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Switzerland visa from India: the complete file

The Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi received 226,044 short-stay visa applications in 2025. Here is where to apply, how much money to show and which documents to prepare, with a ready-written cover letter as an example.

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What the 2025 figures say

In 2025, the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi received 226,044 applications for short-stay Schengen visas. 195,369 visas were issued, 80.6% of them multiple-entry. 30,630 applications were refused, 13.6% of decisions, against 14.6% on average for all Schengen consulates worldwide. Since April 2024, an EU rule sets the length of these visas for India: for an Indian national living in India who has obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years, the visa issued is a multiple-entry visa valid for two years (European Commission). The EU Delegation to India adds that it is normally followed by a five-year visa if the passport has enough validity left.

The refusal form set by the Visa Code lists the possible grounds: purpose of the stay not justified, insufficient means, doubts about your intention to return, missing insurance. Each one matches a document in your file: that is where everything is prepared. Our guide to a refused Schengen visa goes through each ground.

86.4% of decisions granted a visa
Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi, 2025 · Source: European Commission
Applications226,044
Multiple-entry visas157,454
Other visas issued37,960
Refusals30,630
Average of Schengen consulates85.4% granted

Where and how to apply

The Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi receives applications through VFS Global, in 15 centres.

Ahmedabad · Bengaluru · Bhubaneswar · Chandigarh · Chennai · Cochin · Guwahati · Hyderabad · Jaipur · Jalandhar · Kolkata · Lucknow · Mumbai · New Delhi · Pune

What you pay

Visa, adultINR 9,600 (EUR 90)
Visa, child aged 6–12INR 4,800 (EUR 45)
VFS service feeINR 3,100

Payment: at the VFS centre. Processing: usually within 15 days.

  1. 01 Download the Swiss visa application form, free on the SEM website
  2. 02 Book an appointment with VFS Global
  3. 03 Hand in your file at the centre
The process in full

Every short-stay visa application filed in India is processed by the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi. It takes applications from people who have been legally residing and working in India for at least the last six months. Files are received by VFS Global, the embassy’s official partner, in 15 centres open Monday to Friday: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune.

  1. Download the Swiss visa application form, free on the SEM website. Fill it in, sign it and paste your photo on it.
  2. Book an appointment with VFS Global. Each traveller needs their own: a family of four books four appointments. You can reschedule twice, at least three working days before the date.
  3. Hand in your file at the centre, with the documents in the exact order of the embassy’s checklist, without staples. If your fingerprints were taken in the last 59 months for a visa marked “VIS”, you need not come in person: a representative or an authorised travel agent can submit for you. Otherwise your fingerprints are taken at the centre. Children under 12 do not need to come.

The fees. The visa costs INR 9,600 for an adult (EUR 90) and INR 4,800 for a child aged 6 to 12 (EUR 45); it is free for children under 6. You pay it at the VFS centre when you submit. VFS adds its service fee, INR 3,100 since 27 April 2026. As a rule, the embassy decides within 15 days (embassy). Start as early as you can, but not more than six months before you travel.

Questions about the procedure go to the embassy by email, [email protected], as it does not take visa calls; for the status of your application, ask VFS Global.

How much money to show

If you pay for your own stay, Switzerland sets a guide amount of at least CHF 100 per day, or CHF 30 per day with a valid student card (State Secretariat for Migration).

Show these funds with your original bank statements for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank, and your ITR-V for the last two assessment years. If a host living in Switzerland covers your costs, they can sign a declaration of sponsorship, which guarantees CHF 30,000 for one person or a family group of up to ten. The form is not published online: the Swiss embassies issue it (SEM).

The rupee amount is a guide, computed from the European Central Bank’s euro reference rates of 10 November 2026 (1 € = 105.3315 INR and 1 € = 0.9203 CHF, so 1 CHF ≈ 114.45 INR); the ECB publishes no franc–rupee rate.

Work out your amount

Your situation
days
CHF 1,000 about ₹114,000 to show on your statements

The documents asked in India

On top of the basics every Schengen visa needs (form, passport, photo, insurance, flight reservation), the European Commission has set a list of supporting documents for applicants in India since 2015, last revised in July 2025. The Embassy of Switzerland adds its own checklist for each purpose of travel. Here is what they ask for, by situation.

Documents that are not in English may need a translation prepared before you apply, says VFS Global. For insurance, the Schengen consulates in India accept only the Indian insurers on their approved list, each for a given age range; a policy from an insurer in another country is possible if claims against it can be recovered in a Schengen state.

Families apply together: only the head of the family attaches the bank statements, the ITR-V, the insurance policy naming everyone, the flight booking and the hotel confirmations, when the rooms are booked in their name. Visitors, business travellers and students have their own checklists on the embassy’s website.

And for everyone: the application form, passport, photo and travel insurance.

Your letter, already written in English

With the Safeonward file, your cover letter is written for you, with your dates, your job and your itinerary, then checked with the rest of your documents. Here is Rohan’s: he is a production manager in Pune, going to Zurich, Interlaken and Geneva for twelve days of sightseeing. His itinerary and checklist come with it.

Have my letter written Included in the full file, €29

Rohan Kulkarni
Baner, Pune 411045
Maharashtra, India
Email: [email protected]

Pune, 15 March 2027

Embassy of Switzerland in India, New Delhi – Visa Section

Subject: Application for a short-stay Schengen visa (tourism) – Rohan Kulkarni

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am applying for a short-stay Schengen visa for tourism, for a stay of 12 days in Switzerland from 13 to 24 May 2027. I am travelling alone.

1. Purpose of the trip
I will spend four nights in Zurich (13 to 17 May), four nights in Interlaken (17 to 21 May) and three nights in Geneva (21 to 24 May), travelling between the cities by train. The enclosed itinerary sets out each day. I visited France on a Schengen visa in 2024 and returned to India on the planned date, as the stamps in my passport show.

Example made with Safeonward for a fictional traveller

Frequently asked questions

Where do I apply for a Switzerland visa in India?

At one of the 15 VFS Global centres, the official partner of the Embassy of Switzerland, by appointment. Every application filed in India is then decided by the embassy in New Delhi.

How much money do I need for a Switzerland visa?

At least CHF 100 per day of stay, or CHF 30 per day with a valid student card, according to Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration. For ten days that makes CHF 1,000, shown with your bank statements for the last three months and your ITR-V for the last two assessment years.

What is the Switzerland visa fee in India?

INR 9,600 for an adult and INR 4,800 for a child aged 6 to 12; children under 6 pay nothing. VFS Global adds a service fee of INR 3,100.

How long does a Switzerland visa take from India?

As a rule, the embassy decides within 15 days. You can apply up to six months before you travel, and the embassy advises starting as early as you can.

Which travel insurance is accepted for a Switzerland visa from India?

A policy from an Indian insurer on the list approved by the Schengen consulates in India, covering at least €30,000 for the whole stay. Other Indian policies are not accepted; a policy from an insurer in another country is possible if claims can be recovered in a Schengen state.

How many months of bank statements are needed?

Three months, as originals stamped and signed by the bank. Add your ITR-V for the last two assessment years: both are on the European Commission’s list for India and on the Swiss embassy’s checklist.

What is the refusal rate for Switzerland visas in India?

In 2025, 13.6% of the decisions of the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi were refusals, according to the European Commission: 195,369 visas issued for 226,044 applications. The average for all Schengen consulates worldwide is 14.6%.

Primary sources

Other visa pages

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