EuropeSelect the passports you hold to see short-stay access and per-route eligibility for Switzerland.
Short stays: tourism, transit, business trips, medical, pilgrimage.
Tourist Visa
Electronic travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals (e.g. US, UK, Canada, Japan). Valid 3 years for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. We apply on your behalf end-to-end. Fees illustrative.
Tourist Visa
Short-stay visa for tourism: up to 90 days within any 180-day period. We prepare your forms and documents; you attend the consulate/VFS appointment to submit biometrics. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Tourist Visa
The standard short-stay visa for visitors from countries whose nationals require a visa to enter the Schengen Area. It allows tourism, visiting family or friends, and short cultural or sporting visits for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and is valid throughout the 29-state Schengen Area. EU/EFTA nationals and citizens of many visa-exempt countries (e.g. USA, Canada, UK, Japan, Australia) do not need this visa for short stays. The Schengen Code fee is EUR 90 for adults, EUR 45 for children aged 6-11, and free for children under 6. Applicants must show purpose of travel, proof of accommodation, sufficient funds (a benchmark of roughly CHF 100 per day of stay) and travel medical insurance with at least EUR 30,000 cover. The visa does not authorise any gainful employment and does not lead to a residence permit. From 2025-2026 the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) and the upcoming ETIAS travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers change short-stay border formalities, but Type C remains the visa for nationals who require one.
Transit Visa
Required by some nationalities to pass through the international transit area of a Schengen airport without entering. Whether you need one depends on your nationality. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Transit Visa
The airport transit visa is required only for nationals of a specific list of countries when passing through the international transit zone of a Swiss airport without entering Switzerland or the Schengen Area. It does not permit leaving the transit area. The fee is EUR 90 for adults and EUR 45 for children aged 6-11 (free under 6), the same as the Schengen short-stay fee. Travellers who hold a valid Schengen, EU/EEA or certain other residence permits or visas are generally exempt. The visa is purely for transit and confers no right of entry, stay, work or study in Switzerland; passengers needing to leave the airport must instead apply for a Type C short-stay visa.
Business Visitor Visa
Short-stay visa for business trips (meetings, conferences, negotiations): up to 90 days within any 180-day period. We prepare forms and documents; you submit at the consulate/VFS. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Business Visitor Visa
The same Schengen Type C short-stay visa is used for business visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period: meetings, negotiations, conferences, trade fairs and similar activities that do not constitute taking up employment in the Swiss labour market. Visa-exempt nationals (e.g. USA, UK, EU/EFTA) do not need the visa for such visits. The fee is EUR 90 for adults. Crucially, any gainful activity lasting more than 8 days in a calendar year (or from the first day in certain sectors such as construction, hospitality and cleaning) is treated as work and triggers a notification or permit requirement; a business visitor visa does not authorise paid work for a Swiss employer. Applicants must show a letter of invitation from a Swiss company, proof of business purpose, accommodation, funds and travel medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000.
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Universities, language courses, internships and exchanges.
Student Visa
For stays over 90 days to study. Issued under national rules -- apply at the consulate of your destination country. We guide you; submission is in person. Fees and processing times vary by country.
Student Visa
For foreign nationals, including third-country nationals, admitted to a Swiss university, university of applied sciences or recognised institution for a course lasting more than 90 days. For such stays the permit requires authorisation of the intended place of residence by the competent cantonal migration office; the Swiss representation forwards the national D visa application to that canton. Core requirements are proof of admission/matriculation, proof of sufficient means for the whole study period (a benchmark of CHF 30 per day, i.e. about CHF 10,950 per year, versus CHF 100 per day for ordinary visitors), a motivation letter and an undertaking to leave at the end of studies. The permit is issued as a B for the duration of studies, or renewed annually until the end of education. Work rights are restricted: a non-EU/EFTA student may work only from six months after the course starts, up to a maximum of 15 hours per week during term (full-time during holidays), if the university confirms compatibility and the canton approves. On graduation there is a six-month window to seek qualification-matching employment. A settlement (C) permit normally requires about 10 years of residence; student years are counted restrictively.
