Airport transit visa

Airline passengers on authorised regular services do not require an airport transit visa provided they meet all the following requirements:

Citizens of the following states require an airport transit visa: • • • • • • • • Afghanistan Iraq Bangladesh Nigeria Congo (Democratic Republic) Pakistan Eritrea Somalia 2.1.3 Special provisions • • • • • • • Ethiopia Sri Lanka Ghana Iran Syria Turkey Cuba

The following categories of persons are exempted from the requirement to hold an airport transit visa: 1) Holders of a valid diplomatic, service or special passport 2) Holders of a valid visa issued by any of the following states: − Schengen member state − Cyprus* − Ireland* − Japan* − Canada* − United States of America* − Overseas countries and territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.* * Please note: The visa must be valid at the time the person leaves the country that issued the visa but can be expired by the time the person transits Switzerland. If, after the expiry of the visa, the aforementioned third country nationals do not travel back from one of the listed countries, but from any other third country, the airport visa exemption does not apply. 3) Holders of a valid residence permit, issued by one of the following states: − Schengen member state − Cyprus − Ireland − Andorra* − Canada * − Japan* − San Marino* − United States of America* − United Kingdom* − Overseas countries and territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. * Please note: Provided the holder's unconditional readmission is guaranteed. 4) -- 5) Family members of citizens of the EU/EFTA and of the United Kingdom who exercised their right to free movement before 1 January 2021 6) Flight crew members who are nationals of a contracting party to the Convention on International Civil Aviation dated 7 December 1944

b. they do not leave the transit area;

Transit (or airport transit) is when a person is travelling from outside the Schengen area to another country outside the Schengen area and changes planes at a Swiss airport. The person may not leave the airport's international transit zone. There is no entry into Switzerland.

d. they possess an airline ticket for the journey to their destination, having booked their connecting flight prior to their arrival at a Swiss airport;

Information on the visa for an airport transit can be found under section 2.1 in the following document:

c. they are in possession of the travel documents and visa required for entering the country of destination;