China’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Vice-Premier He Lifeng will head a high-level delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos from 19-22 January 2026—the highest-ranking Chinese visit to Switzerland since 2017—before holding bilateral talks in Bern and Zurich (visahq.com).
Swiss visa-application centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have reported a late-surge of requests from accompanying business delegations. The State Secretariat for Migration has warned travelers that biometrics captured for the EU Entry/Exit System must match passport data exactly after several recent cases of mismatched Pinyin spellings caused delays at Zurich Airport (visahq.com).
For travelers seeking a smoother application experience, VisaHQ’s China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) can pre-check documentation, sync Pinyin spellings with passport data, and secure hard-to-find appointment slots at Swiss centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou—services that have already helped reduce recent biometric mismatches and cut queue times ahead of major events like Davos.
![Chinese vice-premier’s Davos trip triggers last-minute rush for Swiss visas]()
For multinationals the trip is a signal that Beijing is ready to rekindle outbound investment dialogues stalled during the pandemic. Meeting rooms in Davos and St Gallen are at capacity, hotel rates have spiked and cantonal police will impose perimeter controls that restrict last-minute vehicle transfers.
Mobility managers should ensure Schengen visa issuance or renewal is completed by 17 January and that travelers are registered on WEF security lists—even visa-exempt passport holders must appear on event manifests. Companies planning side-events in Zurich or Basel should budget extra ground-transfer time because drone restrictions and ad-hoc motorway checks will be in place.
Swiss officials said they stand ready to extend consular operating hours if demand continues; applicants using third-party facilitators are advised to choose time-slots outside predicted peaks (11:00-15:00) to avoid bottlenecks.
Swiss visa-application centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have reported a late-surge of requests from accompanying business delegations. The State Secretariat for Migration has warned travelers that biometrics captured for the EU Entry/Exit System must match passport data exactly after several recent cases of mismatched Pinyin spellings caused delays at Zurich Airport (visahq.com).
For travelers seeking a smoother application experience, VisaHQ’s China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) can pre-check documentation, sync Pinyin spellings with passport data, and secure hard-to-find appointment slots at Swiss centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou—services that have already helped reduce recent biometric mismatches and cut queue times ahead of major events like Davos.
For multinationals the trip is a signal that Beijing is ready to rekindle outbound investment dialogues stalled during the pandemic. Meeting rooms in Davos and St Gallen are at capacity, hotel rates have spiked and cantonal police will impose perimeter controls that restrict last-minute vehicle transfers.
Mobility managers should ensure Schengen visa issuance or renewal is completed by 17 January and that travelers are registered on WEF security lists—even visa-exempt passport holders must appear on event manifests. Companies planning side-events in Zurich or Basel should budget extra ground-transfer time because drone restrictions and ad-hoc motorway checks will be in place.
Swiss officials said they stand ready to extend consular operating hours if demand continues; applicants using third-party facilitators are advised to choose time-slots outside predicted peaks (11:00-15:00) to avoid bottlenecks.
