Echoing Beijing’s nationwide guidance, the Chinese Embassy in Bern and the Consulate-General in Zurich have confirmed that reduced visa fees for Schengen-area applicants will stay in place until 31 December 2026. A single, double or multiple-entry visa for Swiss and other Schengen nationals will cost just CHF 45, while American citizens will continue to pay US$ 125 under the principle of reciprocity.
The announcement is particularly welcomed by Swiss SMEs eager to restart supplier visits and quality-control inspections in China’s manufacturing clusters. Before the 2023 fee cut, a standard single-entry visa cost CHF 95. Multinationals with high travel volumes stand to save tens of thousands of francs a year under the extended schedule.
Embassy officials stressed that express-processing and service-centre handling fees remain unchanged, so companies should still factor those into budgets. They also reminded applicants that the visa centre in Bern will continue to issue appointments through its online portal only; walk-ins are not accepted.
![Chinese Embassy in Switzerland keeps discounted visa fees through 2026]()
Businesses or individual travellers who would rather leave the paperwork to a professional outfit can turn to VisaHQ, whose China visa specialists arrange application forms, schedule the compulsory online appointment and monitor status updates—full details and current pricing are listed at https://www.visahq.com/china/.
From a mobility perspective, the move signals Beijing’s intention to keep the door open to European talent despite geopolitical headwinds. It is also likely to encourage Swiss universities to resume in-person exchange programmes that were suspended during the pandemic.
Corporate mobility teams should update internal cost calculators and communicate the extended savings to travelling staff. The embassy has hinted that further digitisation—possibly including electronic visa stickers—could follow later in the year.
The announcement is particularly welcomed by Swiss SMEs eager to restart supplier visits and quality-control inspections in China’s manufacturing clusters. Before the 2023 fee cut, a standard single-entry visa cost CHF 95. Multinationals with high travel volumes stand to save tens of thousands of francs a year under the extended schedule.
Embassy officials stressed that express-processing and service-centre handling fees remain unchanged, so companies should still factor those into budgets. They also reminded applicants that the visa centre in Bern will continue to issue appointments through its online portal only; walk-ins are not accepted.
Businesses or individual travellers who would rather leave the paperwork to a professional outfit can turn to VisaHQ, whose China visa specialists arrange application forms, schedule the compulsory online appointment and monitor status updates—full details and current pricing are listed at https://www.visahq.com/china/.
From a mobility perspective, the move signals Beijing’s intention to keep the door open to European talent despite geopolitical headwinds. It is also likely to encourage Swiss universities to resume in-person exchange programmes that were suspended during the pandemic.
Corporate mobility teams should update internal cost calculators and communicate the extended savings to travelling staff. The embassy has hinted that further digitisation—possibly including electronic visa stickers—could follow later in the year.
