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Types of Swiss Work and Residence Permits

The following is an overview of the various types of residence and work permits issued to foreigners in Switzerland.

Please note that work permits are issued by the Swiss authorities depending - among other factors - on how many permits have already been issued previously to the respective Swiss employer requesting the employment of foreigners. Therefore, if a particular employer already has too many foreigners compared to Swiss residents on their payroll, it may be difficult to obtain a permit even though all other conditions are met.

On 1 June 2002 the bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the European Union have come into force. From that date, new, less restrictive regulations apply to citizens of EU and EFTA member states, and different categories of permits are issued to EU/EFTA citizens.

Permits issued to Non-EU/EFTA citizens

Permit	Type	Duration and Characteristics	Conditions
Border Commuter Work Permit (Grenzgänger, autorisation frontalière)	G	Issued usually for 12 months, annually and indefinitely renewable; allows work in Switzerland while being resident abroad near the Swiss border	G-Permit holder must reside outside Switzerland in the border area and must return to his residence on a daily basis;employer must prove necessity for employing the foreigner; decision lies entirely with Cantonal authorities and there are no quota restrictions
Short-term Work or Residence Permit (Kurzaufenthalter, autorisation de courte durée)	L	Issued for 4, 6 or for more than 6 months, but maximum of 18 months; allows work in Switzerland for project-related, short-term assignments	Different conditions apply, depending on whether the permit is issued for 4, 6 or for more than 6 months; family is not allowed to stay in Switzerland; employer must prove necessity for employing the foreigner; for permits of more than 6 months, approval of Federal authorities is also needed and quota restrictions apply
Annual Work or Residence Permit (Jahresaufenthalter, autorisation annuelle)	B	Issued usually for 12 months, annually renewable; B-permit is the standard Swiss residence/work permit giving its holder full residence status	Permit is either issued indefinitely or for a maximum of 4 years; family is allowed to stay in Switzerland; employer must prove necessity for employing the foreigner; quota restrictions apply
Permanent Residence Permit (Niedergelassene, autorisation d'établissement)	C	Generally issued after 5 or 10 years of residence in Switzerland (depending on bilateral conventions between Switzerland and the foreigner's country of citizenship); issued indefinitely; C-Permit gives its holder permanent residence status with the same rights as Swiss citizens (except political).	Controlled every 3 years; permit becomes invalid if holder leaves the country for more than 6 consecutive months.

Permits issued to EU/EFTA citizens

Permit	Type	Duration and Characteristics	Conditions
Border Commuter Work Permit EU/EFTA (Grenzgänger, autorisation frontalière)	G-EU/EFTA	Issued for the period of the employment contract, provided it does not exceed twelve months. If an employment contract has been concluded for one year or more than one year, the permit will be valid for five years.	G-Permit holder must reside outside Switzerland in the border area and must return to his residence on a weekly basis.
Short-term Work or Residence Permit EU/EFTA (Kurzaufenthalter, autorisation de courte durée)	L-EU/EFTA	Issued for 4, 6 or maximum 12 months; allows work in Switzerland for project-related, short-term assignments	Employment contracts of less than one year duration and which satisfy the requirements of the provisions envisaged for the transitional period. Holders of this permit benefit from geographical and professional mobility
Annual Work or Residence Permit EU/EFTA (Jahresaufenthalter, autorisation annuelle)	B-EU/EFTA	Valid for five years, can be extended. B-permit is the standard Swiss residence/work permit giving its holder full residence status; B-permit is the standard Swiss residence/work permit giving its holder full residence status	Salaried employees who are in possession of an employment contract of one or more than one year's duration and self-employed will first be granted a residence permit of six months' validity for the introduction period; subsequently, they will be entitled to a residence permit of five years' duration. Those not gainfully employed will also benefit from this permit of five years' validity, provided they possess sufficient financial resources and hold health and accident insurance policies, which cover all the risks. Until 2006, employer must prove necessity for employing the foreigner; special EU/EFTA quota restrictions apply
Permanent Residence Permit EU/EFTA (Niedergelassene, autorisation d'établissement)	C-EU/EFTA	Generally issued after 5 or 10 years of residence in Switzerland (depending on bilateral conventions between Switzerland and the foreigner's country of citizenship); issued indefinately; C-Permit gives its holder permanent residence status with the same rights as Swiss citizens (except political).	Controlled every 5 years; permit becomes invalid if holder leaves the country for more than 6 consecutive months.

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