There is also a green Swiss passport for foreigners, issued in specific cases of necessity (foreigners without documents from their country and at the same time holders of a residence permit, stateless persons, asylum seekers, and others).[1][2]
The first passports to be issued in what is now Switzerland were issued in 1490, for citizens of the canton of Schwyz.[7] The first Swiss passport booklets were issued on 10 December 1915. The characteristic red Swiss passport was created in 1959.[8] Until 1985 the Swiss passport included only the national languages of the time (French, German, and Italian) as well as English. Romansh was added in the later Pass 85 after it was declared the fourth Swiss national language following a referendum. The order of the languages was then changed to German, French, Italian, Romansh, and English.
Structure of the Swiss passport
Later Swiss passports (Pass 03, 06, 10 and 22) contain 40 pages (instead of the previous 32) and a data page. 36 pages are provided for foreign visas and official stamps. The first page contains the bearer signature, as well as field 11 "Official observations". The pages 2–3 contain translations of the field labels of the data page in 13 (Pass 03) and 26 (Pass 06, 10 and 22) languages, respectively. Each page has a unique color pattern, as well as an incomplete Swiss cross which registers with the matching incomplete cross on the reverse side when held to light. On pages 8–33, the incomplete Swiss cross contains the microprinted name of a canton and the year it joined the Swiss Confederation, with the canton's coat of arms and a famous landmark in the top outer corner.
Biometric passports
Since 15 February 2010, non-biometric passports (Pass 03, 06 and 85) are no longer issued.
From 1 March 2010 and according to the Schengen Agreement, Swiss passports are all biometric. This is required for visa-free travel to the United States.[9][10]
A new series of passport designs with increased security features was made available on 31 October 2022.[11]
Data page
The Swiss passport includes the following fields on the polycarbonate data page [12]
Photo of the passport bearer (also microperforated in the polycarbonate card)
Type (PA - without biometrics, PM - with biometrics, PD - temporary passport, PB - diplomatic passport)[13]
Names containing diacritics (ä, ö, ü, à, ç, é, è, etc.; the letter ß is not normally used in Swiss German) are spelled with diacritics outside the machine-readable zone, but in the machine-readable zone, German umlauts (ä/ö/ü) are transcribed as ae/oe/ue (e.g. Müller becomes MUELLER) while other letters simply omit the diacritics (e.g. Jérôme becomes JEROME and François becomes FRANCOIS) according to ICAO conventions.
The transcription above is generally used for airplane tickets etc., but sometimes simple vowels are used (e.g. MULLER instead of MÜLLER or MUELLER). The three possible spelling variants of the same name (e.g. Müller / Mueller / Muller) on different documents can lead to confusion, and the use of two different spellings within the same document (as in the passport) may give people who are unfamiliar with the German orthography the impression that the document is a forgery.
Endorsements
Page 1, in addition to the signature line, is the designated area for official endorsements (field 11, "Official observations").
Languages
The entire passport is written in the four official languages (German, French, Italian, and Romansch) as well as English, with the exception of page 40, containing use and care instructions only. Page 2 contains translations into 13 languages. In Pass 10, 13 additional languages were added in consideration of the 10 countries added to the EU in 2004 as well as Norwegian and Icelandic to cover the languages of the EFTA states. Consequently, the Swiss passport has 26 languages, exceeding the EU's own passports with 23 languages. Inside the back cover, the phrase "This passport contains 40 numbered pages" is written in the 26 languages. In Pass 22, all of the additional languages were removed.
Timeline of the Swiss passport
Pass 1915
Pass 1915 had a blue/green cover with no printing, and also only had the three Swiss official languages and no security features. There were no restrictions on the size of the photograph of the bearer, which could extend beyond the page margins.
The first pages of a Swiss passport from 1916
Pass 1932
Pass 1932 had a brown cover with a centred Swiss coat of arms and employed no security features. The Romansh language was not used.
Pass 59
Pass 59, introduced in 1959, had a dark red cover with a Swiss coat of arms on the left and on three lines "Passeport suisse", "Schweizerpass", and "Passaporto svizzero". The inner pages were in four languages: French, German, Italian—the three national languages at the time—and English. Security features included watermarks and Guilloché printing.
The cover of a Swiss passport from 1959
Pass 85
Pass 85, first introduced on 1 April 1985, was designed by the Swiss-Canadian graphic designer Fritz Gottschalkhad.[14][15] Its data page was not machine readable. The medium-red cover is decorated with a large Swiss cross and the words "Swiss Passport" vertically in 5 languages. An earlier version of Pass 85 only had 4 languages, until Romansh was made a national language in Switzerland in the late 1980s. Safety features include UV-reactive paper, watermarks with the page number and Swiss cross, Guilloché printing with variegated colours, colour shift ink, and printing registration elements when the passport is held up to light. The photograph of the bearer was glued on and embossed with two seals. Black and white photographs were acceptable in Pass 85. As in older passport versions, the bearer's hair and eye colours were stated.
