What must the Swiss company's invitation include?

The inviter's full name, address, e-mail and telephone number; it must be signed and stamped; and it must name you, give the dates and purpose, and include a detailed day-to-day schedule of the business meetings or training. A letter without the daily schedule does not meet Switzerland's checklist.

Who should sign my employer's letter?

HR or the directorate. Switzerland asks for an original on business letterhead, signed and stamped, stating your position, how long you have worked there, the dates and purpose of the trip, and whether the employer is covering the expenses.

Which income-tax document does Switzerland accept?

Only the ITR-V — the Indian Income Tax Return Verification Form or Acknowledgement — for the last two assessment years. A computation sheet or the full return is not what the checklist accepts.

Can I add extra documents to strengthen my file?

The Swiss Embassy's checklist states that only the documents mentioned on the checklist are accepted, and that nothing may be sent later by fax or e-mail. The embassy can ask for more itself, or call you for an interview — but the file you submit should be the list, complete and in order.

What does a Switzerland business visa cost?

The embassy's checklist lists the visa fee as EUR 90 for adults. VFS service charges and our consultancy fee are separate.

My wife is travelling with me. Does she use the same checklist?

No. Switzerland asks accompanying spouses and children of business travellers to submit documents as per their own checklist — tourist or visitor — rather than the business one.

Switzerland · Visa guide

Switzerland Business Visa

A short-stay Schengen visa for business meetings, conferences and training in Switzerland.

ProcessingUsually about 15 calendar days from submission
Visa categoryBusiness Visa
Your guideOne consultant

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A business visitor visa is refused when the purpose looks like work. Call us with the invitation and your company details. We tell you if the purpose reads right.

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Switzerland Business Visa — overview

A Swiss business visa is a short-stay Schengen visa (Type C): up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for meetings, negotiations and training with a business partner in Switzerland. The government fee for an adult is EUR 90, and the file goes in through the Swiss visa application centre run by VFS.

Switzerland's checklist is exact to the point of being blunt. Documents go in the order listed and unstapled. The invitation must include a day-to-day schedule. Financial papers must be originals on A4 with the bank's stamp and signature. And the embassy says that only the documents mentioned on the checklist are accepted.

Earliest slot we saw

Checked by hand · 26 September

Jalandhar: 28 Sept
New Delhi: 28 Sept
Mumbai: 29 Sept
Chandigarh: 1 Oct

Tourist / short-stay appointments only. A snapshot from the portal on the date above, not a live feed. Slots move hour to hour and we never hold or sell them. All Switzerland centres & earliest dates

A checklist that means what it says

Most embassies publish a list and quietly accept a thicker file. Switzerland prints the opposite: "Only the documents mentioned on the checklist are accepted." No supplements by fax or e-mail afterwards either. The Swiss file is the list — complete, in order, and nothing else.

That changes the usual instinct. Padding the application with extra certificates and cover notes does not help here, and a missing listed item cannot be patched later. We build it line by line against the embassy's own sequence.

Order, paste, and no staples

Three handling rules appear before the first document:

submit the documents in the exact order given;
do not staple any document;
the photograph is pasted on the form — stapled or pinned pictures cannot be accepted — and must be an original print, 35 × 40 mm, not a copy or a scan.

The invitation needs a diary, not a sentence

The Swiss business partner's letter must carry the inviter's full name, address, e-mail and telephone, be signed and stamped, and set out a detailed schedule of the business meetings or training — day to day.

So "meetings at our Zurich office, 12–16 May" is not enough. Monday: plant tour and quality review. Tuesday: pricing negotiation with the procurement team. And so on. We ask the Swiss side for this early — it takes a host time to prepare, and it is the item Switzerland spells out.

Your employer's letter: HR's stamp, and your length of service

An original on letterhead, signed and stamped by HR or the directorate, stating your position, your duration of service, the dates and purpose, and whether the employer covers the expenses. Length of service is unusual to see on a visa checklist; we read it as the embassy asking how established you are in the job you are returning to.

Money papers: originals, A4, stamped — and only ITR-V

Every financial document must be an original, in A4, with the bank's stamp and signature. The bank statement has to be the account your salary is credited to. And for tax, Switzerland accepts only the ITR-V — the verification form or acknowledgement — for the last two assessment years.

Insurance and multiple-entry visas

The insurer must be on Switzerland's list of approved Indian travel insurers, with at least EUR 30,000 of cover. If you are applying for a six-month or one-year multiple-entry visa, you do not need 180 or 365 days of cover — a policy for the first journey is sufficient.

Source: Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan — Checklist for Schengen Visa: Business (edition dated October 2024), as held in our knowledge base. Fees and requirements change; confirm against the current checklist before you submit.

