Starting early Monday morning, September 27, travelers from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Japan and Serbia will be subject to new travel restrictions on Switzerland.
The change in entry rules for those arriving from these countries follows the decision of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) to remove these six countries from the list of safe countries and regions and include them in the list of high-risk areas after the increase in the number of cases of coronavirus in their territory.
In contrast, Uruguay is now included in the list of safe regions, and visitors from that country can enter Switzerland under lightweight rules starting next Monday.
According to a press release from the Swiss Federal Council announcing a number of changes in the country’s COVID-19 response, foreign nationals arriving from a high-risk country, in particular tourists, cannot enter Switzerland if they have there is no confirmation of vaccination with one of the vaccines recognized in Switzerland as proof of travel.
“Persons holding a Swiss passport or valid residence permit can enter Switzerland from any country at any time. All persons entering Switzerland must present an entry form. In addition, all persons who have not been vaccinated or recovered must submit a negative test result, “the Council also notes.
On September 13, Switzerland introduced a COVID-19 passport requirement for those wishing to visit closed spaces such as restaurants, cafeterias and others. It was also reported that those who were vaccinated in third countries had to be tested every three days in order to be able to visit closed canteens in Switzerland.
However, the Council announced that now all persons vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), including those in third countries, will be able to apply for the Swiss COVID certificate.
“This means that tourists can also participate in social activities here,” the press release said.
Those who have had coronavirus in the past six months will also be able to receive this document.
Those who have been vaccinated with vaccines not approved by the EMA will only be able to obtain a Swiss certificate if they live in Switzerland and the vaccine with which they were vaccinated is approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Demand for COVID-19 tests to obtain COVID certifications has skyrocketed since September 10, resulting in additional federal government spending of around CHF 160 million. As the government has extended the free testing period for those vaccinated with only the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, it is estimated that it will cost another CHF 120 million by the end of November.