Immigration
Free movement for the EU/EFTA, quotas and permits for everyone else
Switzerland runs a dual system. EU and EFTA nationals enjoy free movement under a bilateral agreement, while third-country nationals fall under the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act, which limits admission to qualified workers within annual quotas set by the Federal Council. Permits are graded L (short-term), B (residence) and C (settlement).
Key rules
- EU/EFTA nationals may live and work under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons, subject to registration.
- Third-country nationals are generally admitted only as qualified workers, within federal quotas, and after a labour-market test.
- Permit L is short-term, B is renewable residence, and C is permanent settlement, usually after five or ten years.
- Naturalisation ordinarily requires ten years of residence plus cantonal and communal conditions.
Governing law
- Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA / AIG)Admission of third-country nationals
- Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP)Switzerland-EU bilateral agreement
- Swiss Citizenship ActNaturalisation, generally after ten years
In practice
The annual quotas for non-EU workers are tight and used up early in some years, so timing an application matters. Naturalisation is unusually decentralised: the commune and canton have decisive roles alongside the Confederation.