Pass 03
Pass 03 was first issued on 1 January 2003, because its predecessor did not comply with current international standards. Pass 03 is also the first Swiss passport equipped with a machine-readable, polycarbonate data page. It is identical to Pass 06, except for the fact that it contains no biometric data.
The cover of a Swiss passport from 2003
Temporary passport (emergency passport)
The temporary passport is often called an "emergency passport." Under Swiss law regarding identity documents, it may be issued only when there is no time to apply for a regular passport, or a regular valid passport could not be presented (if the regular passport was lost, destroyed, or stolen for example), or if a valid passport does not meet the necessary requirements for travel (for instance when the time of passport validity is not long enough to enter a foreign country, e.g., Russia and China require more than 6 months of validity).
The temporary passport is the same as Pass 03, lacking biometric data. The front cover of the temporary passport is clearly marked with a white band on the lower half of the cover to distinguish it from a regular passport. The temporary passport only has 16 pages. There is no polycarbonate data page, instead using a laminated security paper data page. The temporary passport complies with international security standards for these types of documents and is machine readable. Its validity is 1 year.
The temporary passport can be applied for abroad at any Swiss consulate or embassy, any domestic passport office, or at the Zürich, Basel, and Geneva airports.
Pass 06
Pass 06 was issued from 2006. It contained biometric data in an RFID chip. This was a prototype of the newest Pass 10 but limited to a 5-year validity. On page 2 contains 13 translations. The older version, Pass 03, was still usable until the date of expiry, but because of the Schengen Agreement, had to be replaced with a biometric passport upon expiry.
The cover of a Swiss passport from 2022
Pass 10
Introduced on 1 March 2010, Pass 10 contains biometric data: a photograph and fingerprints. Switzerland was required to implement this type of passport in order to participate in the Schengen Agreement. Pages 2–3 contain 26 translations. Pass 10 is practically the same as Pass 06 except for a chip with biometric data. This passport was accepted in a popular referendum on 17 May 2009.
The cover of a Swiss passport from 2010
Present: Pass 22
Available from 31 October 2022, Pass 22 has a new page design, featuring mountains and waterways from every canton of Switzerland. The passport separates the pages for every one of Switzerland’s 26 cantons. It also has an extra page for the “fifth Switzerland”.
Visa requirements for holders of regular Swiss passports
Switzerland
Freedom of movement
Visa not required
Visa issued upon arrival
eVisa
Visa available both on arrival or online
Visa required prior to arrival
Visa requirements for Swiss passport holders are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on nationals of Switzerland. As of 2024, Swiss citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 190 countries and territories, ranking the Swiss passport fourth in the world in terms of travel freedom (tied with Belgium, British, Norwegian and New Zealand's passports), according to the Henley Passport Index.[16] Additionally, Arton Capital's Passport Index ranked the Swiss passport fourth in the world in terms of travel freedom, with a visa-free score of 164 (tied with Austrian, Belgian, British, Canadian, Greek, Irish, Japanese and Portuguese passports), as of 17 February 2019.[17]
As a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Swiss citizens enjoy freedom of movement to live and work in Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein in accordance with the EFTA convention.[5] Moreover, by virtue of Switzerland's bilateral agreements with the EU, Swiss citizens also have freedom of movement in all EU member states.[6] All EFTA and EU citizens are not only visa-exempt but are legally entitled to enter and reside in each other's countries.
Dual citizenship is allowed in Switzerland, but the requirements for the naturalization of foreigners vary from canton to canton. Male Swiss citizens, including dual citizens, can be required to perform military or civilian service, and Swiss citizens are not allowed to participate in any other military, unless they are a citizen of, and are resident in, the country in question. (The Swiss Guards of the Vatican are regarded as a "house police" and not as an army.)
Price
Prices in Swiss francs (CHF) as of 19 January 2024 [18]
Passport
Passport combined with ID card
Temporary Passport
Identity Card
Children up to 18
CHF 65
CHF 78
CHF 100
CHF 35
Adult
CHF 145
CHF 158
CHF 100
CHF 70
Temporary passports issued by the Federal Police at airports incur an additional fee of CHF 50.
↑ "Pass 10"[Passport10] (in German). The Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation. 21 October 2009. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
↑ "Verordnung des EDA vom 13. November 2002 zur Ausweisverordnung (VVAwG)"[Order of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs about Identity documents of Swiss nationals]. The Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation (in German). Chancellerie fédérale. Die Bundesbehörden der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft. January 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
The Czech passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of the Czech Republic, and may also serve as proof of Czech citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Czech citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Czech consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Czech consular is absent, if needed.
Greek passports are issued to Greek citizens for the purpose of international travel. Biometric passports have been issued since 26 August 2006, with old-style passports being declared invalid as of 1 January 2007. Since June 2009, the passport's RFID chip includes two index fingerprints as well as a high-resolution JPEG image of the passport holder. From 18 December 2023, issuance of the new generation of Greek passports was started by selected authorities and after 9 January 2024, only the new generation of passports are issued. Every Greek citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area, and Switzerland.
