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B permit, L permit, C or G – which Swiss permit you need to live and work here in 2026

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Your passport decides almost everything: EU and EFTA citizens get a B permit with a work contract, while most others compete for 8,500 quota places. Here is how L, B, C and G permits in Switzerland work in 2026 – for workers, UK citizens, families, students and researchers.

Smiling woman sitting on the floor at home holding a passport and a ticket
Photo: Pixel-Shot/Adobe Stock

The news about Swiss permits in 2026 is that the system held. On 14 June 2026 voters rejected the 'No 10-million Switzerland' initiative with 45.2 per cent yes, so free movement continues and the B permit stays within easy reach for EU and EFTA citizens. Croatian nationals gained full free movement in January 2026, after their 2025 permits – 1,701 B and 792 L – stayed below the safeguard thresholds.

The Federal Council kept the 2026 quotas for non-EU workers at 8,500. The EU–Switzerland package (Bilaterals III), signed on 2 March 2026, would adapt free movement further, but it is a bill before Parliament and not in force. Applications are handled by the canton; SEM (State Secretariat for Migration) gives final approval in some cases.

L, B, C and G permits: which Swiss permit is which?

PermitWhat it is forValidity
L – short-termEU/EFTA: a job of three to twelve months. Non-EU: within the L quotaEU/EFTA: the length of the contract
B – residenceEU/EFTA: a contract of a year or more, or enough means. Non-EU: quota jobs, family, studyEU/EFTA: five years, renewable for five
C – settlementSettled residence after five or ten yearsUnlimited; the Canton of Zurich issues the card for five years
G – cross-borderLiving abroad, working in SwitzerlandEU/EFTA: five years for contracts over one year; non-EU: usually one year

Source: SEM, Fedlex (FNIA) and the Canton of Zurich Migration Office, read 23 September 2026.

Asylum seekers hold an N permit, provisionally admitted persons an F permit and people in need of protection an S permit – see the last section.

EU and EFTA citizens: how do you get a B permit?

Your residence permit doubles as a work permit. Register with your commune within 14 days of arrival and before starting work, with a valid ID or passport and written confirmation of employment; the permit follows. You may also look for work for up to six months – three without a permit, then with a short-term permit if you can support yourself, with no right to social assistance.

Pensioners, students and people of private means get a B permit with sufficient funds and adequate health and accident insurance. In the Canton of Zurich, worker permits require more than 15 hours a week on average. Federal rules cap the whole EU/EFTA permit fee, card included, at CHF 65 (CHF 30 for unmarried under-18s).

The C permit comes after five years for nationals of the EU states with settlement treaties – among them Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal – and of the EFTA states; other EU nationals wait ten years. Part 15 has the full list.

UK citizens: third-country rules with a separate quota

Since 1 January 2021 UK citizens arriving here are third-country nationals. If you lived here before 31 December 2020, the Swiss–UK citizens' rights agreement protects your acquired rights, and a valid L, B, C or G permit needs no new application. Since 1 January 2026, though, future spouses of people with acquired rights fall under the stricter Foreign Nationals and Integration Act.

New arrivals cannot come to look for work: your employer needs a permit from the canton first, and only managers, specialists and qualified workers qualify. The separate UK quota for 2026 is 3,500 permits – 2,100 B and 1,400 L – and only 21 per cent of it was used in 2024. UK-based service providers can still work here up to 90 days per calendar year under an agreement valid until 31 December 2029.

How do you get a work permit in Switzerland as a non-EU citizen?

Only highly qualified people are admitted: managers, specialists and skilled professionals, essentially with a degree and several years' experience. Your employer must prove no suitable candidate was found in Switzerland or the EU/EFTA, including by registering the vacancy with the RAV (regional employment centre) and advertising it on EURES. There is no national salary threshold; pay must match local and sector norms, and the signed contract must state that it applies only if the permit is granted.

The canton takes a preliminary decision, SEM approves and the canton authorises your visa; you register within 14 days of entry and start work only after that. SEM puts processing at six to eight weeks, and so does the Canton of Geneva for a first permit with work, in figures published on 21 September 2026. Federal caps limit cantonal fees to CHF 95 for a new permit and CHF 75 for an extension, plus CHF 22 for the card and CHF 20 for biometric data.

2026 quota for non-EU workersB permitsL permits
Canton of Zurich249399
Canton of Bern144231
Canton of Vaud113181
Canton of Geneva93149
Canton of Basel-Stadt4572
Federal reserve3,2502,000
Total, all cantons and reserve4,5004,000

Source: Fedlex, Ordinance on Admission, Period of Stay and Employment (VZAE), Annexes 1 and 2, read 23 September 2026.

Companies used 74 per cent of the third-country quota in 2024. A B holder can generally change jobs freely; an L holder only within the same sector and profession, with approval.

Family, students and researchers: who can join you?

Who you areWho can joinMain conditions
EU/EFTA citizenSpouse; children or grandchildren under 21 or dependent; dependent parents and grandparentsAdequate housing; spouse and children may work whatever their nationality
Non-EU B or C holderSpouse or registered partner; unmarried children under 18Living together, suitable housing, no social assistance, local language or a course
Non-EU deadlines–Within five years; children over 12 within 12 months

Source: SEM and Fedlex (FNIA), read 23 September 2026.

A C permit gives a right to family reunification; with a B permit it is at the authorities' discretion. The Canton of Zurich sets no fixed income threshold – it applies the SKOS social-assistance guidelines plus an integration supplement – allows no reunification during a probation period and asks spouses for German at A1 or a course enrolment. The Canton of Geneva expects the spouse to communicate in French and indicates six to eight months' processing.

Non-EU students apply before arrival and prove their funds – CHF 21,000 for 12 months in the Canton of Zurich; other cantons may differ. You may work up to 15 hours a week in term, from six months after starting, and graduates get six months to find a job. Doctoral and post-doctoral researchers at recognised Swiss institutions are exempt from the precedence rule and, under SEM's directives, not counted against the quotas.

Refugees, status S and returning Swiss citizens

Asylum can only be requested in Switzerland – at a border crossing, a Swiss airport or a federal asylum centre. Recognised refugees (B), provisionally admitted persons (F) and people with status S may work anywhere in Switzerland once the job is reported. Status S for people from Ukraine continues, but since 20 August 2026 new applicants get it only if they have met any Ukrainian military obligations. From March 2027 the first holders reach five years and are entitled to a B permit linked to status S.

Swiss citizens need no permit: register with your new commune within 14 days. A non-Swiss spouse is in principle entitled to a residence permit, though a visa may be needed.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Find your permit in the first tableBefore anything else
2EU/EFTA: get written confirmation of employmentBefore you travel
3Non-EU and UK: employer files with the canton; contract conditional on the permitAllow six to eight weeks
4Families: check housing, income and language rules with your cantonBefore applying
5Register with your commune (part 3)Within 14 days, before starting work
6Renew your permitBetween three months and two weeks before expiry

Source: SEM, Fedlex and the federal authorities' portal, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.