Switzerland visa guideA Swiss visit visa for family or friends is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for less than 90 days within any 180-day period. It is filed through the Swiss VFS centres in Chandigarh, Jalandhar or New Delhi and decided by the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi, usually within 15 calendar days of the Embassy receiving the complete file.
Two letters carry it. Your host writes an invitation naming every person invited, how they are related, how long they will stay and why, with a copy of their passport, identity card, OCI or residence permit. If you are employed, your employer adds an original letter with a no objection statement for the trip.
Do Indians need a visa to visit family in Switzerland, and which one?
Yes. Visiting a son, daughter, sibling or friend in Switzerland takes a Schengen short-stay visa, type C, filed under the Embassy's visitor checklist. VFS describes the visitor visa as the one for travelling to visit family or friends, for a travel period of less than 90 days, and the usual Schengen limit of 90 days in any 180-day period applies. The Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi decides, and the file goes in through VFS Global.
There is one important exception to the usual route. If the person you are joining is a Swiss, EU or EFTA citizen and you are their family member, you may apply directly at the Embassy with a mandatory appointment, and the Embassy issues visas for family members of EU and EFTA citizens free of charge.
Switzerland family visit visa at a glance
- Visa
- Schengen type C, visitor category
- StayWithin 90 days in any 180-day period
- Less than 90 days
- From your hostPlus a copy of their passport, ID, OCI or residence permit
- Dated, signed invitation naming every invitee
- Decided by
- Embassy of Switzerland, New Delhi
- Visa feeFree for family members of EU and EFTA citizens
- €90 adult, €45 child aged 6 to under 12
- EmergenciesContact the Embassy directly
- Fast-track for urgent medical or family reasons
Embassy of Switzerland in India visitor checklist, SEM and VFS Global Switzerland, checked 14 Oct 2026
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
At the Swiss VFS centres in Chandigarh or Jalandhar, or in New Delhi; there is no Swiss centre in Gurugram. All work Monday to Friday, and the Embassy's own table places Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi under the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi via VFS.
Practical points for families:
- Apply together. The visitor checklist says family applications have to be submitted together.
- Parents who have travelled before. VFS says that if finger scans were collected within the last 59 months, personal appearance is not necessary, so a son or daughter in India can lodge the file for them. The representative brings the "Declaration of Consent Courier" each applicant signed, as the Embassy requires.
- First-timers attend in person. Only applicants, caregivers and people accompanying children under 18 may enter the centre, so an elderly parent can bring a caregiver.
- Children under 12 give no fingerprints.
To see how dates are opening up, check our Switzerland appointment availability page.
Which documents depend on your situation?
Your own papers follow the common checklist further down. What makes a Swiss family file is the invitation. The Embassy's visitor checklist asks your host for:
- their own full name, address, email ID and telephone number;
- the full names of all the invitees, the duration of stay, your relationship and the purpose of the invitation;
- a date and signature, on the original or a clear copy;
- a copy of their passport or identity card, OCI or residence permit.
Because a clear copy is accepted, your host can sign, scan and email the letter. If both parents are travelling, both are named in full, exactly as in their passports; "my parents" is not a name. A Swiss citizen relative who holds an OCI card can send a copy of it along with their passport.
Employed
- What the visitor checklist adds
- Original introduction letter on letterhead, signed and stamped by HR or the directorate, with your position, length of service, a "No objection statement" for the trip, and the dates and purpose; last 3 months' salary slips, copy of the employment contract, last 3 months' statements of the salary account, ITR-V for 2 years
Self-employed or company owner
- What the visitor checklist adds
- Business registration, GST registration with annex A and B, partnership deed or proprietorship proof; last 3 months' personal bank statements; the company's and your personal ITR-V for 2 years
Retired parents
- What the visitor checklist adds
- Personal pension bank statement for the last 3 months, and proof of regular income from property or business
Family travelling together
- What the visitor checklist adds
- Only the head of the family attaches bank statements, ITR-V, insurance naming everyone, the flight booking naming everyone, and the invitation
Student above 16
- What the visitor checklist adds
- Copy of the college ID card and an introduction letter from the school, college or university
Child not travelling with both parents
- What the visitor checklist adds
- Consent of the non-travelling parent or guardian, certified by a public notary, plus both parents' passport, PAN or driving licence copies
All financial documents must be originals in A4 format with the bank's stamp and signature, and for tax only the ITR-V is accepted. If your own means are not enough and your host will pay, Switzerland has a formal declaration of sponsorship: the SEM explains that the form is not public and is issued directly by the Swiss embassies, so your host should ask the Embassy about it before you apply.