Internship / Trainee Visa
Switzerland operates bilateral trainee-exchange ('stagiaire') agreements administered by SEM, which let young professionals broaden their occupational and language skills while admitted outside the ordinary quotas and labour-market priority rules. Eligibility is open to nationals of a partner country aged 18-35 (variations apply: Australia 20-30; New Zealand and Russia 18-30; Japan up to 35) who have completed vocational training, an apprenticeship, or a university degree, and who have found a traineeship in the profession in which they trained. Partner countries include the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Chile, Indonesia, Monaco, the Philippines, Russia, San Marino, South Africa, Tunisia and Ukraine. A written employment contract with an integrated training programme is mandatory; part-time work, self-employment and staff leasing are not allowed, and the trainee must be paid the going regional/sectoral entry-level rate. The permit is granted for a maximum of 18 months in total (one or several stays), extendable only within that cap. Visa-exempt nationalities receive a pre-authorisation; others apply at a Swiss representation. The route is explicitly temporary and provides no direct path to a settlement permit or citizenship. It is Switzerland's nearest equivalent to a working-holiday visa.
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Digital nomad, freelance, skilled employment and company transfers.
Freelancer Visa
EU/EFTA citizens can freelance in Switzerland freely, but third-country nationals are admitted for self-employment only if the activity serves Switzerland's overall economic interest, within annual B/L permit quotas and with cantonal plus federal (SEM) approval - rarely granted to ordinary freelancers.
Self-Employment Visa
For non-EU/EFTA nationals who wish to be self-employed or to set up a company in Switzerland and who do not already hold a C settlement permit (C holders, and spouses of C holders or of Swiss citizens, already have a right to self-employment and bypass this route). Eligibility hinges on a labour-market test: the venture must have a lasting positive effect on the Swiss labour market - diversifying the regional economy, preserving or creating jobs for local staff, involving substantial investment and generating new orders for the Swiss economy. There is no fixed statutory minimum capital figure; the official SME portal uses an illustrative example of about CHF 300,000 annual sales rather than a legal threshold. Applicants must present a clear, pre-prepared business idea, a convincing business plan, organisational links to other companies and a foundation charter or Commercial Register entry. The cantonal authority assesses the case and, if accepted, issues at least an L or a B permit (fee for the national D visa CHF 88); both are quota-bound, so admission is capped even when the criteria are met. A settlement (C) permit is normally available after 10 years of orderly residence, and naturalisation generally after 10 years with a C permit.
Startup / Entrepreneur Visa
No dedicated startup visa; non-EU founders may receive a quota-limited L or B permit under Art. 19 FNIA if the canton and State Secretariat for Migration find the business in the overall economic interest (innovation, investment, job creation).
Skilled Work Visa
For stays over 90 days to work. Requires employer sponsorship / a work permit before you can apply, so eligibility is conditional. Issued under national rules -- apply at the consulate of your destination country. Fees and processing times vary by country.
Skilled Work Visa
The standard residence permit for EU/EFTA nationals taking up employment in Switzerland under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP). EU/EFTA nationals may enter and work without a visa; for employment of more than three months a permit is required, and the contract length determines the type: 3-12 months gives an L EU/EFTA permit (matching the contract), while a contract of one year or longer (or open-ended) gives a B EU/EFTA permit valid for five years. Genuine self-employed persons also receive a five-year B. The permit is valid throughout Switzerland with free job and occupation change, and the holder registers at the commune within 14 days of arrival. Renewal is essentially automatic while the conditions continue, although a first renewal may be limited to one year after more than 12 consecutive months of involuntary unemployment. After five years of regular, uninterrupted residence the holder obtains a permanent C EU/EFTA settlement permit. Ordinary naturalisation still requires about 10 years of residence. Family reunification is a legal right: spouse and children under 21 (own or the spouse's) plus dependent relatives, who may themselves work anywhere in Switzerland.
Skilled Work Visa
The cross-border commuter permit is for people who live abroad but are gainfully employed in Switzerland and return to their main residence abroad at least once a week. For EU/EFTA nationals the permit allows full occupational and geographic mobility - border zones are abolished, so they may live anywhere in the EU/EFTA and work anywhere in Switzerland - and is valid for five years for contracts of 12 months or longer (otherwise it matches the contract). For non-EU/EFTA nationals the rules are far stricter: the applicant must already hold a permanent right of residence in a neighbouring country, must have lived in that country's border zone for at least six months, and must meet labour-market and wage requirements; the permit is usually valid one year, renewable, and confined to the issuing canton's border zone. All G permits are issued by the canton of employment. The G permit is not a Swiss residence permit - no settlement (C) or naturalisation clock runs in Switzerland, because the holder's main residence and any path to permanent residence remain in the neighbouring country.
