Given the current circumstances and in order to follow the recommended measures of social distancing;

• call the Embassy or send an email to set an appointment
• only the person, who needs to come can be entered. Accompanying person will not be allowed except for minors and eldery people. 

Before calling the Embassy, please check first what rules apply to your own particular situation when entering Switzerland. 

Travelcheck

Electronic Entry Form to be completed before arrival in Switzerland

Online Entry form

The year 2020 was an unusual year for all of us. Please find the letter from the Ambassador, Dr. Linus von Castelmur to the Swiss community in the Republic of Korea.

Letter to the Swiss community. (PDF, 499.1 kB, English)

Traveling to Switzerland

From 20 July 2020, the Republic of Korea has been removed from the list of high-risk countries. Normal entry requirements apply to any persons entering Switzerland directly from the Republic of Korea.

Flight to Switzerland

Please find the list of countries subject to normal requirements for entering Switzerland.

List of countries subject to normal requirements for entering Switzerland

For additional information, please consult the webpage of the State Secretariat for Migration SEM.

Quarantine

People arriving in Swtizerland from certain countries and areas will be required to go into quarantine (entry into force 06.07.2020 00h00 CET)

Federal Office of Public Health FOPH > Mandatory quarantine

Negative PCR test carried out within 72 hours of departure is required to enter Switzerland by air (entry into force 8.2.2021 00h00 CET)

All persons arriving by air even from a country that is not considered high risk must be able to show a negative PCR test result before boarding the plane.  The test result must be issued either in English or in a Swiss national language.

For exemption, please consult the following link. 

Federal Office of Public Health FOPH > Entering Switzerland

Electronic Entry Form to be completed before arrival (entry into force 08.02.2021 00h00 CET)

Fill out the form before your entry to Switzerland.

For exemption, please conslu the following link.

Exemptions to the entry form

Electronic Entry Form

FAQ regarding Electronic Entry Form

All travelers must take note of the health-related measures at the Swiss border. 

Travelcheck

Please double check with the airline and the Embassy of the transit country for further information in order to transit.

Traveling to the Republic of Korea

Visa waiver agreement (entry into force 13.04.2020 00h00 CET)

Korean authorities have informed us that the visa waiver agreement that allowed visa-free entry to the Republic of Korea for Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens will no longer be in force effective 13 April 00h00 CET. As a consequence, Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens will need a visa to enter the Republic of Korea.

K-ETA application before entering South Korea (pilot project until end of August 2021, launch in full scale starting September 2021)

Swiss nationals, who wish to enter Korea for important business purposes (participation in events or meetings) can apply for a visa at the Korean Embassy or apply for K-ETA through the website

New regulations regarding re-entry Permits to Korea for long-term visa holders of Korea (entry into force 1.6.2020 00h00 CET)

Please visit the following websites to be updated:

Immigration

Hikorea

Special entry procedures adopted by the government of the Republic of Korea (entry into force 12.06.2020 00h00 CET)

• At the immigration, Travelers with symptoms will be tested.
• If positive, isolation and treatment at a hospital or treatment center
• If negative, self-quarantine for 14 days at home or facility for short-term travelers
• Travelers without symptoms will be tested.
• Long term (living in Korea): self-quarantine for 14 days, testing within 24hours
• Short term (not living in Korea): testing at the entry point right after their arrival or at a government-designated facility within 24hours, quarantine at the government-designated facility
• If positive, admitted to hospital or treatment center.

All in-bound travelers are required to download the Self-Quarantine Safety and Protection App on their smartphone. In case travelers violate the self-quarantine order and leave the designated location without justifiable reasons, they may be subject to fine or deportation.

A negative COVID-19 test (PCR) result is required for all foreigners entering the ROK (entry into force 8.1.2021 KST for airports and 15.1.2021 KST for ports)

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that all foreign nationals must present a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result to enter the country, starting from January 8th, 12:00 am, for airports, and January 15th, 12:00 am, for ports. This measure is part of the government’s response to the emergence of a mutated COVID-19 strain. The details are as below:

• The certificate must be issued within 72 hours of departure.
• This measure also applies to holders of A1 (diplomatic), A2 (official) and A3 (treaties) visas.
• Infants and children under the age of 6 (as of the entry date) are exempted from submitting a test result certificate.
• For a list of designated hospitals and medical institutions, please check with the Korean embassy from the country of departure. 
• The original test certificate (copies are not accepted) in English or in Korean must mention the negative PCR result. If the test certificate is not issued in English or Korean, a certified translation must be submitted.
• The certificate must be carried on the traveler’s person and presented before boarding the plane. Non-compliance will result in boarding being denied.
• The mandatory two-week quarantine for all inbound travelers is still effective.
• The above measure is not related to visa issuance.
• Passengers transiting in Korea without entry are not required to show their test result certificate when boarding an aircraft and they are allowed to transit in Korea without the certificate.

  PCR Negative Result must include the following information:

• Name on your passport

• Date of birth and/or passport number or ID card number

• Type of test(PCR, LAMP, TMA, SDA, NEAR etc.) and test results

  *Antigen antibody test such as RAT, ELISA is NOT acceptable

• Date of test and date of issuance

• Name of the examination facility

* Not accepted as PDF file or email. It must be a physical document.

Non-exhaustive list of COVID-19 PCR centers in Switzerland

1) Zürich Airport > Covid Testing centers

2) Basel-Mulhouse Airport > Covid Testing centers

3) Genève Airport > Covid Testing centers

4) Test centers in other cities in Switzerland can be found on the cantonal websites

If you travel abroad, please register the dates of your trip on Travel Admin.

Embassy services

Vaccination for the Swiss Abroad

Swiss Community > Covid-19 vaccination

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Please follow the prevention recommendations from the local Korean authorities, especially the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and download the Emergency Ready App available on IoS and Android.

For additional information in a Swiss national language or in English, the following homepages might be useful :

Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)  > New coronavirus (de,fr,it)

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Safetravel.ch, also contains addresses of institutes for travel medicine.

Communication of 29.01.2020 (PDF, 401.0 kB, English)  

Communication of 25.02.2020 (PDF, 390.2 kB, English)

Communication of 28.02.2020  (PDF, 379.0 kB, English)

Communication of 16.03.2020 (PDF, 327.2 kB, English)

Measures Federal Council – airlines, 17.03.2020 (PDF, 530.2 kB, English)

Recommendations for Swiss tourists, 19.03.2020 (PDF, 519.2 kB, English)

Communication of 30.03.2020 (PDF, 412.0 kB, English)

Implemented measures, 30.03.2020  (PDF, 475.7 kB, English)

New re-entry permit visa, 25.05.2020 (PDF, 464.4 kB, English)

Update on re-entry permit, 08.06.2020 (PDF, 575.8 kB, English)

Multilingual Medical Certificate, 25.06.2020 (PDF, 387.2 kB, English)

Warning to future students and interns in Korea

The Embassy was informed by some students and interns that they were victims of fraud while trying to rent a studio or flat in Seoul. Therefore, if you rent an apartment, please do not make any advance payments. Payments should only be made when you move into the rented property. Otherwise, you may be caught by fraudsters and lose your money.