Passport and Visa Regulation

To enter Switzerland a valid and recognised passport is required. The passport must be valid at least three months beyond the intended stay. To check whether you require a visa, consult this list. The countries that require a visa are marked with a “V.”

Visa application procedure: foreigners must present their visa application with the appropriate form to the relevant Swiss diplomatic representation in their place of residence (list of Swiss diplomatic representations).

Further information: Federal Office for Migration (FOM), Federal Departement of Foreign Affairs (DFA)

Custom Entry regulation
Duty and tax-free imports per person:

• Used personal effects: clothing, underwear, toilet articles, sports gear, photo and film cameras, camcorders, portable computers, musical instruments, and other articles for general use.
• Provision: foodstuff and non-alcoholic beverages for the day of travelling.
• Cash: importation and exportation of cash are not subject to restrictions.
• Tobaccos and spirits: these limits apply only to persons older than 17 years
  - 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of pipe-tobacco
  - 2 liters of alcohol (up to 15% vol.) and 1 liter of alcohol (over 15% vol.).
• Other goods: for other private goods there is a total value limit of CHF 300.- per person.

The currency of Switzerland is the Swiss Franc, usually indicated as CHF. One Swiss Franc consists of 100 centimes. There are coins to the value of 5, 10, 20 and 50 centimes and 1, 2 e 5 francs and bank notes to the value of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 1000 francs. Switzerland is not part of the European Union and thus is not obliged to convert to the Euro. Many prices are nonetheless indicated in Euros so that visitors may compare prices. Merchants may accept Euros but are not obliged to do so. Change given back to the client will most likely be in Swiss francs.

Money and travellers cheques can be exchanged at any Swiss bank, main railway stations, airports, some tourism offices and major hotels. Swiss banks offer the best exchange rates for your travellers cheques or cash for foreign currencies (only bank notes). Official exchange offices and hotels may charge a fee for their services. Importation and exportation of cash are not subject to restrictions.

Use the Currency Converter.

The most accepted cards are Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Many banks in Switzerland have equipped their ATM machines with the CIRRUS or MAESTRO system. Many other Swiss banks offer ATM machines for cash advances with your credit card. It is recommended to have a small amount of cash on hand upon arrival in Switzerland for immediate expenses, i.e. taxies, city transportation etc.

The VAT you pay on purchased goods in Switzerland is 7.6 %. You may ask at the shops for your Global Refund Cheque and reclaim the VAT: the total purchases in a shop must amount to CHF 400.00 (including VAT). The tourist must be resident outside Switzerland and the goods must be exported within 30 days. Three easy steps to claiming your refund in Switzerland:

• In the store:  your total purchases in a shop must amount to CHF 400.00 (including VAT). You must be a resident outside Switzerland and the goods must be exported within 30 days.
• Through customs: when leaving Switzerland the tax-free Shopping cheques have to be stamped by Swiss customs authorities after they have seen the goods. 
• Collecting the refund: you have several choices: immediate cash at a Cash Refund Office, direct crediting to a chosen credit card or bank account, a bank check and even, for certain countries, a cash refund when you return home.
  

Further information: Global Refund

Generally, offices are open 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and closed on weekends.

• Shops:
  Shops are generally open from 8 or 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday (with an interval of one or two hours). On Saturdays they close at 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. In cities, supermarkets and department stores are open all day long and once a week they are open in the evening (only in certain periods).
• Banks and Exchange Offices: 
  Banks are usually open from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (they do not close for the lunch break) from Monday to Friday and are generally closed on Saturdays. However, money can also be changed at major train stations and airports, where the exchange office is open until 10.00 p.m. and in some places even until 11 p.m. Look for the "Change/Cambio" signs. Many banks have automated teller machines (ATMs) that accept overseas bankcards. Please check with your local bank before leaving if your bankcard is valid in Switzerland. 
• Public offices
  From Monday to Friday 8 a.m. - 12 a.m. and 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. o 6 p.m.

To Switzerland

• International dialing code (0041)
• Local area code, the "0" is omitted (ex. Ticino 0041 - 91)
• Phone number

From Switzerland

• International dialing code  (ex. Italy 0039)
• Local area code (ex. Milano 0039 - 02)
• Phone number

Within Switzerland

It is not necessary to enter the country code. However, you do need to enter the local area code; if calling a number in Lugano, for example, you would dial 091 - 999 77 11.