Switzerland to drop remaining COVID-19 entry requirements
Travel to Switzerland is about to look more normal than it’s been in more than two years. Swiss officials announced that the country will remove its remaining COVID-19 entry requirements beginning May 2.
For U.S. travelers, this means yet another popular European destination is shedding pandemic-era restrictions just as a busy summer travel season approaches.
Potential travelers who will see the most significant impact of these changes are those who are unvaccinated. While the country reopened to all tourists in June 2021, according to the U.S. Embassy in Switzerland, the rules were tightened to restrict tourism travel to just vaccinated U.S. travelers.
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At the moment, unvaccinated travelers can enter the country, but only for extenuating, essential circumstances, which are currently detailed in Switzerland’s TravelCheck online questionnaire. Those requirements will expire May 2.
Starting in early May, travelers will not need to prove vaccination to enter the country.
“As of that date [May 2], the usual rules for entering Switzerland will apply,” Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration said in a tweet April 21. The changes mean that to get into Switzerland you would only need typical documentation (like a passport, etc.) for entering the country.
Related: A country-by-country guide to coronavirus reopenings
The relaxing of these final restrictions come as Switzerland has seen COVID-19 cases on the decline lately. According to data from the World Health Organization, Switzerland saw more than 186,000 new cases the week of March 14. That number dropped to fewer than 32,000 by the week of April 11.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently places Switzerland at Level 3: High levels of COVID-19 on its Travel Health Notices page, but it’s worth noting that most countries in Europe and all North American countries (including the U.S.) fall under that same designation.
Related: What it’s like traveling in Switzerland right now
Switzerland had already dropped the vast majority of its domestic COVID-19 restrictions, with the bar on unvaccinated international tourists being the key remaining protective measure in place.
This change in May is yet another sign that international travel will be looking much more normal heading into the summer months.