Visitor & tourist visas
Compare two countries, side by side
Greece or Norway? Germany or Switzerland? Tap a country on each side. We put the two next to each other and lead with what is actually different — appointments, cost, paperwork and the trip itself.
Germany
Cities, castles and an excellent rail network — also Europe’s big trade-fair hub.
- Berlin and the Brandenburg Gate
- Neuschwanstein and Bavaria
- The Rhine Valley
Switzerland
The classic Indian honeymoon and family trip — mountains by train. Among Europe’s costliest.
- Jungfraujoch and the Alps
- Lucerne and the lakes
- Scenic trains such as the Glacier Express
Read this first
You do not have to choose — one visa covers both
Germany and Switzerland are both in the Schengen Area, so one short-stay visa lets you visit both, and the other 27 Schengen states, on the same trip. The fee, the form and the 90-days-in-180 limit are identical. What you are really choosing is WHERE to apply: it must be the country where you will spend the most nights, or — if the nights are equal — the one you enter first. An application lodged with the wrong country can be turned away as not that consulate’s to decide. So compare the appointment dates and the centres below: they decide which embassy you deal with.
Head to head
Application centres in India
9
✓ Better here
5
More centres means more cities to choose from, and usually a shorter journey.
Reachable from Punjab by road
Chandigarh, New Delhi
✓ Better here
New Delhi
Biometrics are given in person. A centre in or beside Punjab is a day trip; Delhi is usually an overnight.
Prices on the ground
3.5× India
✓ Better here
4.9× India
World Bank overall price level against India’s. A guide to how far your rupee goes — not a travel budget.
Distance from Delhi
5,780 km
✓ Better here
6,150 km
Straight-line distance. Flight time depends on the route and layovers.
Documents on the checklist
15 items
14 items
✓ Better here
A shorter list is less to gather — not an easier decision.
The same for both
- Our filing fee: from ₹4,999
- Government fee: €90 ≈ ₹9,560
A winner is marked only where better is a fact — cheaper, sooner, nearer, fewer papers. Nobody can score which visa is more likely to be approved, so we do not.
What it costs
Government visa fee (adult)
Identical for both — ≈ ₹9,560. €90 · Adult (12 years and over)
Lifeset filing fee
Identical for both — from ₹4,999. all-in · GST included
Government fees are set in foreign currency; the rupee figure is an approximate conversion at today’s mid-market rate. Our fee is all-in with GST included. VFS service charges, insurance, flights and hotels are extra and not shown.
Which is more economical once you land?
World Bank, 2025
World Bank, 2025
Prices in Switzerland run about 40% above Germany. On the same money, Germany is the more economical trip.
The World Bank’s overall price level for each country, shown against India’s. It covers the whole economy, not a tourist’s basket, so read it as a direction — never as a daily budget.
How far from Delhi
Straight-line distance to the city named. Actual flight time depends on the route and layovers, so we do not quote one.
Where you give biometrics in India
- Ahmedabad — Germany only
- Bengaluru — both
- Chandigarh — Germany only
- Chennai — both
- Hyderabad — Germany only
- Kolkata — both
- Mumbai — both
- New Delhi — both
- Pune — Germany only
You attend in person, so the city matters. Half-filled chips are cities only one of the two countries serves.
How long the decision takes
Plan on 15 working days after the file reaches the Consulate in Mumbai, plus 2 to 6 days of transit; up to 45 days in individual cases
Usually 15 calendar days once the Embassy in New Delhi has your complete file; transport time is extra and busy seasons take longer
The authorities’ usual figures, not promises. The solid part is the usual time; the pale part is how far it can stretch.
What it is like in May
Berlin
19°/ 9°
day / night
- Daylight
- 15.8 h
- Rainy days
- 8
Zurich
18°/ 9°
day / night
- Daylight
- 15.1 h
- Rainy days
- 18
Germany · Berlin, through the year
Switzerland · Zurich, through the year
Hours of daylight in May
Ten-year monthly averages for the city named — what the month is usually like, not a forecast. Each bar runs from the average night-time low to the average daytime high. Tap any month.
