As the official representation of Switzerland, the embassy covers all matters concerning diplomatic relations between the two countries. It represents Swiss interests in the areas of political, economic and financial affairs, legal arrangements, science, education and culture.
The Embassy of Switzerland recommend to all Swiss nationals who are currently travelling or living in South Africa to follow closely the information and recommendations of the local authorities as well as of the World Health Organisation WHO.
If you are a Swiss citizen and currently travelling abroad, please make sure you download the EDA Travel Admin App and register or update your travel plans and contact details. By doing so you ensure that you can be contacted by the relevant Swiss representations if necessary.
The following general regulations apply for entry by air:
For entry from a country which is on the FOPH list of risk countries (p.e. South Africa), the following regulations apply:
Negativ Covid test* Travellers who enter Switzerland by air, will only be able to board the plane if they can present the airline with a negative result of a molecular biology test for SARS-CoV-2 (PCR test) carried out within 72 hours prior to departure to Switzerland.
NB: If the negative Covid test was carried out >72 hours prior to entry into Switzerland, travellers must be re-tested immediately on arrival in Switzerland at their own expense.
Possibility of a shortened quarantine
Travellers will have to undergo a 10-day quarantine if they enter the country from a country on the FOPH's current quarantine list. However, they can interrupt this quarantine from the 7th day onwards if they present the cantonal authority with a negative result from a rapid antigen test or PCR test.
Contact tracing extended
Until now, only the contact details of people arriving in Switzerland from a risk country or region have been recorded. New, and with immediate effect, all persons arriving from abroad by air, boat, bus or train must complete an online form prior to arrival. With this information provided by the traveler ahead of time, cases of infection can be identified more easily and transmission chains can be broken more rapidly.
Please also be informed that it is not the FDFA’s responsibility to issue confirmations for medical certificates and does not translate Covid test results nor medical certificates. The representations abroad do not provide information on the provisions of the exemptions from the testing and quarantine obligation. Persons concerned are advised to contact the FOPH directly.
Important: Passengers are advised to contact their airline directly in order to establish whether their flight will depart or no. For flight bookings or re-bookings, please contact your airline or travel agency directly.
Interesting links are:
The government of South Africa loosened the lockdown alert for South Africa to level 1 on 20.09.2020. COVID-19 health and safety protocols must be followed at all times, including observance of guidelines for social distancing of 2 meters, sanitation and hygiene, use of appropriate personal protective equipment, like cloth face masks and the recoomendation to download the COVID Alert SA App, as determined by the South African National Department of Health. For detailed information please visit the Government of South Africa’s Covid19 Risk Adjustment Strategy.
As announced during the speech of President Ramaphosa on 11.11.2020, travels into and out of South Africa are now generally permitted under certain conditions.
For further information concering the entry regulations, please contact the South African Embassy in Switzerland or in the country your are currently staying.
As a further precaution, kindly contact the airline directly in order to establish of any special travel regulations they may require additionally - such as proof of a negative Covid-19 test ....etc.
Interesting links are:
National Institute of Communicable Disease
COVID-19 General Hotline for the public: +27 800 029 999 / National Health and Laboratory service COVID-19 Hotline: +27 82 883 9920
WhatsApp Coronavirus Support Line from the National Department of Health: +27 60 012 3456
All consular services for the South African provinces of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West and Free State, as well as for the states of Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, have been provided by the Regional Consular Centre Southern Africa in Pretoria, which is attached to the local Embassy of Switzerland.
The Consulate General in Cape Town continues to be responsible for the South African provinces of the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
All Visa applications are handled by the Regional Consular Center Southern Africa in Pretoria.
Information can be found on the websites concerned:
Services – South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius
Visa – South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius
Visa applicants, which have to submit their visa application at the Regional Consular Centre (RCC) in Pretoria, are required to prior schedule an appointment. Therefore please call the Visa Section from Monday to Thursday from 14:00 to 15:30. No walk in clients.
Swiss citizens living in South Africa have lately become victims of banking frauds. The perpetrators get access to details from Swiss or Liechtenstein banking accounts (names, addresses, signatures, credit balance, etc.) and use this information to forge orders to transfer money to bank accounts in Asia. To prevent such cases, the Embassy of Switzerland recommends Swiss or Liechtenstein bank account holders to be vigilant with their banking identity details and to request their bank not to send correspondence via postal service and not to process any written money transfer order without prior consultation of the bank account owner via the telephone number that is lodged with the bank (not the one on the instructions).
The Embassy of Switzerland in Pretoria has become aware of a scam including a fraudulent contract of the company Fibre Ring and Youth Empowerment Project, based in South Africa making reference to the official Swiss Representation in South Africa. Neither the Swiss Embassy in Pretoria nor the office of the Swiss Development Cooperation based in Harare do host any connection with this contractor.
