Visa guidelines
These guidelines help students from partner universities outside of Europe to apply for their visa.
In general
Exemption
You do not need a visa in the following case:
- if you hold a valid and recognized travel document as well as
- you are a non-EU/EFTA citizen who holds a residence permit of a Schengen country, or a D visa of a Schengen country that is valid until your Swiss residence permit has been issued.
Note: It can take from several weeks up to several months to get a residence permit from when you register in Switzerland.
- The Student Exchange Office will apply for the visa on your behalf. You will receive the application form "Application for entry permit" by email. Fill it in on your computer and upload it to Mobility-Online.
- You only need to fill in the form fields, where the English translations are marked in orange.
- You must decide where you want to collect your visa (place of study or internship, your parents' residence, etc.). Not all embassies and consulates issue visas so external page choose one that does.
- Students coming from US or Canadian partner universities: State in question no. 9 of the form the specific Swiss embassy or consulate where you intend to collect your visa.
- All other students: Leave the field in question 9 of the form blank. (Once your visa application is approved, you must have decided where to collect your visa.)
- Students coming from US or Canadian partner universities: State in question no. 9 of the form the specific Swiss embassy or consulate where you intend to collect your visa.
- Financial means: Although the Immigration Office of the canton of Zurich does not require proof of sufficient financial means from exchange students at ETH, they define the necessary financial means to support oneself. By signing the general terms and conditions, you have confirmed that you have the means available for your exchange period.
- Visa and residence permit fees usually amount up to approx. CHF 400. The responsible authority determines these fees. (The Student Exchange Office provides no warranty for the correctness of the mentioned fees.)
- The Student Exchange Office forwards your visa application to the responsible migration authorities in Switzerland. They reserve the right to ask you for additional documents and information. Being accepted for an exchange at ETH does not guarantee that the migration authorities will grant you a visa.
- Processing your visa application might take up to three months. The Student Exchange Office will notify you once your Swiss visa is ready for collection.
- Do not enter Switzerland before the start date stated on your official confirmation of acceptance. This also applies if your visa authorisation would allow you an earlier entry into Switzerland. The reason is potential issues with your residence permit.
- Do not enter Switzerland with a tourist visa.
- The visa is not the same as the residence permit. The visa only allows you to enter Switzerland. Therefore, the period indicated on your visa may not necessarily correspond to the duration of your exchange stay in Switzerland.
- If you stay longer than three months [90 days] in Switzerland, you have to obtain a residence permit after your arrival in Switzerland. You will receive instructions on how to apply for one in due time. Should you want to learn more about residence permits already, you can do so.
- You will need an entry / residence permit for the country or the canton you will travel to. It is recommended that you take care of this approx. three months before the residence permit for your exchange period at ETH expires.
- The Student Exchange Office cannot advise on these matters. Address any questions directly to the respective authorities of the country or canton to which you will travel.