You are a foreign national and intend to spend the summer in Switzerland, either for pleasure or for professional reasons. You are rightly wondering whether you need a residence permit! Good news, this article tells you everything!
The first criteria is that of nationality.
- A) If You are a citizen of the European Union (EU) or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) (except Croatia*)
* Special measures are in force for Croatian nationals. Please refer to this fact sheet: https://www. sem. admin. ch/content/dam/data/sem/eu/fza/personenfreizuegigkeit/factsheets/fs-kroatien-f. pdf
Whichever the length of your stay, you will not need a visa to enter Switzerland.
As an EU and EFTA national, you should consider the length of your stay and your type of activity:
– Stay of less than 90 days :
Regardless of whether your activity is lucrative (a summer job for example) or not (holidays), you will not be subject to a residence or work permit.
– Stay of more than 90 days :
If your activity is not lucrative, you must register with the cantonal migration authority to obtain a residence permit.
If you are gainfully employed, you must, in addition to registering with the Canton, submit your application for a residence permit and a copy of your employment contract to your township of residence no later than 14 days before the start of the employment.
Whether you are in gainful employment or not, you will need to demonstrate the following:
- You have sufficient financial resources to ensure your independence and not require social benefits;
- You benefit from health insurance covering possible accident costs.
- B) You are a national from non-EU/EFTA states
No matter the length of your stay, you will have to :
- Submit an application for entry to the Swiss representation abroad;
- Have sufficient financial resources to ensure your independence and not require social benefits;
- Benefit from health insurance covering possible accident costs.
Entry requirements vary according to the type of permit applied for, nationality, type of stay (tourism, work, visit, etc. ) and the length of stay.
Thus, considering that the summer lasts about 2 months, an EU and EFTA national will not need a residence permit. However, a foreign national will have to take various elements into account and will have to apply for entry into Switzerland. A residence permit will be mandatory or not depending on the case.
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