Planning to Attend Eurovision 2025? What Visitors Need to Know About Swiss Entry Rules

The countdown to the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, set to take place from May 13 to 17, is officially underway. With less than three months until the opening ceremony, participating artists are refining their performances, while Basel is making extensive preparations to ensure the event’s success on both a logistical and cultural level.

Visitors planning to attend the Eurovision Song Contest may need to consider specific entry requirements when traveling to Switzerland.

Entry regulations are primarily determined by nationality. As Switzerland is part of the Schengen area, travelers must have either a valid Schengen visa, a valid Schengen residence permit, or, if from a visa-exempt country, may enter without additional requirements.

Regardless of nationality, a tourist stay in Switzerland is governed by the Schengen rules and is therefore limited to a maximum of 90 days within a rolling period of 180 days, provided the individual has the full Schengen allowance available. For a stay beyond these 90 days, a residence permit is required. In principle, this residence permit must be applied for before entering Switzerland

Non-EU/EFTA nationals

If you are a non-EU/EFTA national, you may be required to obtain a Schengen visa in your country of residence in order to enter Switzerland or the Schengen area as a tourist. You can find out whether you need a visa according to your nationality by checking the latest countries list.

However, all persons who hold a valid residence permit from a Schengen state or a valid category D visa for a longer-term stay from a Schengen state (national visa deemed equivalent to a residence permit) are exempt from the visa requirement.

If you need a visa, you must apply via the Swiss representation or the representation of another Schengen member state competent for your place of residence. Whether this will be a Swiss representation or one of another member state will depend on your travel itinerary. If Switzerland is responsible for issuing your Schengen visa, further information on visa processes and the responsible representation can be found on the Swiss government’s Online Visa System.

Duration of stay and Schengen rule

Irrespective of the visa requirement, the Schengen rules apply to all non-EU/EFTA nationals who are not in possession of a Schengen residence permit or a valid category D long-stay visa from a Schengen state. A tourist stay is allowed to for a stay up to 90 days in a 180-day rolling period.

Non-EU/EFTA nationals who are in possession of a Schengen residence permit or a valid visa for a long-term stay in category D of another Schengen state must respect the maximum stay of 90 days within 180 days in the Schengen zone apart from the country that issued their permit.

EU/EFTA nationals

If you are a national of an EU/EEA country, you can enter Switzerland at any time and without any additional formalities using your national identity card or passport.

Although no additional entry requirements apply to EU/EEA nationals, it is important to keep in mind that a tourist stay is nevertheless limited to a maximum of 90 days at a time. For stays longer than 90 days, a residence permit must be applied for.

Need to know more?

For those planning to visit Switzerland for the Eurovision Song Contest in May, it is important to be aware of the applicable entry requirements. Non-EU/EEA nationals should note that the 90-day Schengen allowance is calculated within a rolling 180-day period. To avoid any issues, it may be advisable to start tracking Schengen days in advance.

For further information on Swiss immigration requirements, please contact Manager Konstantin Schmid at [email protected] and Immigration Consultant Alessandra Rüede at [email protected] on the Fragomen Swiss Immigration team. 

This blog was published on 11 February 2025, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.