Visas & identity documents

Practical information about travel documents and visas can be obtained from:

For any other matter relating to passports, identity cards and visas required for your trip, please contact your travel agency directly, the airlines or the border guards (Swiss customs / French customs).

The conditions of entry into Switzerland are available at: www.sem.admin.ch.

The airport is not able to provide you with this information.

Temporary Swiss passports

Swiss travellers can obtain a temporary passport valid solely for the duration of one journey.

Information:

A temporary passport will not be issued if you have forgotten your passport at home.

Minors: border crossing / police check

The minor must present valid identity papers (identity card or passport). For minors travelling alone, especially if they are not under the direct responsibility of the airline through a UM (Unaccompanied Minor) procedure, it is strongly recommended to establish a parental consent. 

Such a document, provided to the minor along with his/her identity documents, may be required as an entry or exit document in certain countries. Please check with the respective embassies or consulates.

For example: Spain systematically requires a “Parental Consent”, even with a UM procedure (Unaccompanied Minor).

Establish a parental consent: 

If a parental consent is required, they can be written on ordinary paper or downloaded from the following website, if no special requirements are set by the destination country: www.ge.ch

Drafted on paper, your parental consent should include the following:

  • names, first names, date of birth of the child’s legal representative;
  • names, first names, date of birth of your child;
  • names, first names, date of birth of the person who accompanies the child;
  • the dates of the authorised travel, as well as (the) destination(s).

We recommend parents to contact the competent authorities before the planned trips.

Contact: Cantonal Office of Population and Migration

For residents of other regions, please check with the respective cantonal or departmental authorities.

Minors: airlines

Acceptance of a minor on board a plane depends on the airline.

For example: easyJet does not accept unaccompanied minors under 14 years of age. These conditions may vary according to the nationality of the child.
 

For any further information concerning the acceptance of minors and the UM (Unaccompanied Minors) procedure, please ask the airline concerned directly.

Travelling abroad

Each country makes its own laws, including those relating to the conditions of entry and residence. Therefore, the embassies and consulates of the countries of destination that provide information on the legal provisions in force and grant visas. 

Travel to the UK

As of 1 October 2021, it is no longer possible to enter the UK with a identity card, you must ensure that you have a passport.
  More information : Brexit - changes to air passenger rights (admin.ch)
 

Travel to the United States

Travellers to the United States under the visa waiver programme are subject to security screening: they must apply for authorisation 72 hours prior to departure using the ESTA procedure.

Travelling to Canada

The Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) is an entry requirement for visa-exempt foreign nationals travelling to Canada by air. It is a document electronically linked to a traveller’s passport and valid for a maximum period of five years or until the passport expires.

Travelling to China

From November 30, 2024 to December 31, 2025, Swiss citizens holding an ordinary passport who travel to China for business, tourism, visits to relatives or friends, or transit, are exempt from visa requirements for a maximum period of 30 days from the date of entry into China. 
   

Transit in Beijing without a visa

Foreign visitors holding a passport from one of the countries on the official list and staying in transit in Beijing for less than 144 hours to another destination can obtain their visa-free entry permit to China from the Immigration Inspection Authority at Beijing Capital International Airport.