Best known for its delicious chocolates and cheese along with the beautiful Alps and lush-green meadows, a trip to Switzerland is something that you’ll remember forever.
However, being a part of the Schengen area, it’s important for you to know whether or not you’ll need a Switzerland Schengen visa to enter the country. If you need one, how can you apply for one? How long will it take for your visa application to get processed? This guide tells you all.
Update : It is now mandatory to get COVID Insurance when you travel Abroad. Click the below link to get your COVID Insurance at cost price.
Switzerland has tourists visiting it from all over the world. The number of people visiting from the US is also quite high. Unfortunately, the visa rejection rate in Switzerland is quite high. The rate was almost 7% in the year 2016.
If you’re planning a trip to Switzerland, you will need to apply for a short-stay Switzerland Schengen visa. However, you’ll first need to find out whether you need a visa at all.
This guide explains how to apply for Switzerland Schengen visa from the consulate in New York. New York received close to 3000 visa requests in 2016. Being a busy consulate, make sure you apply for your visa early.
Click to Book Switzerland Visa Appointment
Want temporary flight, hotel or insurance for your Schengen visa appointment?
There are Swiss consulates in other cities of the US as well. So, we’ll first find out if New York is the right consulate from where you need to apply from.
There are 4 simple steps that you need to follow for your Switzerland Schengen visa:
- Know if the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York is the right place from where you need to apply from
- Find out if you need a visa to enter Switzerland from the US
- Book an appointment with the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York based on the available slots
- Have all the documents that you need for your visa in one place
- Make a personal appearance if required, or mail your documents to the consulate
Let’s take a look at what exactly you need to do.
How to know which is the Consulate General of Switzerland from where I need to apply from?
You can find this out easily. Visit the official website of the Consulate General of Switzerland. On the top itself, you’ll find the menu. Choose ‘Representation‘ and click on the arrow below.
You’ll get to know which is the consulate from where you need to apply from. Consulate General of Switzerland in New York is the fifth one.
We’re choosing New York, assuming that this is the right embassy for you. Click on the ‘Consulate General of Switzerland in New York‘ and you’ll reach its official website.
How will I find out if I need a visa to enter Switzerland?
Click on ‘Visa & entry to Switzerland‘. Then click on ‘Visa—Entry to and residence in Switzerland‘.
Here, you’ll be able to find out whether or not you need a visa to enter Switzerland and all details about Switzerland Schengen visa.
Click on ‘Schengen visa for a stay of up to 90 days‘.
Click on ‘Do I need a Schengen visa‘ to find out whether or not you’ll need a visa to enter Switzerland.
If you hold a United States of America passport, then you don’t need a visa to enter Switzerland for a short visit. However, if you’re a permanent US resident, you’ll most likely need a Switzerland Schengen visa.
Do green cardholders need to apply for a Switzerland Schengen visa for a short stay?
Unfortunately yes. As already mentioned, only US citizens are allowed to enter Switzerland or any other Schengen country without a visa. However, they need to be in the possession of a valid passport.
Green card holders are permanent US residents. If you’re an Indian and you hold a green card, you’ll need to apply for a visa for a trip to Switzerland.
Don’t worry as this guide will explain everything in detail.
How to book an appointment at the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York for Switzerland Schengen visa?
Once you’re sure about the fact that you’ll need a visa to enter Switzerland, you’ll have to book an appointment with the correct consulate. In this case, it’s the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York.
Click on ‘What are the Schengen visa requirements?‘. You’ll now get directed to a new webpage.
First, click on ‘Personal Appearance‘ to know whether you need to visit the consulate to initiate the process of visa application.
As clear from the image, your actions from this point can be any one of the following:
- If the Consulate General of Switzerland has your recorded finger scans, then you don’t need to make a personal appearance
- If your fingerprint has been already recorded, you can mail your documents to the consulate for the processing of your Switzerland Schengen visa
Assuming, your fingerprint records are not present with the consulate, here’s what you need to do.
Click on ‘representation competent for your place of residence‘ and click on ‘Consulate General of Switzerland in New York‘.
You’ll now be able to book an appointment for your Switzerland Schengen visa online. Find the link which will give you access to the online appointment booking system.
This is the ‘Switzerland Online Visa System‘. Choose ‘EN’ from the top as your preferred language.
Now enter your legal residence which of course is the United States, and click ‘Next‘
Now, choose ‘New York‘ from the given list.
The new page will give you two options:
-
You either can schedule the appointment directly by clicking ‘Make an appointment‘
-
If you want to complete your Switzerland Schengen visa application first and then make a booking, then click on ‘online application‘.
To make an appointment or to apply online, you’ll have to furnish your personal details. This will be required for registration.
Click on ‘Next‘ to get to choose a convenient date and time slot.
Documents required for Switzerland Schengen Visa
These are the following things that you’ll need to submit to the consulate:
- Printout of Schengen visa application form
- Two photographs
- Passport or travel documents
- Proof of your residency
- Cover letter
- Confirmed flight reservations
- Confirmed hotel reservations for every night
- Sufficient financial resources
- Travel insurance
- Letter from employer / Business License (whichever is relevant)
- Letter from college (for students)
- A self-addressed prepaid envelope if you want your passport to be mailed
- Visa fee
[media-downloader media_id=”1578″ image_url=”https://travelvisabookings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/download_ebook.jpg”]
Here’s what you need to know about the documents:
Schengen visa application form: Download the Schengen visa application form. Fill it with all the correct details. Take its printout. Sign on it.
