Does the coronavirus affect trips to Switzerland?

Hey guys,

just a quick question. I am travelling to Switzerland in June 1 and leave on Jun 24. However my vaccination is already 365 days on June 8. Will the covid certificate still be valid?

thanks

I did a significant amount of research on this topic -- including with all the Swiss health authorities -- prior to our trip to Switzerland in early September. I was repeatedly told that a positive test means at least 10 day isolation BUT that there are no facilities nor hotels set aside for this purpose, regardless of cost. "You are on your own to find a hotel or holiday apartment that will accept you with a positive Covid test result". Well, good luck with that. Further, I have never heard of a hospital that will let you stay there unless your condition makes it medically necessary to be admitted to hospital. Vast majority of those testing positive for Covid do not fall in that category.

We "resolved" this dilemma and bought ourselves some peace of mind by purchasing Covid evacuation insurance from Covac Global www.covacglobal.com. This is the only insurance product I could find that picks you up where you are and, through a series of medical air ambulances, delivers you back to your doorstep. All that's required to activate the insurance is a positive Covid test and one WHO-recognized Covid symptoms (such as a headache). Because it is considered a medical evacuation flight any entry restrictions in your home country (such as a negative test prior to entry) are avoided. "Regular" medical evacuation insurance requires you to be hospitalized in the country you are visiting, delivered and admitted to hospital in your home country, and agreement from doctors at both hospitals that your evacuation is due to medical emergency. That's a high bar to jump over.

Thankfully we did not need to invoke the Covid evacuation insurance. It is expensive (approx $1800 for the two of us for duration of our trip) but we decided it was worth it. An evacuation such as this, if arranged privately (which it would have to be if you have "regular" medical evac insurance and don't meet the normal requirements) would cost well over $200,000 USD. We were able to proceed with our trip without worrying about how we would find isolation lodging.

Of course, the chances of testing positive are very low. But this was not a chance we were willing to take.

Re: previous post,

I was replying on topic of 'what to do if test positive', not Samuelxchang's query.

Hi Samuelxchang,

tough question, a 3rd dose - if you are able to get it - would definitely solve this problem.

Sorry I haven't seen any answer to your question, I recommend you to call the infoline: Infoline for people travelling to Switzerland: +41 58 464 44 88, every day from 6am to 11pm.

Regards,
Ildiko

Thank you, lldiko.

I am scheduled for my third dose this month and I hope it will count for the Switzerland requirement. I appreciate your answer and I will be sure and call that number for not information. There will be many USA travelers who will be beyond 365 days within first quarter 2022!

Link

Thanks for your helpful tip, kim11! It's too bad that there's no definitive answer to this question. A clear policy for tourists, explaining what to do in case of a positive test result, would certainly be useful. I understand you opted for this specific insurance and I'm happy it was worth the extra expenses. Being able to travel without concerns is certainly important.

Is cash accepted right now? Should we bring any Swiss Franc?

That's awesome! hopefully they update the system soon so we can apply for the Covid Certificate as soon as possible. Thanks again for the heads up =)

Hi Johnsonkelly,

I am afraid I do not understand your question. Could you please explain your question a bit more?

Credit cards and debit cards are widely accepted, so there is no need to have large amounts of cash at hand. Swiss francs can be obtained from ATM's. You'll find more information at www.myswissalps.com/swissfranc.

Thanks,

Ildiko

Hello,

I am travelling to Switzerland between 01/12/21 and 08/12/21 (from Portugal). I had one dose of the Janssen vaccine, and I have the UE COVID Certificate. I know that I need to fill an entry form before arriving at Switzerland. Beside these two documents do I need any other document?

Also given the increase in the number of cases in all of Europe, is the Swiss government preparing to apply any restrictions to travel or activities (trains, cableways, restaurants, boats) in Switzerland?

Thanks for your help,

André

Hi Andre,

Welcome to MySwissAlps.

You're good to go. Don't forget your passport/ID :)

At the moment, the Swiss government is not planning to introduce additional measures or further restrictions than what is already in place. But do keep yourself informed and check the first post on this thread again before you start your trip.

Regards,

Anna

Hello, and thank you for the great information. My family will be travelling to Switzerland from May 20 to the 30th, 2022 and were vaccinated in April. My wife and I both received our Pfizer boosters last month and my adult sons will get theirs probably this month or the next. I saw that the initial vaccinations are good for only one year but I haven't read where the boosters count towards the vaccination requirement. Would anyone know or heard if Switzerland is thinking of adding in the boosters for the COVID certificate requirement.

Thank you very much,

Steven Kitsu

Hi Steven, welcome to MySwissAlps!

As far as we can tell, no definitive decisions have been made about booster shots yet. However, I expect that the current rule, used for the first shot or the firs two shots, will also apply to a booster vaccination. The current validity period is 365 days, counted from the last shot. So I think it would make sense that a new periode of 365 would be applied to a 3rd shot as well. We'll update our 1st post in this thread if once we know more.

Hi Annika,

It seems like there is still no news on Covid Certificate application open for Sinovac vaccinated tourist right? =( Is there any updated insights or news in Switzerland?

Hi vincenology,

From 30 November, travellers who are fully vaccinated with Sinovac will be able to apply for the Covid certificate. This certificate is valid for 30 days and to be used in Switzerland only. Application must be done in person so your details can be checked on the spot. You can find the link to the cantonal websites here. For more details please refer to the first post on this thread.

Regards,

Anna

Hello everyone,

Unfortunately, new travel restrictions to Switzerland apply to several countries. Please find details in our first post: www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/does-the-corona-virus-affect-trips-to-switzerland.

hello we are traveling to Switzerland from the US, transiting through the UK on British Airways. Do you think the new restrictions will affect our trip?

Thank you,

Abby Oropeza

We also are traveling to Switzerland from the U.S. We leave in two weeks and arrive by way of Amsterdam (just a connection, not leaving airport). So far we have not heard anything from United Airlines and from past experience they have been pretty proactive with their alerts. Taking that as a good sign.

Rob

We are traveling to Switzerland from the US on Wednesday, and I'm concerned that Switzerland could go into lockdown while we are there. Is there any sense going around over there that could happen? Also our flight home has a layover in Germany, haven't heard anything from the airline about that either.

Hi Abby,

Welcome to MySwissAlps.

The United Kingdom has been added to the high-risk list of countries with a variant of concern. If your transit in the UK doesn't involve you leaving the international transit area, your flight is not considered as originating from the UK. So there should be not requirement for you to go into quarantine upon arrival in Switzerland.

When are you travelling? Make sure to stay informed by checking on this thread regularly.

Regards,

Anna