How much is the Switzerland visa fee for Indians visiting family?
Each adult pays €90 and each child aged 6 to under 12 pays €45, and children under 6 pay nothing; VFS showed these as ₹9,600 and ₹4,800 on 14 October 2026. VFS adds a ₹3,100 service charge per applicant, and courier return costs ₹930 if you want it. Family members of EU and EFTA citizens get the visa free, while for everyone else the Embassy collects the fee at submission and does not refund it if the application is withdrawn or refused. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
VFS gives 15 calendar days as the usual processing time, from the day the Embassy has the complete file and not counting transport. Under the EU Visa Code it can stretch to 45 days when a closer look is needed. Requests for more documents or an interview add time, and holiday periods are busier.
Applications can go in from 180 days before the trip until 15 calendar days before it. VFS recommends at least two weeks and more before holiday periods. For a planned family event, such as a birth or a wedding, apply as soon as your host's invitation arrives; there is no benefit in waiting.
Why do Switzerland family visit visas get refused for Indian applicants?
The refusal form gives numbered reasons. In family files, these are the usual causes.
An incomplete invitation (reasons 2 and 10)
The invitation must name every invitee in full, the duration, the relationship and the purpose, and be dated and signed. A letter that says "my parents will visit in summer" does not justify the purpose and conditions of the stay.
No proof of the host's status
Without a copy of the host's passport, identity card, OCI or residence permit, the officer cannot confirm who is inviting you or their right to live in Switzerland.
Money on paper the Embassy will not accept (reason 3)
Photocopied statements, non-A4 printouts, papers without the bank's stamp, or a full ITR instead of the ITR-V fail the checklist. The SEM's guide figure for visitors staying at their own expense is CHF 100 per day of stay.
Doubts about the return (reason 13)
Parents visiting children who live abroad are asked, in effect, what brings them home. An employer's no objection statement, pension and property papers, family in India and a return reservation well inside the 90 days answer that.
Each numbered reason is explained on our Schengen refusal reasons page. The SEM accepts a written appeal, in German, French or Italian with reasons, within 30 days of receiving the refusal, and your host in Switzerland can file it as your authorised representative; the SEM then asks for a CHF 200 advance on costs.
Tips for a stronger file
- Send your host the checklist wording. Every invitee's full name, duration, relationship, purpose, date and signature.
- Prove the relationship. Add the birth or marriage certificates that link you to your host; the invitation states the relationship and the papers back it.
- One family, one file. Submit together and let the head of the family carry the bank statements, ITR-V, insurance and flight booking that name everyone.
- A4 originals only. Bank statements with the bank's stamp and signature, from the account your income actually reaches.
- Paste the photo. An original print 35 to 40 mm wide, glued on the form, not stapled.
- Insurance by age. Choose an insurer on the approved list whose scheme covers each parent's age, for the whole stay.
- Nothing extra, nothing late. Only checklist documents are accepted, and none can follow by fax or email.
What if a family emergency means you must travel at short notice?
Switzerland has a fast-track. For serious and urgent medical reasons, such as urgent treatment, a serious accident or a loss in the family, the Embassy says the appointment and the visa process can be fast-tracked. Contact the Embassy with the reason for the emergency, or details of the funeral of your close relative, and your desired departure date. It will tell you how to apply.
This route is for genuine emergencies. A planned visit for a birth or a holiday follows the normal appointment system, so apply early instead.
Can parents stay longer, or come back every year?
Not longer than 90 days in any 180. The SEM says that to extend a visa you must contact the immigration authorities of the canton where you are staying, and it reminds visitors of the 90-day limit; build the plan around the visa you ask for.
Coming back is easier. For a six-month or one-year multiple-entry visa, the checklist says you need insurance only for the first trip, not 180 or 365 days of cover. Under the EU's 2024 rule for India, Indian nationals living in India can be issued a two-year multiple-entry Schengen visa after lawfully using two visas within the previous three years, normally followed by a five-year visa. See the Switzerland country page and the Switzerland tourist visa guide for more.
Official sources
- Application for Schengen visa and procedure, Embassy of Switzerland in India
- Where to apply for a Schengen visa?, Embassy of Switzerland in India
- Schengen visa fees, Embassy of Switzerland in India
- Application procedure for urgent medical purposes, Embassy of Switzerland in India
- FAQ Entry, State Secretariat for Migration
- VFS Global Switzerland India: visa types, fees and processing time
- VFS Global Switzerland India: visa application centres
- VFS Global Switzerland India: what happens at the centre
- Applying for a Schengen visa, European Commission
- European Union adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians, EU Delegation to India