Skilled Work Visa
The principal route for highly qualified non-EU/EFTA (third-country) nationals to live and work in Switzerland for more than one year. Reserved for managers, specialists and qualified workers, typically with a university or higher-vocational degree plus several years of experience; admission also weighs adaptability, language and age toward durable integration. Two gatekeeping tests apply: labour-market priority (the employer must prove no suitable Swiss or EU/EFTA candidate is available) and wage/conditions parity with what is customary for the region, profession and sector. Admissions are capped by federal quota: for 2026 the Federal Council kept the third-country quota unchanged at 8,500, of which 4,500 are B residence permits and 4,000 are L short-stay permits. The employer files with the cantonal migration authority; SEM gives Switzerland-wide approval; the canton clears the national D visa (fee CHF 88) issued by the Swiss representation; the worker registers at the commune within 14 days. The B permit is valid about one year and renewable while conditions hold. A settlement (C) permit is normally available after 10 years of residence (5 years for nationals of states with a settlement agreement, e.g. the USA). Ordinary naturalisation requires a C permit and 10 years of residence.
Seasonal Work Visa
The short-stay track of the non-EU/EFTA labour-admission regime, for qualified third-country workers on assignments, projects or fixed-term roles of up to 12 months. The eligibility bar mirrors the B route - managers, specialists and qualified workers, with the same labour-market priority and wage-parity tests - but the duration is limited and a separate annual quota applies (4,000 L permits for 2026). The employer files with the canton, SEM grants Switzerland-wide approval, and the worker enters on a national D visa (fee CHF 88) and registers at the commune within 14 days. The L permit tracks the contract term, normally up to 12 months, with limited extension in defined cases. Because it is a short-stay authorisation, it does not by itself build toward a settlement (C) permit; a holder who later moves onto a B permit begins accumulating the years that, after 10 years and a C permit, lead to ordinary naturalisation. Family reunification rights are more limited than for B-permit holders.
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Golden visas, real estate, citizenship by investment, passive income.
Golden Visa (Residence by Investment)
Counted as a golden-visa equivalent with note: wealthy non-working foreigners obtain a renewable B residence permit by agreeing to annual lump-sum taxation (federal minimum taxable expenditure CHF 434,700; Geneva ~CHF 500,000), with ~183 days/year presence expected; abolished in Zurich and several other cantons.
Non-Lucrative / Passive Income Visa
Switzerland has no golden visa or citizenship by investment, but wealthy non-working foreigners can settle via expenditure-based, or 'lump-sum', taxation (forfait fiscal) under Article 14 of the Federal Direct Tax Act (DBG) and Article 6 of the cantonal tax harmonisation law. This is a tax regime, not a residence permit: the person must still obtain residence separately - third-country nationals via the rentier route (Art. 28 FNIA), EU/EFTA nationals via free movement. To qualify the applicant must not be Swiss, must be taxed in Switzerland for the first time or after a 10-year absence, and must not pursue any gainful activity in Switzerland. Tax is assessed on worldwide living expenses rather than actual income, with a minimum taxable base set at the highest of a federal floor, seven times the annual rent or rental value of the home, or three times the cost of board and lodging. The indexed federal minimum taxable income is CHF 434,700 for tax year 2025 and CHF 435,000 for 2026 (the figure shown here, CHF 435,000, is recorded as the investment threshold). Cantons set their own, usually higher, minimums; the regime has been abolished for cantonal tax in Zurich, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt but survived a 2014 national abolition referendum. A settlement (C) permit follows the underlying residence permit after about 10 years.
