Switzerland has moved swiftly to keep its Schengen obligations in step with Brussels. At its 5 December meeting, the Federal Council approved the transposition of the EU’s revised Regulation 2018/1806, which lowers the migration-threshold for suspending visa-free travel and adds new public-security triggers. Under the updated rules, a 30 % rise in irregular stays or a surge in low-acceptance asylum claims from a visa-exempt country can now prompt the temporary re-introduction of short-stay C-visas; previously the bar was set at 50 %.
The amended mechanism also empowers the European Commission to act unilaterally and—via an accelerated procedure—reinstate visa requirements for up to twelve months across the entire Schengen area, Switzerland included. New grounds such as the “instrumentalisation” of migrants by foreign governments or serious human-rights backsliding were added, reflecting lessons learned from recent geopolitical flashpoints on the EU’s external borders.
![Switzerland Adopts Tougher Visa-Suspension Mechanism Aligned With EU]()
For global-mobility teams this is a material change: travellers from currently visa-waived markets (for example, Albania or Serbia) could find themselves needing a Swiss C-visa at only a few weeks’ notice. Employers should review contingency plans, monitor Commission communiqués and budget additional lead-time—15–30 days—for biometric appointments should a suspension be triggered.
Swiss officials stressed that no nationality is presently in the cross-hairs, yet the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) will coordinate risk assessments more closely with EU counterparts. Because any suspension applies Schengen-wide, companies with intra-EU itineraries must harmonise travel-policy updates across multiple jurisdictions.
The ordinance amending Switzerland’s Entry and Visa Issuance Regulation (EGVO) enters into force on 17 December 2025, leaving a narrow window to brief business units and update traveller-comms before the peak winter-holiday period.
The amended mechanism also empowers the European Commission to act unilaterally and—via an accelerated procedure—reinstate visa requirements for up to twelve months across the entire Schengen area, Switzerland included. New grounds such as the “instrumentalisation” of migrants by foreign governments or serious human-rights backsliding were added, reflecting lessons learned from recent geopolitical flashpoints on the EU’s external borders.
For global-mobility teams this is a material change: travellers from currently visa-waived markets (for example, Albania or Serbia) could find themselves needing a Swiss C-visa at only a few weeks’ notice. Employers should review contingency plans, monitor Commission communiqués and budget additional lead-time—15–30 days—for biometric appointments should a suspension be triggered.
Swiss officials stressed that no nationality is presently in the cross-hairs, yet the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) will coordinate risk assessments more closely with EU counterparts. Because any suspension applies Schengen-wide, companies with intra-EU itineraries must harmonise travel-policy updates across multiple jurisdictions.
The ordinance amending Switzerland’s Entry and Visa Issuance Regulation (EGVO) enters into force on 17 December 2025, leaving a narrow window to brief business units and update traveller-comms before the peak winter-holiday period.
