Visa guidelines
These guidelines help project mobility students to apply for their visa.
It is your responsibility to determine whether you need an entry visa and to obtain the correct visa if required. Acceptance for a mobility stay at ETH does not guarantee visa approval by the migration authorities.
Visa processing can take up to three months, so it is essential to begin your application as soon as you receive your confirmation of acceptance.
You do not need to apply for a visa if you hold a valid and recognized travel document and meet either of the following criteria:
- You are an EU or EFTA citizen.
- You are a non-EU or non-EFTA citizen holding a residence permit or D visa for a Schengen country, which is valid until your Swiss residence permit is issued.
- Issuing your Swiss residence permit can take from a few weeks up to several months from the time you register in Switzerland.
- If your Schengen permit / D visa expires before receiving the Swiss residence permit, you must leave the Schengen area. In this case, apply for a visa unless you are certain there is sufficient overlap between the expiry of your Schengen permit and the issuance of your Swiss residence permit.
If you are not sure whether you need a visa, consult the external page website of the State Secretariat for Migration, also refer to the list of external page travel documents and of external page visa requirements, and / or check directly with the respective Swiss embassy or consulate abroad.
The Student Exchange Office cannot influence the duration or outcome of the visa procedure and cannot advise on visa matters. All questions regarding the visa must be addressed directly to the relevant authorities.
As soon as you receive your confirmation of acceptance from the Student Exchange Office, follow the steps below.
1. Prepare your documents
You have to gather the following documents and complete the application form.
- Application form: "National (type D) visa application form" for stays exceeding three months. Fill it out and indicate the exact dates from "Confirmation of acceptance as a project mobility student at ETH Zurich".
- Proof of sufficient financial means: You must provide evidence of sufficient financial means to support your mobility stay in Switzerland.
- Passport copy: A passport copy with a validity of at least three months over the planned duration of your mobility stay
- Confirmation of ETH: PDF "Confirmation of acceptance as a project mobility student at ETH Zurich" sent to you via email. Do not include confirmations from supervisors, as the mentioned PDF is sufficient.
- Additional documents: Check with the external page Swiss embassy or consulate that covers your place of residence if additional documents are required.
The Immigration Office can ask students aged 30 and over to substantiate their reasons for the continued education and mobility stay.
2. Submit your application
- Submit your complete application at the Swiss embassy or consulate covering your place of residence.
- Verify submission procedures with the embassy or consulate (e.g. in-person or by post) and check if an appointment is required. Appointments may have long waiting times.
- Related fees are detailed below.
3. After the submission
- The embassy or consulate will forward your application to the responsible Immigration Office of the canton Zurich.
- The Immigration Office may request additional documents or information.
- You will be notified when your visa is ready for collection at the embassy or consulate.
Fees
Visa and residence permit fees may amount to as much as 400 Swiss francs. They are set by the responsible authorities, according to your student status. They must be paid as follows:
- At the Swiss embassy or consulate for processing and issuing of the visa: Payable at the embassy or consulate
- At the Immigration Office for processing the visa application: You receive an invoice.
- At the resident’s registration office where you register for your residence permit for registration of your biometric data and issuing of the residence permit: Payable at the resident’s registration office
The Student Exchange Office provides no warranty for the correctness of the above-mentioned fees.
- Inquire early about the visa procedure if you plan on living in a canton other than Zurich or doing a research project / thesis there. (The Student Exchange Office only provides information on mobility stays in the canton of Zurich.)
- If you will be studying at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) in Basel, you must also consult the information on visa, work and residence permit in the special fact sheet provided.
- 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 mobility stay in Switzerland.
- Since you are expected to stay longer than three months [90 days] in Switzerland, you have to obtain a residence permit after your arrival. You will receive instructions on how to apply in due time. Should you want to learn more about residence permits in advance, 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 mobility 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.