Living in Switzerland: the permit, and the Dutch advantage from 1935
No visa, but a residence permit within fourteen days — though that permit proves your right, it doesn't grant it. And Dutch citizens get permanent residence after five years where citizens of the newer EU countries have to wait ten, thanks to an exchange of notes from 1935.
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As a Dutch citizen you need no visa for Switzerland, but you do need a residence permit, which you apply for at your municipality within fourteen days of arrival — and after five years you get the permanent C permit that citizens of the newer EU countries wait ten years for, thanks to an exchange of notes from 1935. Switzerland isn't in the EU, and that makes people needlessly nervous about the permit.
Is the permit a right or a favour?
On 21 June 1999 Switzerland and the EU signed the agreement on the free movement of persons, which has applied since 2002. You don't need a visa and you enter on your identity card. What you do have to do is apply for a residence permit, but its nature is different from what the word suggests: the Swiss migration office SEM speaks of a legal entitlement as soon as you meet the conditions. You already have the right; the permit makes it visible. Outside free movement — for non-EU citizens — the decision does lie with the canton.
Which permit do you get?
L permit with an employment contract of less than twelve months: valid as long as your contract runs. B permit with a contract of twelve months or more or of unlimited duration, and for whoever can show they are genuinely self-employed: valid for five years and renewable for five years if you still meet the conditions. One caveat: whoever has been involuntarily unemployed for more than twelve consecutive months can be limited to one year at the first renewal. If you work for at most three months per calendar year, you need no permit, only a notification.
Why do Dutch citizens get the C after five years?
Here is the find. The permanent settlement permit — the C — Switzerland grants after five years of uninterrupted residence to citizens of EU-15 and EFTA states with which it has a settlement treaty. The Netherlands is such a country, on the basis of an exchange of notes between the two states of 16 February 1935. Whoever has no such treaty waits ten years in principle.
What you gain with a C is not nothing: your right of residence is unlimited and may not be tied to conditions, and the C is the condition for ever naturalising.
| Step or permit | What applies |
|---|---|
| Registering with the municipality | within 14 days of arrival, and before you start working |
| Work of up to 3 months per calendar year | no permit, but a notification |
| L permit | contract of less than 12 months; valid as long as the contract runs |
| B permit | contract of 12 months or unlimited, the self-employed and those living on their own means; 5 years, renewal for 5 years (1 year after more than 12 months of involuntary unemployment) |
| Looking for work | 3 months free, then a permit as a jobseeker, as a rule up to 6 months |
| C permit for Dutch citizens | after 5 years of uninterrupted residence (exchange of notes of 16 February 1935); without a settlement treaty 10 years |
| Family reunification | spouse; children and grandchildren under 21 or dependent; dependent parents and grandparents |
| Naturalisation | after 10 years of residence with a C; the years between 8 and 18 count double; canton and municipality require another 2 to 5 years |
When and where do you register?
The clock starts on arrival: within fourteen days you register in person with the residents' office of your municipality, and in any case before you start working. The municipality forwards your application to the cantonal migration service, which decides and sends the card by post. What the SEM names: a valid identity document and a written confirmation from your employer, such as the employment contract; the self-employed show proof of their establishment. Fees differ per canton.
Can you come without a job, or to look for work?
If you come without work, that's possible, but under your own steam: you show sufficient means not to need social assistance, plus health insurance that covers all risks. That applies to pensioners, students and those of private means; they too register within fourteen days.
If you come to look for work: the first three months are permit-free. After that you're entitled to a reasonable period to search — as a rule at least six months — but for that you apply to the cantonal migration service for a permit as a jobseeker.
Who may come along, and may they work?
Your spouse may come along, as may your children and grandchildren under 21 and children you support — regardless of their nationality. Parents and grandparents of yours or your partner's may too, if they were already dependent on you before they came. The condition is housing adequate to lodge the whole family. And one point that's more favourable than in many other countries: your spouse and children admitted under family reunification are legally entitled to work, regardless of nationality.
Can you become Swiss later?
For ordinary naturalisation ten years of residence in Switzerland apply, with a C permit in hand, plus a cantonal requirement of another two to five years in canton and municipality. The years between your eighth and eighteenth birthday count double, though you must have actually lived in the country for at least six years — which works out well especially for children who moved along.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Switzerland or go straight to step 1.1 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- SEM — free movement of persons Switzerland–EU (agreement of 21 June 1999) — sem.admin.ch
- SEM — frequently asked questions about free movement: fourteen days, L and B, jobseekers, family — sem.admin.ch
- SEM — the residence permit B for EU/EFTA citizens (five years, renewal) — sem.admin.ch
- SEM — the settlement permit C for EU/EFTA citizens — sem.admin.ch
- SEM — settlement treaties (exchange of notes with the Netherlands, 16 February 1935) — sem.admin.ch
- Canton of Zurich — residence for EU/EFTA citizens (registering within fourteen days) — zh.ch
- SEM — ordinary naturalisation (ten years, double counting from 8 to 18, cantonal period) — sem.admin.ch
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