The Switzerland tourist visa is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for holidays, sightseeing and private visits, valid for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. You download the form free from the State Secretariat for Migration, then hand in the file and give biometrics at a VFS Global centre; Chandigarh, Jalandhar and New Delhi are nearest for Punjab. The Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi decides.
VFS gives 15 calendar days as the usual processing time once the Embassy has the complete file. Switzerland's checklist is strict on form: originals on A4 with the bank's stamp, ITR-V only, the photo pasted on the form, documents in order and nothing extra.
Do Indians need a visa for Switzerland, and which one?
Yes. Switzerland is not in the European Union, but it is part of the Schengen area, so an Indian passport holder needs a Schengen short-stay visa, type C, for a holiday there. The visa allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period, shared across all 29 Schengen countries. It is not an e-visa: you download the application form free of charge from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), complete and sign it, and hand in the file in person at a VFS Global centre.
Swiss Schengen applications from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, as from almost every Indian state, are decided by the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi. The same Embassy handles visas for Liechtenstein, which Switzerland represents, so a trip centred on Vaduz is also filed with the Swiss.
Switzerland tourist visa at a glance
- VisaPaper form from the SEM website, lodged in person
- Schengen short-stay visa, type C
- Longest stayAcross all Schengen countries together
- 90 days in any 180-day period
- Who decidesFor Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi
- Embassy of Switzerland, New Delhi
- Where you applyChandigarh, Jalandhar and New Delhi are nearest for Punjab
- VFS Global
- Visa feeFree under 6
- €90 adult, €45 child aged 6 to under 12
- Usual processingFrom the day the Embassy has the complete file
- 15 calendar days
Embassy of Switzerland in India, SEM and VFS Global Switzerland, checked 14 Oct 2026
A tourist visa is for leisure, sightseeing and private visits. VFS spells out that gainful professional activities, even if the work is not paid, need a work permit, and longer stays that need authorisation, such as work or family reunification, use a national (type D) visa. For the rules every Schengen state shares, see our Schengen visa guide.
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
At VFS Global. The Embassy's own table puts Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, along with almost every other state, under the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi via VFS. Switzerland's VFS centres are in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune, all open Monday to Friday. Note that there is no Swiss centre in Gurugram, so Haryana applicants use Chandigarh or New Delhi.
There are two other doors. Family members of a Swiss, EU or EFTA citizen may apply directly at the Embassy, with a mandatory appointment booked in advance, and their visas are free. Anyone else who wants to apply in person at the Embassy rather than VFS needs a prior appointment requested by email at least one month before travel; phone requests are not entertained.
At the VFS centre:
- Biometrics. Fingerprints and a photo are taken unless your finger scans were collected within the last 59 months; in that case VFS says personal appearance is not necessary. Children under 12 give no fingerprints.
- Courier consent. The Embassy asks every applicant to sign a "Declaration of Consent Courier". A representative or travel agent who submits for you must bring it signed.
- Timing. Arrive 15 minutes early. A missed appointment can be rebooked only after 24 hours.
- Who may enter. Only applicants, caregivers and people accompanying children under 18.
- Fingertips. Mehndi, cuts or other marks can spoil the finger scans.
For a medical emergency, a serious accident or a death in the family, the Embassy offers a fast-track appointment: write to it with the reason and your desired departure date. To see how ordinary dates are opening up, check our Switzerland appointment availability page.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The common checklist is printed further down this page. The Embassy's tourist checklist then varies the proof of money and of your job:
Salaried
- What the Swiss checklist asks for
- Original introduction letter on company letterhead, signed and stamped by HR or the directorate, with your position, length of service, a "No objection statement", and the travel dates and purpose; last 3 months' salary slips; last 3 months' statements of the account your salary is credited to; ITR-V for the last 2 assessment years
Self-employed or company owner
- What the Swiss checklist asks for
- Business registration certificate, GST registration with annex A and B, partnership deed or proof of proprietorship; last 3 months' personal bank statements; ITR-V for 2 years
Retired
- What the Swiss checklist asks for
- Personal pension bank statement for the last 3 months, and proof of regular income from property or business
Family travelling together
- What the Swiss checklist asks for
- Applications filed together; only the head of the family attaches bank statements and ITR-V, with insurance and flight bookings naming every member
Student above 16
- What the Swiss checklist asks for
- Copy of the college ID card and an introduction letter from the school, college or university
Child not travelling with both parents
- What the Swiss checklist asks for
- Consent letter of the non-travelling parent or guardian, certified by a public notary
Child travelling alone
- What the Swiss checklist asks for
- Consent letter of both parents or guardians, certified by a public notary
For every child, add a copy of both parents' passports, or their PAN cards or driving licences.
Switzerland's handling rules are stricter than most:
- Originals on A4. All financial documents must be originals, in A4 format, with the bank's stamp and signature. VFS repeats that personal bank statements are accepted on A4 size only.
- ITR-V only. For income tax, the checklist accepts only the ITR-V, the verification form or acknowledgement.
