Customs

Foreign visitors can bring up to 300CHF worth of items for personal use and gifts without having to pay tax or duty. This can include up to 5 liters of alcohol with less than 18 percent alcohol content by volume and one liter with more than 18 percent alcohol content by volume, and 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of other tobacco products. See www.ch.ch for further information.

Passports

Every traveler entering Switzerland must have a valid passport, although it's not necessary for North Americans to have a visa if they don't stay longer than 3 continuous months. For information on permanent residence in Switzerland and work permits, contact the nearest Swiss consulate.

For an up-to-date country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the "Foreign Entry Requirement" Web page of the U.S. State Department at http://travel.state.gov.

  • Australia -- Australian Passport Information Service (tel. 131-232, or visit www.passports.gov.au).
  • Canada -- Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 (tel. 800/567-6868; www.ppt.gc.ca).
  • Ireland -- Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/671-1633; www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie).
  • New Zealand -- Passports Office, Department of Internal Affairs, 47 Boulcott Street, Wellington, 6011 (tel. 0800/225-050 in New Zealand or 04/474-8100; www.passports.govt.nz).
  • United Kingdom -- Visit your nearest passport office, major post office, or travel agency or contact the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), 89 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1PN (tel. 0300/222-0000; www.ips.gov.uk).
  • United States -- To find your regional passport office, check the U.S. State Department website (travel.state.gov/passport) or call the National Passport Information Center (tel. 877/487-2778) for automated information.


Embassies & Consulates

Most embassies are located in the national capital, Bern; some countries maintain consulates in other cities, such as Geneva or Zurich. There’s an Australian consulate in Geneva at Chemins des Fins 2 (https://geneva.mission.gov.au; tel. 022/799-91-00). At the same address is the consulate of New Zealand (www.mfat.govt.nz; tel. 022/929-03-50). The Canadian embassy is at 88 Kirchenfeldstrasse, Bern (www.switzerland.gc.ca; tel. 031/357-32-00). The embassy of the United Kingdom is at Thunstrasse 50, Bern (www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-berne; tel. 031/359-77-00) and there is a British consulate in Geneva at 37-39, rue de Vermont (tel. 022/918-24-00). The embassy of the United States is located at Sulgeneckstrasse 19, Bern (https://ch.usembassy.gov; tel. 031/357-70-11), with consulates in Zurich at Dufourstrasse 101 (tel. 031/357-70-11) and in Geneva at Rue Francois-Versonnex 7 (tel. 022/840-51-60).You can sign up to receive travel advisories by email from the U.S. Department of State (www.travel.state.gov).

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.