Residence Permit and Naturalisation

Working in Switzerland or remaining in the country for more than 3 months requires a permit. The permit is issued by the cantonal Migration Office (Migrationsamt). There are short-term permits (up to 1 year), residence permits (temporary), settlement permits (permanent) as well as cross-border commuter permits.

• Short-term permit (L): This permit is for people who will reside in Switzerland for a limited time (usually 1 year) for a particular reason. Most citizens of EU-/EFTA-countries who have evidence of a work contract with a duration between 3 months and 1 year are entitled to this permit.
• Residence permit (B): This permit is for people residing in Switzerland for an extended period of time. Most citizens of EU-/EFTA countries are entitled to this permit if they have a work contract with a duration exceeding 1 year. EU-/EFTA-citizens will receive permits for a duration of 5 years. Citizens of other countries will receive permits for a duration of 1 year after which an extension must be applied for. The extension may be granted under certain conditions, such as that applicants take German classes. Applicants are not entitled to an extension. Reasons that may act against an extension include, for example, a criminal offence or dependency on social welfare. The residence permit expires upon an uninterrupted period abroad of more than six months. Recognised refugees are also granted B permits.
• Settlement permit (C): This permit is granted following 5 or 10 years of Swiss residency. Here, too, different conditions apply to people from EU/EFTA states and third countries. For people moving abroad, the settlement permit may be retained under certain conditions for a maximum period of four years. This requires submission of an application to the Migration Office.
• Provisionally admitted foreigners (F): This permit is granted to asylum seekers who have not been officially recognised as refugees, but have been provisionally admitted. This permit must be renewed every year.

Foreigners living in Switzerland receive a foreigner identification card (Ausländerausweis). The type of identification card depends on various criteria. People moving from abroad receive a biometric ID in credit card format after providing fingerprints and an image during registration. Lost or stolen identification must be reported to the police immediately. You can use the loss statement from the police and a copy of the passport from your country of origin or identity card (for EU/EFTA nationals) to order a new ID from the Migration Office (Migrationsamt).

According to the type of permit and citizenship, the process of applying for an extension may differ. If an extension is necessary, you will receive a form (Verfallsanzeige). This form must be completed, confirmed by the employer and then submitted to the Migration Office (Migrationsamt) together with a copy of the passport from the country of origin or the identity card (for EU/EFTA nationals). The Migration Office is available to answer questions in this context.

Those who have lived in Switzerland for ten years may submit an application to obtain a federal naturalisation licence. The years a person has spent in Switzerland between the ages of 8 and 18 count double. Important requirements for naturalisation are that you meet the required period of residency, you are proficient in German, are integrated and do not have any debts or previous convictions.

Under certain legal requirements, simplified naturalisation is mainly open to foreign spouses of Swiss citizens and the children of a Swiss parent. The federation is solely responsible for taking naturalisation decisions in the case of simplified naturalisation.