Switzerland updates Schengen visa rules for Indians. What's changed in the latest rejig?
'All the applicants are hereby informed that only the documents listed in the official checklist for the respective visa category will be accepted at the Visa Application Centre (VAC),' the Schengen visa alert reads. VFS also clarified that if you're submitting lengthy bank statements, only the first three pages and the last three pages will be accepted.
ALSO READ: Schengen visa to go fully digital: No more lengthy paperwork & traditional visa stickers According to the current VFS Global's 2025 checklist for the Schengen Visa, all applicants need to submit a complete set of documents strictly limited to those listed in the official guidelines, including: A valid passport issued within the last 10 years, with 3 months' validity beyond the return date and at least two blank pages. One recent passport-size photo (white background, not older than 6 months). Must be pasted, not stapled or pinned. Completed and signed visa application form, and for minors, signed by legal guardians with proof of custody if applicable. An introduction letter from your employer, on company letterhead, signed and stamped by HR. Must include your position, dates of travel, purpose of visit, and a no-objection statement. Travel insurance with a minimum coverage of INR 30,36,660 (EUR 30,000), valid across Schengen countries. Must include medical emergencies and cover the full trip duration. Confirmed return flight tickets with traveller names and include intra-Schengen travel plans, if any. Hotel bookings, tour confirmations, or payment receipts are mandatory according to the Schengen visa alert. Financial proof (all documents in A4, stamped and signed by the bank): Last 3 months' salary slips, personal bank statements, and ITR-Vs for the last 2 years if you are employed, business registration, 3 months' bank statements, ITR-Vs if you are self-employed, and pension statements (3 months), proof of other income (e.g. rent) if you are retired. Family applications: You can submit together, and only the head of the family needs to attach financial documents, insurance, and bookings (with all names mentioned). For students (16+): Student ID and an introduction letter from the school or university. For minors (under 18): If not travelling with both parents, notarised consent from non-travelling parent(s) is required, and if travelling alone, notarised consent from both parents should be submitted alongside copies of both parents' passports, PAN cards or driving licences.
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Time of India
12 minutes ago
- Time of India
Swiss eye 'more attractive' offer for Trump after tariff shock
Switzerland said on Monday it was ready to make a better offer to the United States to avoid steep tariffs that have shocked the country. The Alpine nation faces a 39-percent duty, one of the highest among the dozens of economies that will be hit by new tariffs expected to come into force from Thursday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Swiss stock market tumbled by more than two percent when it opened on Monday before paring its losses later in the day, ending the day down just 0.15 percent. It was closed for a national holiday when Trump unveiled the tariffs on Friday. Trump had originally threatened in April to slap a 31-percent tariff on Switzerland, which swiftly decided to negotiate with the United States. By comparison, the 27-nation European Union struck its own deal with Trump and will face tariffs of 15 percent, down from a previous threat of 30 percent. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter has said Trump believes that Switzerland "steals" from the United States by enjoying a trade surplus of 40 billion Swiss francs ($50 billion). The Swiss Federal Council said after an emergency meeting on Monday that it would "continue negotiations with the aim of reaching a trade deal", even beyond the Thursday deadline. "Switzerland enters this new phase ready to present a more attractive offer, taking US concerns into account and seeking to ease the current tariff situation," the council said in a statement. It said the looming tariff put the country "at a distinct disadvantage compared with other trading partners with similar economic profiles", citing lower duties for the EU, Britain and Japan. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, however, warned on Sunday that "the coming days" were not likely to see changes in any duties as the "tariff rates are pretty much set". - Chocolate, watches, pharmaceuticals - Hans Gersbach, deputy head of the KOF Swiss Economic Institute, said the tariffs could cut the country's annual growth by between 0.3 and 0.6 percent. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But it could be as much as 0.7 percent if Trump targets the pharmaceutical industry, which has so far been exempt from tariffs. Pharmaceutical products account for more than half of Swiss exports, the economist noted. Analysts at Swiss investment managers Vontobel said in a note that they believed "there is some hope for an agreement on US tariffs for Switzerland" that would bring them down to the 15 percent set for other countries. XTB Research Director Kathleen Brooks said the recovery of the Swiss stock market during the day on Monday "is a sign that investors are optimistic about the prospect of a lower levy being negotiated in the coming days". But Vontobel analysts added that if the 39-percent tariffs remain in place, earnings for key sectors such as watchmakers "could be hit substantially". The chocolate industry association, Chocosuisse, said the tariffs were a "tough blow" for the sector, which is already reeling from a 10-percent duty. "It is particularly shocking that Switzerland finds itself at a distinct disadvantage compared to all other Western industrialised countries," it said in a statement, urging the government to continue negotiating. Swiss media said the government could point to distortions in the gold trade during the negotiations as it inflates the country's trade surplus with the United States. Switzerland is home to refineries where imported gold bars -- mostly from Britain -- are melted down to meet US standards. These gold transactions create a statistical distortion in trade figures, according to the Sunday newspaper SonntagsZeitung, which suggests pointing out that they give the impression Switzerland exports more to the US than it actually does.
