Ask ten newcomers what their Swiss residence permit is called and you will hear L, B, C, G and sometimes "the card". They are all variants of one idea: as an EU or EFTA citizen you have a right to live and work in Switzerland under the free movement agreement, and the canton gives you a document that proves it. This article explains what each letter means, how long it lasts and what the canton asks for, using the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) as the main reference.
What is the Swiss residence permit for EU citizens?
The agreement on the free movement of persons between Switzerland and the EU lets EU and EFTA nationals enter, stay and take a job in Switzerland if they meet its conditions. Nationals of Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein have the same rights as EU citizens, although Liechtenstein has a special status. The permit is not a favour: it follows from the right, which is why the canton issues it when you show the documents.
The SEM states a few basics:
- the canton issues permits, not the federal level;
- the permit is valid across Switzerland;
- you can change job and employer without a new permit;
- the type depends on your reason for staying: a job, self-employment, or no gainful activity.
What do the L, B, C and G permits mean?
L permit (short-term). For a contract of three months to under a year. It is valid for the length of the contract, up to 364 days.
B permit (residence). The permit most newcomers hold. For a contract of one year or more, an open-ended contract, or proven self-employment. It is valid five years and can be extended. Retirees, students and other people without gainful activity also receive a B permit if they meet the conditions below; students get one for a year, renewed until the end of the training.
C permit (settlement). In principle after five years of regular, uninterrupted residence for nationals of the EU-15 and EFTA states, and after ten years for nationals of the other EU states. It has no expiry date, with a check scheduled within five years.
G permit (cross-border commuter). For EU or EFTA nationals who live in an EU or EFTA country and work in Switzerland. They have to return to their main home abroad at least once a week.
Work under three months in a calendar year needs no residence permit. Your employer simply has to notify the stay online by the day before work starts.
How do you get a Swiss residence permit if you have a job?
- Get the contract or an employer's work certificate. The SEM asks for a work certificate or a declaration of engagement with an employer established in Switzerland.
- Register at your commune within 14 days of arrival, and before you start. The commune forwards your file, or tells you which cantonal office handles it.
- Bring valid ID or passport and the forms your canton asks for. The canton states where and how to file.
- Receive your permit card, usually by post.
If you are self-employed, the SEM requires proof that you actually exercise a self-employed activity, and you cannot begin before the required documents have been filed.
And if you are not working?
Retirees, students and other non-working EU citizens have a right to stay if they have, for themselves and their family:
- enough money not to become a burden on the state, which the SEM measures against the amount that would entitle a person to social assistance (the CSIAS norms; for pensioners, in principle the threshold for supplementary benefits);
- health and accident insurance covering all risks.
You declare your arrival within 14 days and the authority issues a five-year B permit, renewed automatically as long as the conditions still apply. The authority may ask you to confirm your finances again after two years, and it can withdraw or refuse an extension if the money is no longer there.
Money tests are where situations differ most: a pension abroad, a mix of savings and rent, a partner who earns and you who do not. If you are unsure whether you pass, Moovy can help you list what to bring and what to ask the cantonal office, though it does not decide on your behalf.
What does a jobseeker permit in Switzerland look like?
You do not need a permit to search for up to three months. If the search takes longer, you declare your stay and you get a three-month short-term EU/EFTA permit, provided you can support yourself. It can be extended up to one year if you show you still look for work and have a real prospect of being hired. These permits are not subject to quotas, but you cannot claim social assistance in the meantime.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
Budget little for the Swiss residence permit itself, and more for everything around it (insurance, deposit, first rent). The Confederation caps fees at CHF 65 for EU and EFTA citizens for the whole procedure for a short-term or residence permit, including the permit card (Fee Ordinance, article 8). Cantons set the actual amounts below that ceiling. The commune must receive your notification in the 14 days after arrival; the permit itself comes later, with timing that varies by canton.
Can your family come with you?
Yes, and this is one of the real advantages of the free movement agreement. According to the SEM, the family members who can join an EU or EFTA national are:
- the spouse;
- children and grandchildren under 21, or older if they are dependent;
- dependent parents and grandparents, who have to prove that they need support before they enter Switzerland.
The applicant generally needs housing suitable for the whole family. For students, reunification is limited to the spouse and dependent children. Admitted spouses and children can work in Switzerland. Each family member then receives a permit tied to yours, so file everyone's documents together and ask the cantonal office what it needs for each person.
What happens when you move canton, renew or leave?
A permit for gainful employment is valid across the country, but your domicile is in a canton and a commune. If you move within Switzerland, notify both the commune you leave and the one you join, within the deadlines they set. The new canton takes over your file. Renewal of a five-year B permit is routine as long as your situation has not changed; if you lose your job or your contract ends, the SEM says that in principle you may stay six months to look for a new one, by asking the competent cantonal service for a jobseeker authorisation. When you leave for good, tell your commune before you go so that you are deregistered and your insurance and tax obligations end cleanly.
Your Swiss residence permit is also your everyday proof of status, so keep the card in a safe place and a photocopy elsewhere: you will be asked for it by your bank, your landlord, your health fund and the vehicle office.
What mistakes do people make?
- Working before registering. The registration comes first.
- Underestimating the money test when you do not work.
- Ignoring the five- or ten-year difference for the C permit: it depends on your nationality.
- Assuming the rules are fixed. The SEM describes an "updated" free movement agreement that is not yet in force. Check the latest information before you leave.
- British citizens should note that the free movement agreement stopped applying to them on 1 January 2021. See moving to Switzerland from the UK.
For the first-month sequence, read our guide to moving to Switzerland.