United Nations Treaty Series/Volume 318/1/4618

The Japanese Embassy has the honour to inform the Federal Department of Justice and Police that, with a view to facilitating travel between Japan and Switzerland, the Government of Japan is prepared to conclude with the Swiss Government the following Arrangement:

(1) Japanese nationals holding a valid national passport may enter Switzerland without a visa.

However, Japanese nationals who wish to enter Switzerland for the purpose of taking up employment there must, before entering Switzerland, obtain from the competent Swiss authorities, either through their future employer or through a Swiss consular representative, an assurance that they will be granted a residence permit.

(2) Swiss nationals holding a valid national passport may enter Japan without a visa, provided that they do not wish to remain there for more than six months. Holders of Swiss diplomatic passports, service passports or special passports may also enter Japan without a visa even if the period of sojourn is to exceed six months. However, Swiss nationals who wish to proceed to Japan in order to give concerts and theatrical or recreational performances, or to take part in sports competitions or other exhibitions, for purposes of gain, are required to obtain in advance a Japanese consular visa, even if their sojourn is not to exceed six months.

(3) The abolition of the visa provided for in this Arrangement shall not exempt Japanese and Swiss nationals from conforming with Swiss or Japanese laws and regulations applicable to the entry, exit, and sojourn of aliens and the exercise by them of a gainful activity.

(4) The competent authorities in each of the two countries reserve the right to refuse admission to or sojourn in their country to nationals of the other country whom they deem to be undesirable.

(5) This Arrangement shall apply mutatis mutandis to Japanese nationals proceeding to the Principality of Liechtenstein and to nationals of Liechtenstein proceeding to Japan.

​(6) Either party may temporarily suspend the execution of this Arrangement for reasons of public order. The suspension shall be notified immediately to the other party through the diplomatic channel.

(7) This Arrangement shall enter into force on 15 April 1957. It may be denounced by either party on one month's notice.

The Japanese Embassy has the honour to suggest that the present note and the reply of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, in similar terms, shall be considered as constituting the agreement concluded between the two Governments.

The Japanese Embassy has the honour to be, etc.

Berne, 25 March 1957

B 6/12/61

The Federal Department of Justice and Police has the honour to acknowledge receipt of the Japanese Embassy's note of today's date in which the Embassy was so good as to inform it of the following:

The Federal Department of Justice and Police has the honour to inform the Japanese Embassy that the Swiss authorities are prepared to conclude with the Government of Japan an arrangement in accordance with the above-mentioned provisions and that it considers the Embassy's note together with the present reply as constituting the agreement concluded between the two Governments.

The Department has the honour to be, etc.

Berne, 25 March 1957