When to go
Germany
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May — recommended
- June — recommended
- July — recommended
- August — recommended
- September — recommended
- October
- November
- December — recommended
Late spring to early autumn; December for the Christmas markets
Switzerland
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June — recommended
- July — recommended
- August — recommended
- September — recommended
- October
- November
- December
Summer for the mountains; December–March for snow
Conventional travel-season guidance, not a weather forecast. Apply for the visa well before the month you pick.
On the ground
- Currencydiffers
- Euro (EUR)
- Swiss franc (CHF)
- Time difference
- 3h 30m–4h 30m behind India
- 3h 30m–4h 30m behind India
- Languagesdiffers
- German
- German, French, Italian, Romansh
- Capitaldiffers
- Berlin
- Bern
- EU memberdiffers
- Yes
- No
- Schengen Area
- Yes
- Yes
The paperwork
Only Germany
Two signed declarations
The declaration of true and complete information, and the declaration of travel with valid medical insurance.
Cover letter and itinerary
Your signed personal letter with a day-by-day plan, or the travel agency's certificate confirming the booking of an organised trip.
Income tax proof
ITR acknowledgements for the last two assessment years, or Form 16 from your employer.
Proof of civil status
Marriage certificate, divorce or custody decree, children's birth certificates or a spouse's death certificate, where they apply. Single applicants add nothing.
Sponsor documents, if someone else pays
Sponsor letter, the sponsor's passport copy and 3 months of stamped bank statements, plus a marriage or birth certificate if the sponsor is your spouse or parent.
Only Switzerland
ITR-V
The Income Tax Return Verification Form or Acknowledgement for the last 2 assessment years. No other tax document is accepted.
Retired
Personal pension bank statement for the last 3 months and proof of regular income from property or business.
Families travelling together
Applications go in together; the head of the family attaches bank statements, ITR-V, insurance and flight bookings naming every member.
Declaration of Consent Courier
Signed by the applicant, as the Embassy requires. A representative or travel agent must bring it signed.
The 10 documents both ask for
VIDEX application form
Filled in online on VIDEX, printed in full with every barcode page, and signed. For a child, both parents sign.
Passport
Issued within the last 10 years, valid for 3 months after your return, with two empty pages and no observations on the front data page.
Passport copies and old passports
A copy of the biometric and address pages, plus your older passports with earlier visas or stamps, rubber-banded together.
Photograph
At least one biometric photo, 35 x 45 mm, white background, face covering 70 to 80 percent of the frame, not older than six months.
Flight reservation
A return flight reservation. A booked ticket is not needed and does not speed up processing.
Proof of accommodation
Hotel, holiday home or campus residence bookings for the whole stay, with proof of accommodation in each Schengen state you visit.
Travel medical insurance
From an insurer on the approved Indian list, at least €30,000 of medical cover, valid in all Schengen states for the entire trip.
Bank statements
Your own statements for the last 3 months, stamped by the bank and showing your name and address. Passbook copies are not accepted.
Proof of occupation
Salaried: 3 payslips, employment contract and leave sanction letter. Business owner: company registration with GST number. Retired: 3 months of pension statements.
Documents for a minor
Birth certificate, both parents' passport copies, and the notarised consent of any parent who is not applying with the child.
From each country’s own checklist as published on our country guides. Tap any item for the detail. Requirements change — confirm against the current official checklist before you apply.
Climate figures are 10-year monthly averages (2015–2024) for the city named, from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive. Price levels are the World Bank’s whole-economy figures relative to India — a guide, not a travel budget. Data built 21 Sept 2026. Government fees last checked 14 Oct 2026 and shown in the currency they are set in. Processing times are the authorities’ usual figures, not promises. Requirements change — confirm against the current official checklist before you apply. A visa decision always belongs to the embassy or consulate; no comparison can predict it.
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