It will soon be easier for Brits to visit Switzerland – here’s why

Remember the days when travelling to Europe meant joining the shorter queue at passport control, skipping the stamp and being visa-free? Yeah, simpler times. Travelling to EU countries now means registering your finger prints and facial biometrics at the border and, from next year, you’ll also have to pay £17 for a digital visa waiver. 

It’s not all bad news though, because a new trade deal with one European country has just made it easier and cheaper to head there on holiday.

The UK Government has called its new agreement with Switzerland ‘the most significant services trade deal the UK has ever negotiated’. As for what the changes mean for travellers, Brits heading to Switzerland will be able to use automated passport e-gates for the first time. 

The use of e-gates is expected to start at Zurich airport from later this year, followed by Geneva and Basel airports in 2027. 

Despite Switzerland not being part of the EU, UK passport holders will still have to follow the new EES rules when visiting the country, as it lies within the Schengen zone, but the new rules will streamline the border crossing process.

Plus, any Brits journeying to Switzerland will soon be able to use their mobiles without paying additional mobile fees, thanks to roaming charges between the two countries being scrapped. We should say that the start date for this is still yet to be announced, so if you’re heading to Switzerland soon, make sure to check whether fees apply.

The new deal also means that UK service professionals can work in Switzerland for up to 90 days a year without having to apply for a visa.

Around 800,000 Brits visit Switzerland each year and getting there could get even easier thanks to newly-proposed rail routes. Eurostar is making moves towards introducing direct journeys from London to Basel, Geneva and Zurich, with plans to get trains up and running by the early 2030s. 

Did you see that two major UK cities could soon be linked by an underground tunnel?

Plus: these are all the countries on the UK’s ‘do not travel’ list for summer 2026.