12 items

Documents you need

Passport
Issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after the scheduled return, with at least two blank pages. Handwritten passports, and passports with observations on the front (bio-data) page, cannot be accepted.
One photograph — pasted, not stapled
White background, not older than 6 months, 35 × 40 mm, an original print (not copied or scanned), pasted on the application form. Stapled or pinned pictures cannot be accepted.
Visa application form
Free of charge from the State Secretariat for Migration's website; completed and signed by the applicant, with authorisation of a third person if applicable.
Introduction letter from your employer — original
On business letterhead, signed and stamped by HR or the directorate, stating who you are, your position, your length of service, the dates and purpose of the trip, and whether the employer covers the expenses.
Invitation from the Swiss business partner
With the inviter's full name, address, e-mail and telephone; signed and stamped (original or copy); naming the invitee, the dates and purpose, plus a detailed day-to-day schedule of the business meetings or training.
Travel insurance from the approved list
From an insurer on Switzerland's list of approved Indian travel insurers; minimum EUR 30,000 per person; covering repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and emergency hospital treatment, for the entire stay in the Schengen territory. For a six-month or one-year multiple-entry visa, a policy covering the first journey is enough.
Flight reservation
With the names of all travellers.
Financial documents — originals, A4, bank-stamped
All financial documents must be originals in A4 format with the bank's stamp and signature.
If employed
Employment contract and last 3 months' salary slips; last 3 months' statements of the personal account into which the salary is credited; personal ITR for the last 2 assessment years — only the ITR-V verification form or acknowledgement is accepted.
If self-employed or a company owner
Business registration certificate, GST registration with annex A & B, partnership deed or proof of proprietorship; last 3 months' personal bank statements; personal ITR-V for the last 2 assessment years.
If retired
Personal pension bank statement for the last 3 months, and proof of regular income from property or business.
Visa fee
EUR 90 for adults, per the embassy's checklist.

5 steps

How the process works

Typical processing: Usually about 15 calendar days from submission — may extend up to 45 calendar days. Apply at least 2-3 weeks before travel.

Step 1
Free eligibility review
We assess your profile and build a document checklist matched to the embassy's requirements.
Step 2
Build the file & cover letter
Every document — finances, bookings, insurance and the cover letter — is prepared and verified.
Step 3
Book the VFS Global appointment
Applications in India are submitted through VFS Global — we schedule your slot.
Step 4
Submit & give biometrics
You attend the VFS centre to submit the file and provide fingerprints and a photograph.
Step 5
Decision & passport return
The embassy decides the application and your passport is returned through VFS.

Transparent

Costs & fees

Item

Amount

Schengen visa fee (adult)

EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11; under 6 exempt. Payable in INR.

EUR 90

VFS Global service charge

Plus optional add-ons such as courier.

Confirmed at booking

Government and third-party fees change often — we confirm the exact current amounts for your case before you pay anything.

6 answers

Frequently asked questions

The inviter's full name, address, e-mail and telephone number; it must be signed and stamped; and it must name you, give the dates and purpose, and include a detailed day-to-day schedule of the business meetings or training. A letter without the daily schedule does not meet Switzerland's checklist.
HR or the directorate. Switzerland asks for an original on business letterhead, signed and stamped, stating your position, how long you have worked there, the dates and purpose of the trip, and whether the employer is covering the expenses.
Only the ITR-V — the Indian Income Tax Return Verification Form or Acknowledgement — for the last two assessment years. A computation sheet or the full return is not what the checklist accepts.
The Swiss Embassy's checklist states that only the documents mentioned on the checklist are accepted, and that nothing may be sent later by fax or e-mail. The embassy can ask for more itself, or call you for an interview — but the file you submit should be the list, complete and in order.
The embassy's checklist lists the visa fee as EUR 90 for adults. VFS service charges and our consultancy fee are separate.
No. Switzerland asks accompanying spouses and children of business travellers to submit documents as per their own checklist — tourist or visitor — rather than the business one.

Why it matters

Going it alone vs filing with us

On your own

Guessing the document list — one missing or wrongly formatted paper triggers a refusal.
Generic cover letters copied from the internet that officers recognise and flag.
No read on peak rejection windows or what this visa post is strict about.
Government and VFS fees are non-refundable — money lost if you are refused.
A refusal stamp follows you and weakens every future visa application.

With Lifeset Overseas

An honest case assessment before you spend a rupee on government fees.
A file built to the embassy's exact checklist and in the exact order.
Weak finances, ties or purpose identified and fixed before submission.
Previously refused? We can rescue and rebuild the file.
Every case handled by one consultant, end to end.

Refused before?

A refusal isn't the end

A refusal is not a permanent bar — but it only improves if the actual reason is found and answered, and nobody can tell you a second application will succeed. If a Switzerland visa has been refused, we: