[jstanley]

> the borders are still open

I'm not sure where you draw the line for this, but last time I went into Switzerland I had my passport checked at the border.

[dmca]

As you do coming in to the UK. Having your passport checked is not the same as having closed borders, EU citizens are still being allowed in.

[sgift]

That's because Switzerland isn't part of the Schengen area, not because of the referendum. The referendum was about immigration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_immigration_referendum,_...

[CaptainZapp]

  That's because Switzerland isn't part of the Schengen area

That's wrong. Since 2008 Switzerland is definitely part of the Schengen area. While the UK is not.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area)

So if you fly in from the UK (or any non-Schengen country) you need t show a passport. As is the case in any other Schengen country.

[sgift]

Thanks for the hint, I rechecked and you are right, that part of my comment is outdated. The other part (about immigration) is current.

[nickserv]

"All four European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland – have signed agreements on association with the Schengen Agreement, even though they are outside the EU"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

[nickserv]

If you're not a citizen of a country in the Schengen area then you'll need a passport.

And random checks at the border are permitted (i.e. contraband, people trafficking).

Also a country is allowed to re-implement border controls in case of crisis.

[jstanley]

> If you're not a citizen of a country in the Schengen area then you'll need a passport.

And how exactly do you show that you're a citizen of a country in the Schengen area without showing a passport?

[jacquesm]

When was that? I drove through coming from Italy a few week ago exiting at the French border on the North side and nobody looked at any passports.

[CaptainZapp]

You usually don't even have to show your passport when boarding a plane in Zurich as long you're flying within the Schengen area.

I think that's the case in most Schengen airports now.

What can happen is that you're checked by customs at the border. Since Switzerland is not in a customs union with the EU. Generally speaking, though, it's free flowing.

[Oletros]

But there is no restriction to workers from UE, in this regard I think the OP talked about "the borders are open"