Citizens of a number of countries are required to obtain a visa in order to enter Switzerland. The visa must be requested and obtained from the office (embassy or consulate) representing Switzerland in your country or, if there is no such office in your country, from the one that is closest to the country of departure. If problems are encountered, the Union can, at the official request of the administration you represent, approach the competent Swiss authorities in order to facilitate delivery of the visa.
To comply with the procedure applicable for ITU meetings held in Geneva, participants should request visa assistance during the
online registration process by providing their passport information.
There is no need to send any further documentation to ITU as the visa support request procedure will follow automatically once the registration request has been approved by the corresponding focal point.
Visa support confirmations will be sent to the Designated Focal Point, who will be responsible for forwarding each confirmation to the concerned participant. Support confirmations will NOT be sent directly to meeting participants.
The processing of a request for visa support may take up to 21 days.
Please note the message received from the Swiss mission concerning the obtention of visas:
Switzerland has implemented necessary measures to facilitate the issuance of visas for delegates invited to take part in conferences and international meetings with organizations having concluded a headquarters agreement as well as other persons invited in the framework of good offices.
The time needed for a visa request to be processed may vary from case to case and could also depend on local circumstances. It is therefore strongly recommended to take the necessary steps well in advance so visas can be issued as required. In general, exceptions excluded, visa requests can be lodged at the earliest three months before the departure date and at the latest twenty-one days before the departure date. All visa applicants should submit completed and signed application forms as well as all other necessary documents. Applications that are not complete will be delayed and not registered until complete.