The Armenian passport is a passport issued to Armenian citizens to enable them to travel outside Armenia, and entitles the bearer to the protection of Armenia's consular officials overseas. Armenian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 65 countries and territories as of 2023.
A Norwegian passport is the passport issued to nationals of Norway for the purpose of international travel. Beside serving as proof of Norwegian citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Norwegian consular officials abroad.
A German passport is an identity document issued to nationals of Germany for the purpose of international travel. A German passport is, besides the German ID card and the German Emergency Travel Document, the only other officially recognised document that German authorities will routinely accept as proof of identity from German citizens. Besides serving as proof of identity and presumption of German nationality, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from German consular officials abroad. German passports are valid for ten years or six years and share the standardised layout and burgundy red design with other EU passports. Every German citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card, allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland.
An Estonian passport is an international travel document issued to citizens of Estonia, and may also serve as proof of Estonian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Estonian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Estonian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case an Estonian consular is absent, if needed. If an Estonian citizen wishes to receive an identity document, especially an Estonian passport, somewhere other than the foreign representation of the Republic of Estonia, then the bearer of the Estonian citizenship staying abroad could receive the travel documents in embassies of any EU country worldwide by paying 50 Euro. Many countries require passport validity of no less than 6 months and one or two blank pages.
A Bulgarian passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of Bulgaria, and may also serve as proof of Bulgarian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Bulgarian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Bulgarian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Bulgarian consular is absent, if needed.
Finnish passport are issued to nationals of Finland for the purpose of international travel. Aside from serving as proof of Finnish nationality, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Finnish consular officials abroad.
Swedish passports are issued to nationals of Sweden for the purpose of international travel. Besides serving as proof of Swedish citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Swedish consular officials abroad.
Lithuanian passport is an official document, issued to Lithuanian citizens to identify themselves as such and/or to facilitate travel outside Lithuania. Every Lithuanian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The Lithuanian passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland.
A Belgian passport is a travel document issued by Belgium to Belgian citizens to facilitate international travel. It grants the bearer international passage in accordance with visa requirements and serves as proof of citizenship.
A Danish passport is an identity document issued to citizens of the Kingdom of Denmark to facilitate international travel. Besides serving as proof of Danish citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Danish consular officials abroad.
A Dutch passport is an identity document issued to citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the purpose of international travel. As the Netherlands only distinguish one category of citizen, for all countries in the Kingdom, passports are the same for all four countries. The passport also serves as a means of identification as required by the Dutch law since 1 January 2005 for all persons over the age of fourteen. Dutch passports are valid for a period of ten years from issuing date. The passport complies with the rules for European Union passports. Since 26 August 2006 all passports are issued as a biometric passport with an embedded contactless smartcard RFID chip for storing biometric data. Every Dutch citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The nationality allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area, and Switzerland.
The European Union itself does not issue ordinary passports, but ordinary passport booklets issued by its 27 member states share a common format. This common format features a colored cover emblazoned—in the official language(s) of the issuing country —with the title "European Union", followed by the name(s) of the member state, the heraldic "Arms" of the State concerned, the word "PASSPORT", together with the biometric passport symbol at the bottom center of the front cover.
Icelandic passports are issued to citizens of Iceland for the purpose of international travel. Beside serving as proof of Icelandic citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Icelandic consular officials abroad.
The Albanian passport is a travel document issued by the Ministry of Interior to Albanian citizens to enable them to travel abroad. They are also used as proof of identity within the country, along with the Albanian ID card.
The Lebanese passport is a passport issued to the citizens of the Republic of Lebanon to enable them to travel outside the Republic of Lebanon and entitles the bearer to the protection from the diplomatic missions and consulates of the Republic of Lebanon if necessary. It is issued exclusively by the Lebanese Directorate General of General Security (DGGS), and can also be issued at various Lebanese diplomatic missions and/or consulates outside the Republic of Lebanon. It allows the bearer a freedom of living in the Republic of Lebanon without any immigration requirements, participate in the Lebanese political system, entry to and exit from the Republic of Lebanon through any port, travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements, facilitates the process of securing consular assistance abroad from the diplomatic missions and consulates of the Republic of Lebanon if necessary, and requests protection for the bearer while abroad.
A Polish passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of Poland, and may also serve as proof of Polish citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Polish citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Polish consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Polish consular is absent, if needed.
The Swiss identity card in its current form dates back to July 1994. It is in the form of a plastic photocard. It can be used as a travel document when travelling within European Free Trade Association or to the European Union, the European microstates, Georgia, Turkey, and on organized tours to Tunisia.
Passports of the EFTA member states are passports issued by the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. EFTA is in this article used as a common name for these countries.
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