Health Alert – COVID-19 Information for Switzerland and Liechtenstein (June 15, 2020)

Subject: Health Alert: COVID-19 Information for Switzerland and Liechtenstein (June 22, 2020)
   
Location:  Switzerland and Liechtenstein
   
Event: Latest update for U.S. citizens regarding COVID-19 in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The Department of State and the CDC advise U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19.  Please see the Global Level 4 Health Advisory – Do Not Travel for details.
   
Consular Services: 

Although services for U.S. citizens are still limited, passport production has resumed.  Visit our website to apply for a U.S. passport or U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad.  Appointments are available at the U.S. Embassy in Bern and the consular agencies in Geneva and Zurich.

Visa services are still suspended.  The travel restrictions from Schengen countries to the United States under Presidential Proclamation 9984 still apply.  U.S. Embassy Bern recommends that individuals who meet one of the categorial exemptions under the PP 9984 (i.e. spouse of U.S. citizen/LPR, parent of U.S. citizen/LPR child, etc.) apply for a B1/B2 visa in order to document that they meet the exemption.  If you are planning to travel to the U.S., please visit the CDC’s Website for Travelers.

Any person entering the consular section will be required to wear a face covering; children under six years old and those unable to wear a covering are exempt from this requirement.

U.S. citizens living outside the country are eligible for the Economic Impact Payment.  To check your eligibility, the status of your payment, or for additional information, please contact the IRS directly: www.irs.gov

   
Current Information: 

As of June 22nd, the measures put in place to address the spread of the coronavirus have for the most part been lifted.  The rules on hygiene and social distancing, the ban on large-scale events, and entry restrictions will remain in place.

The Swiss government has not announced a date when it will lift the current entry restrictions for U.S. citizens.  Travelers from all non-Schengen states (incl. U.S. citizens) may only enter Switzerland if they meet one of the exception to the current entry restrictions.

   
Country-Specific Information: 

The measures put in place to address the spread of the coronavirus have for the most part been lifted.  For more details please visit the website of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.

Hygiene and social distancing rules remain in place.

For more information visit Embassy Bern’s COVID-19 Information for Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Local Resources:

For the most up-to-date information on numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Switzerland visit the website of the Federal Office of Public Health.

For questions on entry requirements and permitted stay visit the website of the Swiss Migration Authority (SEM).

For information on quarantine requirements and entering Switzerland visit the website of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.

   
Assistance: U.S. Embassy Bern, Switzerland
031 357 70 11 (dialing within Switzerland)
+41 31 357 70 11 (dialing from overseas)
BernACS@state.gov  

State Department – Bureau of Consular Affairs 
+1-888-407-4747 (toll-free in the United States and Canada)
+1-202-501-4444 (from other countries)
Swiss Federal Office of Public Health Hotline
+41 58 463 00 00 (staffed 24 hours in German, French, Italian and English)Switzerland Country Specific Information

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