EU/EFTA Citizens: Living and Working in Switzerland

EU/EFTA
EU/EFTA

Are you planning to work in Switzerland, to join your spouse or family or to study at a Swiss university?

The conditions applicable for residence in Switzerland are dependent on the reason for your stay.

The Federal Council has activated the safeguard clause with effect from 1 January 2023. Croatian nationals will now require a quota permit if they wish to take up gainful employment in Switzerland after this date. Both the short-term L permit and the B residence permit for Croatian nationals are subject to quotas from 1 January 2023. This safeguard clause is valid until 31 December 2024. You can find further information on this in the FAQs:
FAQ – Free Movement of Persons

You will find the documents relevant to your stay in the table below (according to your nationality).
  

EU/EFTA

Countries of the EU/EFTA

Austria   Finland   Latvia   Portugal  
Belgium   France   Liechtenstein   Romania  
Bulgaria   Germany   Lithuania   Slovakia  
Croatia   Greece   Luxembourg   Slovenia  
Czechia    Hungary   Malta   Spain  
Cyprus   Iceland   Netherlands   Sweden  
Denmark   Ireland   Norway    
Estonia   Italy   Poland    

Documentation

Croatia

Croatia

Croatia joined the European Union (EU) on 1 July 2013. Each time a new member joins the EU, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) is supplemented by an additional protocol. The extension of the AFMP to Croatia was negotiated in Protocol III. On 1 January 2017, Protocol III came into force. It provides full free movement of persons for Croatian nationals following a ten-year transitional period.

The safeguard clause provided for in the AFMP gives Switzerland the option of reintroducing quotas for a certain period of time if immigration exceeds a certain threshold.

The Federal Council has activated the safeguard clause for Croatian nationals with effect from 1 January 2023 and later decided to continue it until 31 December 2024. This means that Croatian nationals continue to be subject to quotas for short-term L permits and B residence permits. This affects Croatian nationals who wish to work in Switzerland with an employment contract of more than four months, as well as self-employed persons.

More detailed information is provided in the factsheets and in the FAQ:
FAQ – Free Movement of Persons

United Kingdom

Following the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU and the end of the transition period, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) no longer applies to relations between Switzerland and the UK. The two countries have therefore concluded the agreement on citizens’ acquired rights, which will allow Swiss citizens living in the UK and UK citizens living in Switzerland to remain in their respective host countries.

The agreement on acquired citizens’ rights came into force on 1 January 2021.

UK nationals who wish to come to live and/or work in Switzerland after 31 December 2020 are subject to the provisions of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA). They are subject to quotas and so their employers in Switzerland must first apply for a work permit from the competent authority.
 
For more information please see : United Kingdom

Permits

The cantons are responsible for issuing permits. For detailed information on the application procedure (where to apply, which form to fill out, how long it will take, etc.), please contact the competent cantonal authorities:

Last modification 27.12.2023

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