Residence permits L, B, and C by employment type — Switzerland

Document Checklist

Reisepass / Passeport / Passaporto — identity document Valid passport or national identity card Required: Original current passport (third-country nationals) or passport or national identity card (EU/EFTA nationals); one for the primary applicant and each accompanying family memberWhere to get: Issuing authority of the country of citizenship EU/EFTA nationals may enter Switzerland on a valid passport or national identity card. Third-country nationals enter on a national long-stay visa (visa D) endorsed in the passport after federal-quota approval.
Arbeitsvertrag / Contrat de travail / Contratto di lavoro Employment contract Required: Original or certified copy from the Swiss employerMust state: Start date, duration (which determines L vs B), weekly hours, and gross salary The employment-contract duration is the decisive factor between L (three to twelve months) and B (twelve months or more, or unlimited) for EU/EFTA nationals.
Mietvertrag / Contrat de bail / Contratto di locazione Rental contract or proof of accommodation Required: Lease agreement or letter from accommodation host; required at the commune-registration step Accommodation evidence is required for the residents' registration office and for the cantonal migration office's residence-address record.
Krankenversicherung / Assurance maladie / Assicurazione malattia (KVG / LAMal) Health insurance proof Required: Swiss basic-health-insurance policy compliant with the Krankenversicherungsgesetz (KVG / LAMal), or international policy accepted as equivalentEnrolment deadline: Within three months of arrival, with insurance backdated to the date of registered arrival The 90-day KVG enrolment countdown starts on the registered date of arrival at the commune, not the date of permit issuance.
Heiratsurkunde / Acte de mariage / Atto di matrimonio; Geburtsurkunde / Acte de naissance / Atto di nascita Family civil-status documents (if accompanied) Required: Marriage certificate and birth certificate(s) for accompanying spouse and childrenWhere to get: Civil registry of the country of origin Non-EU documents may require Apostille and a certified translation into the cantonal national language.
Biometric ICAO-format photograph Passport-format photograph Required: One recent photograph meeting ICAO biometric standardWhen: Typically captured at the biometric appointment at the cantonal migration office Modern Swiss residence permits are biometric credit-card-format documents — the photograph is captured digitally at the cantonal office in most cantons.
Nationales Visum D / Visa national D / Visto nazionale D Entry visa (visa D) — third-country only Required for: Third-country nationals only; not applicable to EU/EFTA nationalsWhere to get: Competent Swiss representation abroad, after federal-quota approval by the State Secretariat for Migration EU/EFTA nationals are admitted as of right under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons and do not require an entry visa.
Lebenslauf, Diplomkopien / CV, copies des diplômes / CV, copie dei diplomi Curriculum vitae and diploma copies — third-country only Required for: Third-country nationals applying for an initial L or B permitUsed by: Cantonal migration office for the labour-market-priority assessment under the AIG EU/EFTA nationals do not need to pass a labour-market-priority test under the AFMP.
fide-Zertifikat / Attestation fide / Attestato fide Recognised language certificate — C permit upgrade Standard route requirement: A2 oral and A1 written in the cantonal national languageEarly five-year route requirement: B1 oral and A1 written in the cantonal national languageIssued by: fide test centres, Goethe-Institut, Alliance française, Società Dante Alighieri, telc, and other recognised certificate issuers Native speakers of the cantonal national language and applicants who have completed substantial schooling or a degree in that language are typically exempt from the certificate requirement. The early five-year route is the discretionary C permit at five years on the strength of enhanced integration.
Strafregisterauszug / Extrait du casier judiciaire / Estratto del casellario giudiziale Extract from criminal record — C permit upgrade Issued by: Swiss Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz / Office fédéral de la justice) and the country-of-origin criminal-record authority The extract demonstrates absence of relevant criminal record under the Article 58a AIG public-security-and-order criterion.
Betreibungsregisterauszug / Extrait du registre des poursuites / Estratto del registro delle esecuzioni Extract from debt-collection register — C permit upgrade Issued by: Cantonal debt-collection office (Betreibungsamt / Office des poursuites / Ufficio esecuzioni) The extract demonstrates absence of outstanding debts and unpaid taxes under the Article 58a AIG public-security-and-order criterion.
Lohnausweise, Steuerausweise / Certificats de salaire, attestations fiscales / Certificati di salario, attestati fiscali Evidence of employment and economic participation — C permit upgrade Required: Employer pay slips, salary statements, tax statements demonstrating participation in working life under Article 58a AIG Long-term welfare dependency is a ground for revocation of an existing C permit and a bar to upgrade from B to C.

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