Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland officially joins the Schengen space 12 December. Several changes that affect many foreigners visiting or living in Switzerland will take effect.
Switzerland will be able to issue visas for Schengen countries, and visas valid for those countries will be valid in Switzerland “in principle,” notes the Office for Migration, which cautions travelers to nevertheless carry their passports with them.
Citizens of third countries who are resident (green card holders) in the United States or in the United Kingdom or Ireland (the latter two are not members of the Schengen space), and who used to visit Switzerland without a visa, will now have to apply for one to enter the country. South Africans will now need visas.
The Federal site ch.ch has an FAQabout Switzerland and the Schengen agreement.
This is a real shame. I have been a green card holder for 18 years and Switzerland was a pleasure to visit. By joining the Schengen group their attractiveness for spontaneous visits has gone. Separately, I never have figured out why these European countries including the UK require a visa of green card holders – who in their right mind would want to abandon residency in the US – even after the financial meltdown – to take up residence illicitly there?
A real shame is that some EU nationals (e.g. Greeks) still need a visa for tourist purposes to the US. So pleas Vijay don’t complain about the practice of the Schengen states and the UK as well as Ireland. Their system is very simple and makes sense: It depends on the NATIONALITY you have and not whether you are resident somewhere in a third country. Or does the US allow a citizen of Ghana who is a legal resident of Switzerland enter the US without a visa?