Switzerland has joined the Schengen visa scheme on December 12, 2008. Therefore all foreign nationals residing in the USA who require a Schengen visa will from that date onwards also require a Schengen visa to enter Switzerland. The Swiss visa desks can only accept applications from persons whose main destination is Switzerland.

Important notice:

In order to apply for a visa, your passport must have been issued within the last ten years and must have at least two empty pages. A passport older than ten years that has been extended for a period exceeding ten years from the time of issuance cannot be accepted.

A complete application must be submitted to the Embassy or Consulate General at least 15 days before the intended visit and can not be lodged earlier than three months before the start of the intended visit.

Please note that the new Schengen visa application form must be signed in two places: the first signature refers to the application (Nr. 37) and the second to the Schengen consent that follows it.

Citizens of Bermuda require a visa, except if they are holders of a passport containing one of the following entries under the heading "nationality": British Citizen (B.C.) or British National (Overseas) (B.N.O.)

Only persons who have a legal residence status in the United States can apply for visas at Swiss representations in the United States (e.g. F1 (I-20), H1B, G1, J1, etc.). Tourists and visitors on B1/B2 visas must apply in their country of residence.

As a general rule, the applicant must appear in person to submit a visa request. Please consult the information below to find out which visa desk is responsible for your place of residence and whether you may apply by mail.

Please consult the lists in the link below to find out if you require a visa.
 Information for Entry to Switzerland (Federal Office of Migration)

All persons, including U.S. citizens who intend to stay in Switzerland for more than three consecutive months, will need authorization from the cantonal authorities and a visa from the responsible Swiss visa desk. The same rule applies for all persons who intend to engage in gainful activity in Switzerland. Special regulations apply for the citizens of EU/EFTA member countries, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.

As a citizen of the United States of America, you may visit Switzerland or any other country of the Schengen area, without requiring a visa. As a general rule, you are allowed to stay in the Schengen area for a maximum period of 90 days within 180 days.

The United States of America may have concluded a bilateral agreement with one or more Schengen countries, allowing you to stay longer than 90 days within 180 days in those countries. Please be aware however that Switzerland has not concluded such an agreement with the United States of America. Any such agreement is of a strictly bilateral character, and does not alter the 90-days-within-180-days rule for Switzerland.

Thus, when you travel to Switzerland, you should make sure that you have not yet exhausted the 90 days within 180 days period of legal stay in the Schengen area since your first entry into the Schengen area, regardless of any bilateral agreement. This applies also to Schengen departures via Swiss airports. If you exceed the 90 days stay, you risk to be fined or even be banned from entering the Schengen area for some time.

We advise you to obtain more information from the Swiss representations prior to your travel if you plan to exceed the 90 days limit within 180 days.

The time needed for a visa request to be processed may vary from case to case. It is therefore strongly recommended to take the necessary steps well in advance, so that the visa can be issued in the time required.

Short stay visas (tourists, visitors, business)
Complete applications are in general processed within 10 days

Long stay visas (work, study, residence) initiated at the visa desk abroad
At least eight to ten weeks

Visa for persons who have already received an authorization from a Swiss cantonal authority (initiated by the employer in Switzerland)
One week

USD 82.00 must be paid in cash or money order (made out to the competent Consulate or the Swiss Embassy) when submitting the application. If the application is made by mail, a money order is required. The fee will not be refunded if the visa is denied or the application withdrawn. 
Additional payment options: All major credit cards accepted (except American Express).

Children between six and twelve years of age, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Moldova and Russia pay a reduced fee of USD 48.00.

An additional postage fee of USD 7.00 is required for a long stay visa application (work, student, residence), which has to be submitted to the responsible authorities in Switzerland.

The following are exempt from the visa fee: 
Children under six years of age, spouses and children of Swiss and EU/EFTA nationals, CERN and UN personnel (official trips only), and students who study in Switzerland for only up to 90 days. 

Please note that the list above is not exhaustive, so if you are unsure as to whether you have to submit payment, contact the Swiss representation competent for your state of residence.

The very restrictive immigration policy of the Swiss Government has made it extremely difficult to obtain residence permits for employment. As a rule, only individuals who have been offered jobs which cannot be filled by Swiss nationals have a chance of obtaining residence permits. Inevitably, these vacancies are usually only in an occupation of a highly specialized nature.

The Swiss Embassy or Consulates General are unable to assist anyone in finding employment in Switzerland. No lists of Swiss or foreign companies, agencies or organizations are available. Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, but a bilateral Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) has been signed and entered into force on June 1, 2002. The provisions of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons only apply to nationals of the member states of the EU.

Nationals who require a visa to work in Switzerland (most non-Europeans, including U.S. citizens) must file a personal application at the responsible Swiss visa desk at the same time as the employer applies for the work permit in Switzerland. An authorization to issue the visa is sent to the responsible Swiss visa desk after the work permit has been authorized and the appropriate visa has to be issued in your passport prior to your departure.

After arrival, every person must register with the immigration authority not longer than 14 days after arrival in Switzerland and, in all cases, before starting work.

If your employer/school/family member has applied for your permit in Switzerland and it has been granted, you still must apply for a visa to enter Switzerland with the competent Swiss representation abroad.

To apply for the visa, you must submit the following documents to the competent Swiss representation:

1. One national (type D) visa application form, fully completed and signed by the applicant. For stays up to 3 months or authorizations for a 120 day visa, the regular Schengen visa application form should be used. Applications which are not duly completed, dated and signed will not be accepted. Please also indicate your e-mail address and a contact phone number in case additional information is required.
2. Two passport photos per applicant (very strict requirements, please consult the details on the webpage)
3. Applicant’s valid original passport, plus a copy 
4. Copy of authorization form (if available) 
5. Visa fee 
6. If applying by mail: one prepaid, self-addressed, return envelope with a tracking number

The Principalty of Liechtenstein is a member of the Schengen Agreement as of December 19, 2011.

Generally speaking, Liechtenstein's policy on admission of foreign residents is as restrictive as that of Switzerland. To find out the requirements and procedure, applicants with close ties should contact the authorities of Liechtenstein:
Ausländer und Passamt
Heuweg 6
FL-9490 Vaduz
Tel.: +423 236 61 41