Switzerland long-stay (Type D) visa
Required documents, fees and processing time for a Switzerland long-stay (Type D) Schengen visa when you apply from Canada.
SCHENGEN · VISA C✈ DOCUMENTS
🇨🇭 Switzerland·····✈·····🇨🇦 from Canada
To
Switzerland
Type
D · LONG STAY
Apply at
CANADA
Centre
VAC
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Action neededLong stay — national (Type D) · applying from Canada.
Documents ready00 / 06
Competent authority
Consulate General of Switzerland in Montreal or Vancouver (by province of residence); reviewed by immigration officials (cantonal migration office) in Switzerland.
Application centre
VFS Global (submission; decision by the Swiss consulate and cantonal migration office - VFS is not involved in the decision)
Recommended — commonly expected even when not on the official list
Cover letterA letter of introduction stating who you are and why you are travelling.
Travel itineraryA day-by-day plan of your trip to attach to the application.
Fees
Consular (Type C)
€90
Service fee
CA$44
Est. total (adult)
CA$179
Long stay (Type D)
—
The short-stay (Type C) consular fee is harmonised at €90 for adults across all Schengen states; collected in CAD · centre: VFS Global.
Fee notes
Embassy Ottawa + consulates; VFS Global Canada. Also represents Liechtenstein. Schengen but not EU. D unverified.
Timeline
medium confidenceProcessing
15–45 days
End-to-end
3–8 weeks
Centre
VAC
Appointment wait
No official wait published. Two VFS centres (Vancouver, Montreal); slots typically within ~1-3 weeks (unverified estimate).
Application centre
VFS Global (as of 4 September 2025, replaced TLScontact as Switzerland's provider in Canada). Centres in Vancouver (BC, AB, SK, NWT, Yukon) and Montreal (QC, PEI, MB, NB, NS, ON, NL, Nunavut). Consular competence sits with the Consulates General Montreal and Vancouver (Ottawa embassy has no consular district). Appointment mandatory.
Timeline notes
Operator recently changed: TLScontact replaced by VFS Global effective 4 Sept 2025 — confirm booking on VFS. Processed via Consulates General Montreal and Vancouver; no routing to Washington DC.
Funds to show
high confidenceThe figures below are the short-stay (Type C) means of subsistence. A long-stay (Type D) visa sets its funds requirement nationally by purpose (study, work, family reunification, income) — check the consulate for the amount that applies to your case.
Per day
CHF 100
Minimum
—
In EUR ≈
€107 / day
standard (foreign national bearing own costs, per day)
CHF 100 / day
student with valid student card (per day)
CHF 30 / day
Notes
Swiss Aliens Act of 16 Dec 2005 (RS 142.20), administrative practice: approx. CHF 100/day for those bearing own costs; approx. CHF 30/day for students with a valid student card. Alternatively a host's declaration of liability (Verpflichtungserklaerung) set as an irrecoverable liability of CHF 30,000. EUR equivalent approx at ~1.07 EUR/CHF.
Consulates apply discretion and may expect a buffer above this figure — treat it as a floor, not a guarantee.
Funds source ↗⚠ Special cases & caveats
- All national (D) visasReviewed by the cantonal migration office in Switzerland; all supporting documents are strongly recommended and missing documents delay processing. If a document cannot be provided, submit a written explanation in duplicate. Upon approval a file number (ZEMIS/SYMIC/SIMIC) is issued.
- Spouses/children of Swiss/EU/EFTA nationalsFee exemption with copy of the relative's Swiss/EU passport and proof of relationship; for spouses/children of Swiss nationals the marriage/partnership/birth must be registered with the competent Swiss civil-status authorities.
- Minors under 18Both parents sign; birth certificate (both parents named), passport copies of both parents, certified consent letter of non-travelling parent, court/death documents where applicable.