News18
8 hours ago
- News18
Switzerland Eyes 'More Attractive' Offer For Donald Trump After Being Slapped With 39% Tariffs
Last Updated: Switzerland is facing 39% US tariffs on its products, the fourth-highest amount of duties after Brazil, Syria, Myanmar and Laos. Switzerland says it is prepared to make a better offer for US President Donald Trump after being slapped with a whopping 39% tariffs that have shocked the country, causing ripples in the Swiss stock market. The stock market tumbled by over 2% when it opened on Monday before paring its losses later in the day, ending the day down just 0.15%, after Trump announced one of the highest tariffs on the Alpine country among dozens of economies. The new tariffs are expected to come into force from Thursday (June 7). Switzerland is facing the fourth-highest amount of tariffs after Brazil, Syria, Myanmar and Laos. Brazil is facing a 50% tariff on its products, Syria 41% and Myanmar and Laos have been slapped with 40% each. Trump had originally threatened in April to slap a 31% tariff on Switzerland, which swiftly decided to negotiate with the United States. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter has said Trump believes that Switzerland 'steals" from the US by enjoying a trade surplus of 40 billion Swiss francs ($50 billion). 'Switzerland enters this new phase ready to present a more attractive offer, taking US concerns into account and seeking to ease the current tariff situation," the council said in a statement, adding that it was at a distinct disadvantage as compared to other trading partners with similar economic profiles. Hans Gersbach, deputy head of the KOF Swiss Economic Institute, said the tariffs could cut the country's annual growth by between 0.3 and 0.6%. It could further rise if Trump targets the pharmaceutical industry, which has so far been exempt from tariffs. Analysts at Swiss investment managers Vontobel said in a note that they believed 'there is some hope for an agreement on US tariffs for Switzerland" that would bring them down to the 15% set for other countries. The chocolate industry association, Chocosuisse, said the tariffs were a 'tough blow" for the sector, which is already reeling from a 10% duty. 'It is particularly shocking that Switzerland finds itself at a distinct disadvantage compared to all other Western industrialised countries," it said in a statement. Trump's Tariffs Trump has imposed tariffs on several economies, including 25% levies on Indian goods, that have injected a fresh dose of uncertainty for consumers and businesses worldwide. The legality of these tariffs are also under question as a US appeals court last week heard that Trump had exceeded his authority by declaring an 'emergency" to charge the tariffs. Critics have argued that Trump's aggressive trade policy could gradually erode America's power and prosperity and may lead to recession, a concern that initially led to Trump imposing a 90-day negotiating period with countries. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer warned on Sunday that 'the coming days" were not likely to see changes in any duties as the 'tariff rates are pretty much set". Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : donald trump switzerland view comments Location : Bern, Switzerland First Published: August 04, 2025, 23:32 IST News world Switzerland Eyes 'More Attractive' Offer For Donald Trump After Being Slapped With 39% Tariffs Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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Business Standard
8 hours ago
- Business Standard
Swiss scramble to avert Trump's 39% tariff ahead of looming deadline
The Swiss government held crisis talks on Monday to come up with a proposal that might dissuade US President Donald Trump from imposing 39 per cent tariffs on the country in less than three days. With the rate — the highest among industrial nations — set to go into effect on Aug. 7, President and Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter convened an emergency meeting of the governing Federal Council on Monday to discuss how to proceed. Separately, negotiators with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs have reached out to their US counterparts to try and find a way forward. The agency, which hammered out a far more favorable tentative deal with the US more than a month ago, also held a briefing with business leaders on Monday. Keller-Sutter, who was criticized in the Swiss press over the weekend for allowing Trump to blindside her without a backup plan, said she would be willing to make a last-minute trip to Washington if she thought there was a chance a deal could be made. 'I don't rule out such a visit, but first, the two sides should come closer together in their positions,' she told the newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende. It's not clear what, if any, response there has been from the US government. 'It's unfortunate that the Swiss took so much time' to react, says Thomas Borer, a former Swiss diplomat who now runs his own consulting firm, echoing the criticism made in the press. Despite the backlash, the Swiss president doesn't face any immediate danger of losing her job. The system is designed for continuity, and the presidency rotates on an annual basis, meaning her term running the country will come to a close at the end of the year. The Trump administration justified Friday's move by claiming that Switzerland had in essence stolen money from the US and should therefore be hit with a tariff rate commensurate with the trade deficit — a notion Ketter-Sutter dismissed as 'absurd.' Switzerland ran a $38 billion bilateral trade surplus with the US last year, according to US Census data, which was the 13th biggest for the world's largest economy. While Swiss exports to the US collapsed after the introduction of tariffs in April, they rebounded in June, suggesting that trade between the two countries remained robust. What Bloomberg Economics Says... 'We estimate that this represents a tariff shock of around 23 percentage points for the Swiss economy, putting roughly 1 per cent of its GDP at risk over the medium term.' There are not many routes available to Switzerland, but one is to offer to buy liquefied natural gas from the US. While the landlocked country is focused on hydroelectric and nuclear power, it does use a small amount of gas, primarily in the winter to cushion swings in its energy supply. Should Switzerland choose to import more gas, it would have to travel through neighboring countries, which could potentially increase transit costs. So far, the expectation appears to be that Keller-Sutter and the government will secure a better deal. The Swiss market benchmark SMI was down just 0.43 per cent as of 11:37 a.m. on Monday. 'We expect negotiations to bring the 39 per cent Swiss tariff rate closer to the 15 per cent agreed with the EU,' Lombard Odier investment strategists said in a research note. 'In the unlikely event that this trade dispute is not resolved,' they added, they will revise their forecast for gross domestic product. Given the 'volatility of decisions we've seen from the US,' there's hope that a solution may be found, Franziska Ryser, a lawmaker of the Green party, told Bloomberg. 'On the other hand, we must draw political conclusions from the situation and acknowledge that — at least under the Trump administration — America is no longer a reliable partner,' she said. 'This means that we should strengthen cooperation with the EU and coordinate more closely with our European partners.'
