| Visa Requirement and Procedure for Switzerland and France |
As a precautionary measure, all persons coming to CERN should obtain
all the requisite information in good time on entry requirements applying
to him or her in Switzerland/France, particularly with regard to visas.
The practice is for visas to be issued by the consulate competent for the
place of residence, and in some cases a special procedure must be followed.
Users subject to visa restrictions, for Switzerland and/or France, should contact
their experiment secretariat at CERN or the
Users’ Office, before coming to CERN, for details on how to facilitate requests
for a visa.
Note that the CERN site straddles the Swiss/French border and parts of the Meyrin site are in France, hence users must have the appropriate documents to work in both countries, as follows: |
| For a short term stay (maximum 90 days): |
| EITHER go to the Swiss Consulate competent for your usual place of residence, with an official invitation letter (note that a Convention d’Accueil is also necessary for all nationals from countries outside the European Economic Area, to work or live in France). |
| OR go to the French Consulate competent for your usual place of residence with an official invitation letter and a Convention d’Accueil |
| For a long term stay (more than 90 consecutive days) |
| Where appropriate, the necessary steps must be taken to obtain the requisite documents, in particular multiple-entry long-stay visas : |
| If you are establishing your place of residence in Switzerland |
Swiss D type visa 1 |
| If you are establishing your place of residence in France |
French D type visa |
| OR if you have not yet decided where to establish your future place of residence |
Swiss D and French D type visas |
For Switzerland:
you must go to the Swiss Consulate competent for your usual place of residence, with an official invitation letter bearing the words “prise de fonctions au CERN”. |
For France:
you must go to the French Consulate competent for your usual place of residence, with an official invitation letter and request a visa bearing the words “carte PRO-MAE à solliciter dès l’arrivée”, making reference to CERN’s Note Verbale to the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. |
| Procedure to obtain an invitation letter |
Edit the document:
Invitation Letter (For short term visit <= 90 days)
Or
Invitation Letter (For long term visit > 90 days)
and send it to your Experiment Secretariat at CERN or any of the persons authorised by CERN to sign.
With the invitation letter you go to the Swiss consulate to request your
visa (Specify that you will be
coming to CERN to work).
No assistance can be provided by CERN to family members accompanying you. |
| Procedure to obtain a Convention d’Accueil |
Nationals who are not from countries of the European Union or the European Economic Area or Switzerland should complete a Convention d’Accueil
Send it to your Experiment Secretariat at CERN or one of the of the persons authorised by CERN to sign.
No assistance can be provided by CERN to family members accompanying you. |
| Procedure to obtain a Note Verbale |
Nationals who are not from countries of the European Economic Area or Switzerland should complete a Note Verbale to obtain a visa D with the mention “carte PROMAE à solliciter à l’arrivée”.
Send it to your Experiment Secretariat at CERN or one of the other persons authorised by CERN to sign.
The Note Verbale will be sent, after verification by the experiment secretariat and the Host States Relations Service, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, who will send their approval to the Consulate that you specify. Approximately 2 weeks later, you must contact the Consulate for further details on how to obtain your Visa, mentioning that CERN has made representations to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on your behalf. |
You have to apply for a French card at the Users’ Office together with the following documents:
- Valid passport
- Valid visa (if necessary) French Visas Government Site
- 4 pictures passport size (35x40 mm) |
| For more information on Swiss visas |
Swiss visas: Federal Departement of Justice and Police
Documents and visa requirements by nationality
Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and to the other international organisations in Geneva |
| For more information on French visas |
| French Visas Government Site |
| 1 The Schengen States C visa is a short-stay visa (maximum 90 days) authorising the holder to travel within the Schengen Area without taking up residence pending the issuing of the legitimation card (residence permit). |