Download the Switzerland Schengen Visa Application Form
Two photographs: These should be recent and identical according to given specifications. Paste one of the photographs on your visa application form.
Passport: Bring your original passport or any other valid travel document to the appointment. It should have two blank pages. The validity of the passport should be three months beyond the date of your return to the US. Bring a photocopy of your passport as well.
Proof of residency: Bring a notarized copy of your permanent residency proof in the US. It can be your valid green card, F1 visa (plus I-20 form), H1B visa (plus I-797) etc.
Cover Letter: A detailed cover letter increases the chances of your Schengen visa approval. Allow us to write your cover letter and we’ll ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Flight itinerary: All Schengen countries require to give proof of your flight tickets. Refrain from buying actual flight tickets. Avail our services for temporary flight bookings and show them to the consulate.
What is the flight itinerary? Is it accepted by the Schengen consulate?
Of course, in fact, all the embassies mention the same. We have added links to the official visa pages which you can verify.
France Consulate
Your travel itinerary : you MUST BOOK your airline ticket but do not purchase until the visa has been approved.
We recommend that you do not purchase travel tickets until your visa has been approved. On the other hand, you may provide us with a reservation, a planned itinerary or an online printout of a roundtrip ticket.
Travel reservation to and from schengen area, not a ticket. Note: Make travel reservation which you can cancel
Flight (roundtrip)/travel reservations and full itinerary (if several Schengen States will be visited or if the trip covers several Schengen States and non-Schengen countries) with the name of passenger and one copy
Round trip ticket/reservation, originating in this jurisdiction to Europe (and ultimately to Italy) and back, including internal entry and exit points of travel i.e. EURORAIL tickets, car rental, internal flights. The names on reservations have to reflect the names on passports.
We can provide you with flight itineraries which are accepted by not only for Schengen visa but for all visas. We have customers using the same flight itinerary for Malaysia visa, Singapore visa, India visa, UK visa, etc.
In fact, the European union visa requirements for visa states the same.
As per the official document,
Round trip reservation or itinerary with dates and flight numbers specifying entry and exit from Schengen state. Schengen authorities accept the itinerary when applying for the visa but request the original air ticket when the visa is collected.
That is why we have a 100% visa acceptance rate although some of our customers have been requested to provide “additional documents”, none of their visas has been rejected for providing fake documents.
With 80% of our customers being return customers or companies that process visas for their employees/clients, our approach is the best approach if you want to ensure the safety of your visa.
This is our orders screen for this month. Most of the orders have been placed by repeat customers.
The best part about our service is along with getting a flight reservation without payment, you can also get confirmed hotel bookings, personal cover letter, leave/no objection letter for your visa consulates.
Hotel Reservations: Just like temporary flight tickets, we also offer temporary hotel bookings that are accepted by the consulate of Schengen countries. Avail these to save your hard-earned money.
Financial resources: You need to prove that you have a minimum of $100 to spend every day in Switzerland. Bank statements listing your full name and address of the previous 3 months can be proof of this.
Travel Insurance: You need Schengen travel insurance to enter the Schengen area. Make sure you have one before you go for the visa appointment.
Employment proofs: If you’re employed in the US, bring a recent letter from your employer mentioning your salary and position. If you own a business, then bring your Business License and tax return documents.
Along with these, bring a self-address pre-paid envelope with a tracking number, if you wish to get your passport returned via mail. You’ll also need to pay the visa fee.
Also, please remember that this isn’t an exhaustive list. The consulate can ask you to bring more documents.
Why should you take temporary flight and hotel reservations from us?
We have processed 100000 orders to date and offer all our clients quality services. We offer a wide range of services to ease your Switzerland Schengen visa application process. We also charge a nominal fee for all our services. What is the Switzerland Schengen visa fee?
The visa fee for a short-stay Switzerland Schengen visa is EUR 60. Along with this, you’ll also need to pay for your temporary flight, hotel bookings and travel insurance. Here’s the total expense that you need to incur:
How long does the visa application process take?
It usually doesn’t take more than 15 days. Make sure to submit your completed application.
Will the visa get valid for 90 days?
Ideally no. You will your visa for the number of days that you have mentioned in your cover letter. Add 5-10 days to your itinerary to be on the safer side.
Can I apply for a Switzerland Schengen visa if I hold a B1/B2 visa?
No, you can’t. Go back to your country of nationality and apply from there.
I’m visiting Spain along with Switzerland. Can I apply to the Swiss consulate in New York?
Is your travel theme in Switzerland? Then only you can apply to the Swiss consulate. Refer to this image for more details.
Consulate General of Switzerland in New York Information
Address:
633 Third Avenue, 30th floor
New York, NY 10017-6706
United States of America
Tel:
+1 212 599 5700
Fax:
+1 212 599 4266
Email:
nyc.vertretung@eda.admin.ch
Related Switzerland Schengen visa articles
Switzerland visa requirements for US green card holders-2018