Handbook for Investors. Business location in Switzerland.

EU/EFTA nationals
EU-17 (original EU states including Malta
and Cyprus)
Residence permits
(B permit for EC/EFTA)
• valid for five years, after submission of
confirmation of employment lasting a
year or more or without time restriction
• year-round purpose-related stay with
permanent home life and residence in
Switzerland
• possibility to bring family
• entitled to take up self-employment
Permanent residence permit
(C permit for EC/EFTA)
• basically issued after a stay of five years
in Switzerland based on residence
agreements or equivalent rights considerations
• basically equal to Swiss nationals on
labor market
EU-8 (eastern European countries joined
in 2004)
Residence permits
(B permit for EC/EFTA)
• annually rising quota for permits: 1,700
(2007) to 3,000 (2010)
• switch from self-employment to employment
at a company requires permission
• priority of Swiss nationals, checks on
salary and employment conditions
• possibility to bring family
• rest same as for EU-17
Permanent residence permit
(C permit for EC/EFTA)
• same as EU-17
Non-EU/EFTA nationals and Bulgarian
and Romanian citizens
Residence permits
(B permit)
• full-year stay in Switzerland with employment
and permanent home life and
residence in Switzerland
• priority of Swiss nationals, checks for
salary and employment conditions
• possibility to bring family
• annual renewal of permit is a formality
• annual quota of 4,000 permits
Permanent residence permit
(C permit)
• can generally be applied for after stay of
10 (US citizens: 5) consecutive years in
Switzerland
• the holder is generally no longer subject
to labor market restrictions
• entitled to take up self-employment
6.4.2 Residence and employment of EU/EFTA citizens
EU/EFTA nationals are treated the same as Swiss nationals in the
labor market as a result of the free movement of persons agreement.
Job seekers may remain in Switzerland for three months
without a permit. Citizens of the EU-17 member states already
enjoy completely free movement – citizens of the EU-8 states are
still subject to restrictions until the permanent transition on May
31, 2011 (priority of Swiss nationals, controls, quotas). These permits
can be extended if needed. By no later than June 1, 2014,
however, citizens of all 25 EU countries will enjoy unrestricted free
movement.
Currently EU-17 nationals do not need a work permit, but they
must still obtain a residence permit, which is issued by the cantonal
migration office upon confirmation of employment/submission
of an employment contract. No permit is needed for stays of
less than 90 days, but these workers are still required to register.
Self-employed service providers whose headquarters are based
in the EU or EFTA region no longer require a license for activities
in Switzerland lasting less than 90 days per calendar year.
They simply need to register, which can be done via the Internet.
Exceptions to this are EU-8 service providers in the fields of construction,
landscaping, cleaning and surveillance/security, which
still require a license.
The introduction of the free movement of persons is being accompanied
by a series of measures designed to prevent wage
and social dumping, as well as by the mutual recognition of
professional qualifications and the coordination of social insurance
issues. This simplifies recruiting employees from EU/EFTA
countries and attending and using academic institutions in these
countries, and it boosts the efficiency of the labor market and
increases the availability of highly qualified staff.
Handbook for Investors 2010
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