Starting April 3, 2026 holders of Georgian diplomatic, official, or service passports will require a visa to enter Switzerland. The decision was made by the Swiss Federal Council at its meeting on April 1.
Although Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, it has aligned itself with a decision taken by Brussels on this issue.
According to Switzerland’s foreign ministry,The measure is a further development of the Schengen acquis and will remain in place for 12 months. Other Georgian nationals are not affected.
“The Europan Union (EU) has recently reinforced its visa suspension mechanism for third countries, enabling it to temporarily impose visa requirements on new grounds. These include a deterioration of external relations with a third country due to a violation of human and fundamental rights.
The EU has decided to invoke these new provisions with regard to Georgia. Citing legislative changes adopted by Georgia last year, the EU has suspended visa-free travel for Georgian diplomats and public officials for a period of 12 months.
The EU decision constitutes a further development of the Schengen acquis, which Switzerland is obliged to adopt. The move involves amending the Ordinance on Entry and the Granting of Visas. Furthermore,several articles in the agreement between Switzerland and Georgia aimed at facilitating the issuance of visas are being suspended,” reads the statement.
