Pugsly

Does anyone know if it is difficult or time consuming crossing the border into Switzerland from France around Geneva? We'll be in the area in May and are wondering if it's worthwhile to go to Geneva for the day or if the border crossing back and forth will take too much time?

P_M

You walk (or drive) past the border guards, give them a smile, nod or say bon jour and keep going. I'm not kidding. I crossed between Switzerland and France several times and I was never stopped or questioned in any way.

I'm not sure but I think I read somewhere that Switzerland has joined the Schengen zone, and if that's the case there will be no border guards at all.

P_M

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013387424

Correction:

Switzerland has indeed joined the Schengen zone so there will be no border guards at all. It's like going from one state to another.

"With Geneva's inclusion in the one-visa policy which permits Schengen visa holders to enter 24 other nations in Europe, travels could now freely cross Switzerland's land boundaries from France, Germany, Italy or Austria."

Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/artic...#ixzz0MeJYe0Sb

Masterphil

Just did it last year. They do have "border guards" that great you and direct you to the proper window to buy the vignette to drive Swiss highways.

There was a bit of a backup due to the bottleneck.

traveller1959

>>> They do have "border guards" that great you and direct you to the proper window to buy the vignette to drive Swiss highways. <<<

Alternative 1: Avoid the freeway and take a border crossing on a normal road. Then you do not need a vignette.

Alternative 2: If you want to use freeways in Switzerland, buy the vignette already in France (available at petrol stations and rest areas in the border region).

P_M

I forgot about the vignette. If you are driving you must buy the vignette. But now that they are part of the Schengen zone there will be no border formalities.

Does anyone know if the OP could park on the French side and walk, or is that more trouble than it's worth to avoid the expense of the vignette?

P_M

traveler, we were posting at the same time, good info.

Dukey

I think it would depend on where in Geneva they wanted to go in terms of walking across..after you walk across THEN how do you get where you want to go?

hetismij

Walking across is fine if you want to go to CERN but otherwise I think you need to drive. If you are not going on a motorway you don't need the vignette. If you may go on the motorway it is generally cheaper to buy it in France rather than at the border.

Celticharper

Just crossed this border a week ago. There is a checkpoint/border crossing that you need to drive through, we stopped but were waved through without having to speak to anyone. We crossed at a small road in the mountains.

However, we were stopped and questioned after returning to France a few kilometers past the border by passport control/immigration officers. It was not at any official area but at a roadway rest stop, they asked us what we had purchased in Switzerland, when we showed them our passports and told them only a few souvenirs, they thanked us and told us to enjoy our vacation in France. I think they were looking for French citizens trying to avoid the VAT.

Only took a few minutes, so not really a delay at all.

Celticharper

We crossed at a small mountain road so we were never asked to pay for a vignette, and since we avoided the highways, we never needed one.

We were told that a vignette is also needed to ride your bicycle in Switzerland, this was a new one to us, you can get one at any local post office for a few francs.

traveller1959

The "Velovignette" is a third party liability insurance and mandatory for Swiss citizens.

Foreigners do not need a vignette for a bicycle.

spaarne

I used to cross over from Ferney-Voltaire. No vignette needed because it is basically a city street. The Swiss douane would sometimes check for dutiable items. Wine is cheaper in France.

Celticharper

Thanks Traveler1959, I had never heard of this velovignette and in my travel research it never came up. My husband had an accident with his bike and the british couple in the car that hit him kept insisting he should have had one, that it was illegal for him to ride his bicycle without a vignette.

We were pretty upset that we hadn't known about this rule ahead of time, good to know we didn't break any Swiss laws.

Trip report to follow

traveller1959

One chamber of the Swiss Parliament has just passed a legal initiative to abolish the Velovignette because it is "outdated" (most people have a private third party liability insurance). Police does not check it any more.

If you read German:

http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/schwei...1.2639701.html

Pugsly

Thanks very much to all!