Schengen Visa validity

Hello Arno and Annika,

I was informed by a friend of mine about requirement of a separate visa to visit Swiss, even if we have Schengen visa. But according to my understanding this was the case a few years ago and now Swiss is also included in the Schengen area. Therefore no additional visa is required, even for tourist schengen visa. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Regards,
Sesha...

Hi Sesha. You're a German resident, right? In that case: no, according to the Federal Office for Migration you don't need an additional visa for a stay up to 90 days. Details can be checked in the official overview of travel documents per country.

Hi Annika,

Thank you for the reply. Yes me being a German resident, I do not require visa to enter Swiss. But does the same rule apply for my parents who are currently visiting me in Germany and have a Schengen Tourist visa from German Consulate for 90 days. Kindly clarify.

Regards,
Sesha.

He Sesha,

I think it's no problem although I heard different rules about this (like that you have to ask for visiting other countries when applying for the visa). To be absolutely sure I would advice to ask the German consulate as they know exactly what kind of visa they issue.

Hi Arno,
Thanks for the reply. The following is an excerpt from German Consulate website.
"Persons granted a short-stay visa with no territorial restrictions (category “C” visa) by a Schengen country may, for the duration of the visa’s validity, stay and travel freely in the territory of any other Schengen country. Holders of such visas may also cross the Schengen area’s internal borders without undergoing identity checks. Air passengers with transit visas (category “A” visa) are entitled only to enter the international transit area at airports but not the Schengen area itself." Switzerland has been included in the Schengen region since 2009.

Hope this helps others who may have the same doubt.

Regards,
Sesha.

That's interesting, thanks for sharing this Sesha!

Hi Annika and Arno,
Just finished my Swiss trip. Had a perfect trip, thanks to your help. It helped me to a great extent in finding the right pass and the scheduling of visit to different mountains. The cogwheel train to Mt.Pilatus is a experience not to be missed. Jungfraujoch is simply mesmerising. The only place which did not impress me was Mt. Rigi, but may be because I expected too much. Definitely will visit again and cover the remaining sights. Will look forward for your help then.
Thank you once again.
Regards,
Sesha.

Hi Sesha,

Very good to hear that! Glad we could help and that you enjoyed your visit. Thank you for reporting back here, and hope to speak to you when preparing for your next trip!