Are you an American citizen looking to travel to Switzerland? You’ve come to the right place! Here, you will be able to find all the relevant news regarding the new ETIAS travel authorization set to go live at the end of 2025. You can also find information on travel tips for traveling to Switzerland on a budget and the best things not to miss while in the Alpine country.
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Here you can find some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions by American citizens regarding ETIAS and traveling to Switzerland. But if you have additional ones you can’t find an answer for, or if you are looking for a solution to a specific problem regarding your trip, don’t hesitate to contact our committed customer service team agents.
The new ETIAS travel authorization will be valid for three years from the first issuance. That means that during these three years, you can enter ETIAS countries as often as you want and even travel between many of them in one go, as long as your trip does not exceed the maximum of 90 days over a 180 days period. Once your ETIAS expires, you must apply for a new one. Keep in mind that your ETIAS is connected to your biometric passport: if it expires or if it’s lost or damaged beyond use, you will need to apply for ETIAS once again.
Switzerland lifted all of its travel restrictions on May 2nd, 2022. There are currently no travel restrictions in the country for American citizens. To enter the country, you won’t need to present a European green pass, proof of vaccination, or negative COVID-19 tests. Moreover, no masks are necessary to enter private or public facilities in Switzerland. Please remember that each canton has different health and security regulations. Consult cantonal measures from the official website of the Swiss Confederation to ensure you are not breaking any rules.
No. The new ETIAS visa waiver is not a traditional visa. It does not substitute the existing Schengen visa regulations and national policies concerning immigration in the country, whatever the specificity, such as settling for family, professional, or study-related reasons. As such, an American cannot use ETIAS to stay and work in a European country or study at a national university in the destination country. Suppose the US citizen wishes to settle, work, or study in an ETIAS country. In that case, they will need to apply officially for a study or work visa (depending on their intentions) through the formal process at the nearest relevant embassy in the USA.
