Procedure for students who do require a visa

Please submit your visa application in person at the Swiss diplomatic mission (embassy or consulate general) at your place of residence at least three months before you plan to enter Switzerland.

The application must be supported by all of the documents listed in our “Guidelines for entering Switzerland for foreign students” (download: see box right). These guidelines have been prepared by ETH in cooperation with the Migration Office of the Canton of Zurich and satisfy the official requirements. Please note that should any one of the documents mentioned on this list be missing from your application, this can lead to delays of several weeks.

Should the Swiss representation at your place of residence request further documents, please enclose these as well. If you are a Master student, please also include with your application the separate cover sheet (PDF, 29 kB), which must be completed in full and signed, so as to prevent delays in processing.

Procedure

A decision on your application for a student visa is taken once the application has been forwarded by the embassy or the consulate general to the relevant cantonal Migration Office in Switzerland. The Migration Office reserves the right to request additional documents and information.

You will be notified as soon as your visa is ready to be collected. Please note that the decision taken by the Migration Office is irrespective of your admission to ETH Zurich. ETH Zurich is unable to influence this decision in any way.

Costs

The fee for a visa valid for entry into Switzerland within three months of the issue date is CHF 110, payable upon submission of your application. Please note that this fee will not be refunded, even if your application for a visa is rejected for any reason.

For accrediting the visa the migration office Zürich will charge another CHF 95 after your arrival.