- Exact order, no staples. Documents go in the checklist's order, unstapled. The photograph is pasted on the form, never stapled or pinned, and it must be an original print 35 to 40 mm wide, not a copy or a scan.
- Passports. Handwritten passports and those with observations on the bio-data page are not accepted. If you carry old passports too, VFS asks you to hold them together with rubber bands, not a stapler.
- The list is the limit. The checklist says only the documents mentioned on it are accepted, and nothing can be sent later by fax or email.
How much is the Switzerland visa fee for Indians?
The visa fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to under 12; under-6s pay nothing. On 14 October 2026 the VFS fee tab showed ₹9,600 and ₹4,800, plus a VFS service charge of ₹3,100 per applicant, and optional courier (₹930), SMS (₹450), both together (₹1,250) or the premium lounge (₹4,600, not offered in Jaipur, Kolkata or Jalandhar). The Embassy says the visa fee is due when you apply and is not reimbursed if you withdraw the application or it is rejected. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page, with every service on our pricing page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
VFS gives 15 calendar days as the usual processing time, counted from when the Embassy receives the complete application, not from your VFS visit, and not including the time the passport spends in transport. It can take longer when the Embassy asks for more documents or an interview, and at busy times of year.
When to apply:
- Earliest: 180 days before the trip.
- Latest: 15 calendar days before. VFS recommends at least two weeks, and earlier ahead of holiday periods.
- Direct at the Embassy: request the appointment by email at least one month before travel.
Do not buy non-refundable flights until the visa is in your passport. Embassy decisions are its own; VFS has no role in the processing time or the outcome.
Why do Switzerland visas get refused for Indian applicants?
The refusal comes on the EU standard form with numbered reasons. On Swiss tourist files, these are the usual ones.
Insurance that does not qualify (reason 16)
The policy must come from an insurer on the approved Indian list, give at least €30,000 per person, cover repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and emergency hospital treatment, and run for the entire stay. One missing day or one insurer off the list is enough to fail.
Money that does not add up (reason 3)
The SEM says visitors staying at their own expense must show at least CHF 100 per day of stay. The officer checks that the salary account statements, salary slips and ITR-V tell the same story. A big deposit just before applying, with no paper behind it, works against you.
A plan that does not hang together (reasons 2 and 10)
The flight reservation, hotel confirmations, introduction letter and form must carry the same dates and purpose. If most of the trip is in Italy or France, Switzerland is not the right country to apply to.
Doubts that you will return (reason 13)
The introduction letter is Switzerland's main test of your ties: position, length of service and an explicit no objection statement, signed and stamped by HR. Add property, family and business in India. A first trip abroad with a thin letter reads weakly.
Gaps you cannot fix later
The checklist accepts only the documents it lists and nothing by fax or email afterwards. The Embassy can ask for more, but you cannot top up a weak file once it is lodged. Complete it before the appointment.
Each numbered reason is explained on our Schengen refusal reasons page.
Tips for a stronger file
- Get the introduction letter right. Company letterhead, original, signed and stamped by HR or the directorate, with your position, length of service, the no objection statement, dates and purpose.
- Use the salary account. File statements of the account your salary actually reaches, as A4 originals with the bank's stamp and signature.
- Print the ITR-V. Not the computation or the full return: the verification form or acknowledgement, for two assessment years.
- One set of dates. Form, flight reservation, hotel confirmations, insurance and introduction letter should match day for day.
- Name everyone. Flight reservations and family insurance must list every traveller by name.
- Paste the photo. Glue it to the form. A stapled or scanned photo is refused at the counter.
- Follow the order. Lay the file out exactly as the checklist runs, without staples.
- Budget the days. The SEM's CHF 100 per day figure gives you a simple test of whether your balance covers the trip.
- Insurance first. Buy from the approved list early, and check the insurer's age band for older travellers. More in our Schengen travel insurance explainer.
Can you appeal a Swiss visa refusal?
Yes. The SEM explains that an appeal against a visa refusal is made in writing, in German, French or Italian, with a statement of grounds, within 30 days of receiving the refusal. You, or an authorised representative such as your host in Switzerland, send it to the SEM in Bern-Wabern; without a proxy in Switzerland, you can hand it to a Swiss representation abroad. The SEM confirms receipt and asks for an advance on costs of CHF 200, payable within 30 days.
An appeal argues that the Embassy got it wrong on the file you gave. If the refusal came from a missing or weak document, a new application with the gap fixed is usually faster. Check the dates on your refusal letter with our refusal deadline tool, and see the Switzerland country page for the other Swiss visas.
Official sources
- Schengen visa for a stay of up to 90 days, Embassy of Switzerland in India
- Where to apply for a Schengen visa?, Embassy of Switzerland in India
- Application for Schengen visa and procedure, 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
- Visa Application Form, 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
- Common information sheet for Schengen visa applicants in India, VFS Global
- European Union adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians, EU Delegation to India
- Visa Code, consolidated text (EUR-Lex)
