1The four permits at a glance
| Permit | For whom | Valid |
|---|---|---|
| L, short stay | Contracts of less than a year | As long as the contract |
| B, residence | Contracts of a year or more, open-ended contracts, self-employed people | 5 years for EU and EFTA citizens, renewable |
| C, settlement | After 5 years of residence for citizens of the 15 older EU member states and the EFTA states, otherwise after 10 years | Unlimited |
| G, cross-border | Living abroad, working in Switzerland, home at least once a week | 5 years with a contract of a year or more |
2How EU and EFTA citizens get it
Sign the contract
You need a work contract or a written confirmation from your employer that states the duration and the working hours.
Register with the commune
Within 14 days of arriving and before your first working day. Bring a valid passport or ID card, the contract and your rental contract.
Wait for the card
The commune passes your application to the canton. The permit card comes by post.
Take out health insurance
Within three months of arriving. The commune will ask for proof.
3What the permit allows
- Change jobs and cantons. EU and EFTA permits are valid in the whole of Switzerland. Report your new address when you move.
- Bring your family. Your spouse and your children can come with you and may work.
- Stay if you lose your job. You can normally stay for six months to look for a new one. Apply to your canton.
4Your permit decides how you are taxed
Without a C permit your employer deducts tax at source from every salary. With a C permit, or if your spouse is Swiss or has a C permit, you file a normal tax return instead.
If you earn CHF 120,000 or more a year, you file a tax return even without a C permit. The tax at source then counts as a payment on account.
5From outside the EU and EFTA
The employer applies, and the authorities check that nobody suitable was found in Switzerland or in the EU and EFTA. Permits are limited by yearly quotas and are first tied to the job and the canton. British citizens have been treated as third-country nationals since 1 January 2021.
6Keep it valid
- Apply for renewal a few weeks before the card expires.
- Report every move to the new commune within 14 days.
- If you leave Switzerland for more than six months, a B or C permit lapses. A C permit can be put on hold for up to four years if you ask before you leave.
Questions and answers
Can I start work before the card arrives?
EU and EFTA citizens can, once they have registered with the commune. Citizens of other countries have to wait until the permit is approved.
Does the permit change my health insurance?
No. Everyone who lives in Switzerland has to take out basic insurance, with any permit. Special rules apply to cross-border commuters.
Do I need a new permit if I move to another canton?
Not as an EU or EFTA citizen. You only report the new address. Citizens of other countries need the approval of the new canton.
When do I get the C permit?
After five years of uninterrupted residence if you are a citizen of one of the 15 older EU member states or of an EFTA state, otherwise normally after ten years.
Sources: State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), questions and answers on the free movement of persons (as of 6 July 2026), Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (AIG) Art. 35 and 61, Federal Act on Direct Federal Taxation (DBG) Art. 83 and 89, ch.ch. This page is information, not legal advice.