Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Update 6 July 2021
Schengen visas (Type C) for Switzerland Starting 26 June 2021
On 23 June 2021, the Federal Council decided to lift the entry restrictions for persons from third countries who are fully vaccinated. The Embassy of Switzerland is currently accepting all visa categories for persons from third countries (Nepal) who can prove that they have been fully vaccinated with a recognized vaccine.
Booking of a prior appointment is mandatory for all applications types (C+ D). Please contact our visa section to make an appointment if you wish to apply.
National visas (for a long-term stay of more than 90 days, type D) are processed as usual.
Applications on behalf of Poland, Latvia and Slovakia are still suspended until further notice.
Vaccines
For fully vaccinated third-country nationals with CHE, EU and WHO recognized vaccines, the regular entry requirements will be applicable again from 26 June 2021. This also means that these travelers no longer have to be quarantined after arriving in Switzerland. Please note that this relaxation does not apply to airlines which might have their own requirements and regulations.
Entry restrictions continue to apply to foreign nationals who are not vaccinated and are without rights of free movement, entering from risk countries or regions and who do not belong to any of the exceptional categories of the Covid-19 Regulation 3 (hardship cases). For more information and exceptions, please consult the website of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), Covid FAQ’s (Entering Switzerland>Situation of special necessity>What constitutes a case of special necessity).
Similarly, non-vaccinated people arriving in Switzerland from countries and areas with an increased risk of infection are required to submit a negative PCR report and go into a quarantine upon arrival in Switzerland.
As of 18.00h on 3 May and until further notice, Nepal is on the Federal Office for Public Health (FOPH) list of risk countries. More information on the page Mandatory quarantine for persons arriving in Switzerland and Coronavirus: Entering Switzerland.
Contact Tracing
All persons arriving from abroad by air must complete an online form on arrival. With this information, cases of infection can be identified more easily and transmission chains broken more rapidly.
Information Regarding Nepali Visa and Visa Extension
The current arrival and visa requirements for foreign visitors are published on the website of the Department of Immigration. According to the latest notice regarding arrival/departure facilitation, travellers entering Nepal by air have to present a negative PCR/COVID-test not older than 72 hours and proof of hotel booking for a 10-days- hotel-quarantine.
The Department of Immigration has resumed its visa services starting 2 July 2021, according to their Notice from 1 July 2021.
Situation Related to Covid-19
For information on the situation related to Covid-19 in Nepal, please refer to the official website of the World Health Organization. Please also follow the recommendations of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) travel advice "Focus Corona Virus":
Federal Office of Public Health (Switzerland)
FDFA Travel Advice, Focus Coronavirus (COVID-19)
We ask all Swiss travelers abroad to register their details and place of stay on the "Travel Admin App". This will enable the FDFA to provide you with better support and to contact you in an emergency.
Movement Restrictions (lockdown)
Effective from 29 April 2021
Due to the alarming increase of COVID-19 infections, the Government of Nepal and the Kathmandu valley District Administration Offices issued a prohibitory order effective from 29 April. Other main cities outside Kathmandu have also introduced similar restrictions.
The Kathmandu Valley District Administration Offices have extended the ongoing prohibitory order until 15 July 2021 with further relaxations. All vehicles and public transportation are allowed to resume from 6 July 2021 onwards.
The Civil Aviation of Nepal CAAN has decided to resume domestic flights starting 1 July 2021 with a limited number of flights. According to the Urgent Notice from 28 June 2021 a limited number of international flights have been approved. All other international flights remain suspended until further notice.
Further Information
If you are sick and show symptoms such as fever, cough and difficulty breathing, please call the Covid-19 hotline under +977-9851255839; +977 9851255837 or +977 9851255834. After consultation with a medical staff per phone/hotline, visit the nearest hospital has been designated by the Government of Nepal to treat cases of Covid-19 infection. Here is a non-exhaustive list of hospitals:
- In Kathmandu: Sukraraj Infectious and Tropical Disease Hospital (STIDH), Patan Hospital, Bir Hospital, Grande International Hospital, Star Hospital, HAMS Hospital
- In Dhulikhel: Kathmandu University Hospital in Dulikhel
- In Pokhara: Pokhara Academy of Health Science
For Covid-19 PCR testing: Every Province is now equipped to perform Covid-19 PCR tests. Please contact the Provincial Hospital for more information.
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.
