The sole fact that a person is no longer being prosecuted in his home country does not guarantee an entrance into Switzerland respectively the Schengen area without complications. Critical are the inscriptions in the Swiss and/or European data bases where the person entering Switzerland respectively the Schengen area is not allowed to be publicised for arrest or refusal of entry.

This factsheet (PDF, 12.9 kB) (PDF, 12.9 kB) explains how to access the relevant information. Please note that this Embassy is not involved and able to assist you in this process.

In case of a conviction in New Zealand, you also have the possibility to inquire with an attorney at law in order to find out if your conviction has been registered in a Swiss and/or European data base.

• if more than one Schengen state (please scroll down to dropdown menu "Member states" in order to find all States forming part of the Schengen area) is visited: application for a Schengen visa needs to be lodged with the competent representation of the country where you will be staying the longest (most numbers of nights); if you stay an equal number of nights in two countries, the country you enter first
• the visa application has to be lodged in the country of your legal residence, e.g. persons with a valid residence visa of New Zealand lodge their application with the Embassy of Switzerland in Wellington
  

After having lodged your online application, you will receive an automatic generated e-mail with a link to book your online appointment (please check your spam folder), if needed; the link cannot be sent by this Embassy and in case of an inactive link, you must launch a new application; to change or cancel your appointment, please submit an e-mail at wellington@eda.admin.ch with the following information:

1. your online ID-number
2. your first name(s)
   
3. your surname(s) in CAPITAL letters
   
4. your date of birth
   
5. your (false) booking date and time
   
6. your proposed new booking date(s) and time(s)
7. your mobile phone number – the Embassy will confirm the new date and time or propose a new date and time by e-mail or phone call

You can submit your printed, dated and signed online application, together with all the requested documents (please open dropdown menu "Schengen visa requirements and Visa application form"), by post and disregard the automatic generated e-mail to book an appointment; if there should be a problem copying your fingerprints from this previous application, the Embassy will invite you to Wellington to give your fingerprints again

The biometric data can only be registered at the Embassy of Switzerland in Wellington; there is no possibility to have the data registered in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin or New Plymouth

The Schengen visa fee should be paid during the online application process in Euro with a valid credit card.

If that is not possible, the fees can be paid in cash in NZD or with a bank cheque (no personal cheques) on the occasion of the appointment at the counter of the Embassy or by mail.

The processing time is outlined on the Schengen visa requirements page.

If all requirements are met, the visa application can be evaluated within a shorter timeframe. 

There is no fast track in place and possible.

Minors travelling alone or accompanied by persons other than their paretns or who do not have custody: please refer to the Frequently asked questions (please scroll down to the relevant question), provided by the State Secretariat for Migration SEM

Switzerland does not issue so called partner visas for partners of persons taking up residency or work in Switzerland