Process for visa application

Before applying for a Schengen visa:

• An appointment is mandatory to submit your visa application at the counter (see appointment system below): be aware that the waiting time may be up to 2 months, especially during high season.
• Bear in mind that the Schengen visa application processing takes up to 15 days from your application date.
• We therefore request applicants to organize their travel plan and visa application accordingly.
• You can book an appointment as early as 6 months prior to the date of your departure flight.
• Please cancel your appointment when you do no longer plan to travel to Switzerland in order to allow other applicants to make their trip.

Incomplete applications (items not presented/missing photocopies) will be returned to the applicant without being processed. A new appointment has to be taken. The requirements to enter the Schengen Area vary depending on the reason of your travel. Please check the leaflet related to your travel reason: Schengen visa requirements

Please note: the visa application form and the appointment system are free of charge

1. Is Switzerland or Hungary your main destination for a short Schengen visa type C (up to 90 days)?

Schengen Regulation (Visakodex)

• If the travel destination is one Member State, that Member State's Consulate/Embassy must deal with the application.
  
• If the travel destination includes more than one Member State, the application must be dealt with by the Consulate/Embassy of the main destination. The main destination is understood to be the destination where the applicant intends to spend the longest time or where the main purpose of the intended journey is carried out.
• If no main destination can be determined, the Consulate/Embassy of the Member whose external border the applicant intends to cross first, must deal with the application (point of first entry).

It is the travelers’ sole responsibility to determine prior to travel whether they fulfil the entry conditions for the countries they intend to visit.

2. Online visa application form

All applicants for a Schengen visa (type C, stays up to 90 days) should complete the visa application form online. Please go to www.swiss-visa.ch. At the end of the process, you have to print the application and click send to transmit the data online to the Consulate/Embassy.

Sign the printed PDF form and submit it to the Consulate/Embassy with all the required documents. Make sure you have the complete file with all the required documents or we may reject your application. Schengen visa requirements.

3. Personal appearance

If your fingerprints have NOT been collected within the last 59 months by a Schengen visa section, your personal appearance is mandatory (no exceptions). You will need to schedule an appointment through: www.swiss-visa.ch. Making an appointment is free of charge.

If your fingerprints were collected within the last 59 months for a Schengen visa, you won’t have to give new fingerprints for your next visa application Please provide a photocopy of all Schengen visas issued within the last 59 months, in addition to all other required documents: Schengen visa requirements.

Personal appearance and fingerprints are not necessary for children under the age of 12.

4. Appointment system

Residents living within our consular district have to apply in person with an appointment.

Appointments must be booked through www.swiss-visa.ch after submitting the online application (see online visa application form).

Drop-offs of visa applications files and walk-ins are not accepted. Each individual applicant requires an appointment. This also applies to each member of a group application.  Do not schedule several appointments for the same person. No appointments can be scheduled by e-mail, at the counter or by phone. 

Requirements

Please check the leaflet related to your travel reason for the requested documents. If necessary, you may be requested to bring/send additional documents. Schengen visa requirements

5. Travel and Health Insurance

A valid travel insurance for the entire Schengen territory is required. A letter from your insurance company mentioning the coverage of at least $ 40,000 or Euro 30,000 for any medical, evacuation and repatriation expenses during your whole stay has to be presented. A photocopy of your insurance card will not suffice. The insurance coverage letter is compulsory. If your insurance company does not provide such a letter or such coverage, please purchase an international insurance. Applicants missing this document will systematically have their visa denied.

6. Passport

Your valid passport must have been issued within the last ten years, have at least two empty pages and be valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the Schengen Area.

7. Questions

General visa questions are not answered. Only if you have a specific question that is not answered on our website, may you write an email to dhaka.visa@eda.admin.ch indicating your first names, names, date of birth, nationality and visa application online ID.

8. For Switzerland only long stay visas (stays more than 90 days, Type D visa application)

Only duly completed applications are accepted. Incomplete applications (items not presented/missing photocopies) will be returned to the applicant without being processed. The requirements to obtain a long-term visa vary, depending on the reason of your travel. Please check the leaflet related to your reason of stay. National visa requirements.

There are different types of long stay visas, e.g., family reunion, student, work, international organizations, general residence. Some long stay visas are preapproved by the Swiss authorities and can be collected using a simple process at our Embassy. Other long stay visa applications will need to be initiated at the Swiss Embassy in Dhaka. For more information, please see here: visa information: National visa for a stay of more than 90 days.

Your valid passport must have been issued within the last ten years, have at least two empty pages and be valid for at least six months after the intended date of departure to Switzerland.

Note: All information is subject to change and the Embassy of Switzerland cannot take any guarantee of completeness and correctness of the above-mentioned information.