Border guards record 700 cases of travellers flouting Covid test rules
Checking up at the border crossing in Au, eastern Switzerland.
Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
Border checks over the past two months have found around 700 people entering Switzerland without the necessary negative Covid-19 test, the customs administration has confirmed.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
Русский
ru
Пограничники выявили 700 нарушителей правил тестирования на Ковид-19
According to figures published in the Schweiz am Wochenende newspaper on Saturday, of these 700 cases, around a fifth were forced to pay the CHF200 ($212) fine.
People who could give a reliable account of where they were travelling to, and why, were generally not issued a fine when stopped at the border, the Swiss Federal Customs Administration (FCA) told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
As for the relatively low number detected overall, the FCA said it does not systematically check people entering by car, bus, or train – rather it carries out “risk-based and sporadic” checks.
The FCA also has no plans to beef up its border presence: thanks to a general downturn in cross-border traffic, it has set priorities elsewhere, it said.
At airports, meanwhile, where every incoming traveller is checked, the numbers are lower again: only around a dozen cases have been detected at Zurich airport of people landing without a negative PCR or rapid test. This is explained by the fact that people are generally not allowed onboard in the first place without showing such a test.
FOPH
Risk list
Since February 8 this year, travellers arriving in Switzerland via any mode of transport from a “high-risk” country or region have to show evidence of a negative PCR test carried out within the past 72 hours; travellers entering by plane from any country, including non-risk ones, also must provide a negative test. Exceptions to this are children under the age of 12.
All travellers entering Switzerland from anywhere that’s not a region directly bordering the country must also fill out the online registration form available hereExternal link.
The list of countries currently considered not to be high-risk by the State Secretariat for Migration can be found hereExternal link.
More
More
Switzerland changes policy on Covid testing and quarantine
This content was published on
The Swiss government has adapted its Covid testing and quarantine policy and pledged extra funds to soften the impact of restrictions.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Switzerland is Europe’s most innovative country, EU study finds
This content was published on
In the European Commission's annual ranking, the Swiss score dropped slightly in 2025, but not enough to cost it top spot.
Women’s Euro 2025 has been largely peaceful so far
This content was published on
After two weeks of football fever in various Swiss host cities, no major incidents have been reported so far, police say.
Planned solar park at Bern airport scaled back after talks
This content was published on
The ground-mounted plant at Belpmoos Airport will be smaller than originally planned, the parties involved said on Tuesday.
Border restrictions relaxed for cross-border couples
This content was published on
Germany, Austria and Switzerland to lift travel restrictions for unmarried couples and for visiting relatives and second homes.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.