Entry and Exit Requirements that the US is on the high risk list and US citizens are not allowed to enter. But further down on the same webpage under Quarantine Information it states the US is not on the high risk list and US citizens may enter without quarantine.
Very confusing. Who’s on first? (A famous Abbot and Costello joke for non US readers)
Mark
To be perfectly honest, I think Switzerland’s method of having “a list” (well actually apparently multiple lists) is incredibly inefficient and too difficult for everyone to manage. Greece has said they will open May 15th for all, so long as you meet one of three criteria – evidence of having recovered from Covid, evidence of having been vaccinated against Covid or a negative Covid test result in hand. I would say that this is a much more simple and clear cut policy than this country can enter today, but not tomorrow, it’s on this list, but not that list etc etc. I am about ready to change my planned vacation from Switzerland to Greece. Not because I would rather visit Greece than Switzerland, but because of their better handling of the situation and more certainty for me.
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