Business Investor Visa
Switzerland has no formal golden visa and no citizenship by investment - residence is never granted purely for money. The closest route for entrepreneurs and investors is admission in an important economic interest under Article 23 paragraph 3 of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA), which allows a derogation from the ordinary personal admission requirements for a person whose activity serves Switzerland's economic interests. There is no fixed statutory investment amount; the cantonal authorities assess each case for a lasting positive effect on the Swiss labour market - regional economic diversification, preservation or creation of jobs for local staff, substantial investment and new orders. If accepted, the applicant receives a B (or L) permit, which counts against the annual third-country quota. A settlement (C) permit is normally available after 10 years (5 for nationals of settlement-agreement states such as the USA, or earlier with successful integration). The route is discretionary and quota-bound, not a purchase-of-residence mechanism; wealthy individuals seeking a tax-advantaged base typically combine residence with expenditure-based ('lump-sum') taxation, which is a separate tax regime rather than a residence permit.
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Retirement visas and working holiday schemes.
Retirement Visa
The closest equivalent to a Swiss retirement visa, for non-EU/EFTA nationals of independent means who wish to retire in Switzerland without working. It is granted under Article 28 of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA) and Article 25 of the implementing ordinance (VZAE), and is highly discretionary. Four conditions must all be met: the applicant must be at least 55 years old; have special personal ties to Switzerland (for example prior repeated or longer stays, family connections, or Swiss ancestry combined with socio-cultural ties - property or purely economic links alone do not suffice); have sufficient lifelong financial means exceeding the supplementary-benefits (EL) threshold; and pursue no gainful employment in Switzerland or abroad (managing one's own assets is allowed). The person must make Switzerland the centre of their life interests. The permit is issued as a B, renewed annually, and requires SEM approval in addition to cantonal assessment; EU/EFTA non-working residents of means instead receive a five-year B under free movement. A settlement (C) permit is normally available after about 10 years (around 5 with strong integration), and naturalisation after 10 years with a C permit. Many retirees combine this route with lump-sum taxation.
Working Holiday Visa
Not a classic working-holiday visa: bilateral trainee agreements with 13 states (incl. Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, USA, Argentina, Chile, Philippines, South Africa, Tunisia, Ukraine) let qualified young professionals aged 18-35 work in their learned profession for up to 18 months.
Reunification, spouse routes and ancestry-based repatriation.
Family Reunification Visa
Family reunification for relatives of Swiss citizens and of holders of B residence or C settlement permits is governed by Articles 42-44 of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA). Eligible members are the spouse or registered partner and unmarried children under 18. Reunification with a Swiss citizen (Art. 42) or a C-permit holder (Art. 43) is an entitlement; reunification with a B-permit holder (Art. 44) is discretionary. The sponsor must show suitable housing and that the family will not depend on social assistance or supplementary benefits. The right must be exercised within five years of the family relationship arising or the sponsor's arrival, and within 12 months for children over 12. Joining spouses must show or commit to A1 spoken proficiency in a national language (children under 18 are exempt). Family members receive a B permit and may work in any field; children under 12 of Swiss citizens or C-permit holders receive a C permit directly. Spouses of Swiss citizens or C-permit holders may obtain a C permit after five years, and a spouse of a Swiss citizen may seek facilitated naturalisation after three years of marriage and five years of residence.
Spouse / Partner Visa
Family reunification for relatives of EU/EFTA nationals is governed by the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP), not by the Foreign Nationals Act, and is significantly more generous. Eligible members are the spouse or registered partner, children under 21 or otherwise dependent, and financially dependent ascending relatives (the ascendant route does not apply where the sponsor is a student). The reunification right is derived from the sponsor and lasts only as long as the sponsor's own right of residence. Where the sponsor is an employee, reunification is not contingent on financial means; for self-employed or economically inactive sponsors, sufficient means must be shown. Suitable accommodation is always required. The FNIA five-year and 12-month reunification deadlines do not apply. Family members receive an EU/EFTA L or B permit matching the sponsor's, typically a five-year B for an employed sponsor, and the spouse and children may work, employed or self-employed, anywhere in Switzerland (dependent ascendants may not work). A settlement (C) permit follows after five years for settlement-agreement nationals, otherwise on the general timeline.
Ancestry / Repatriation
Swiss citizenship cannot be bought - there is no citizenship by investment - and is decided at three levels: commune, canton and Confederation. Ordinary naturalisation requires a C settlement permit and 10 years of residence in Switzerland (three of the last five before applying); years spent in the country between ages 8 and 18 count double, subject to a minimum of six actual years. The applicant must also meet cantonal and communal residence requirements (typically 2-5 years), pass an integration assessment, demonstrate language skills of at least B1 spoken and A2 written in a national language, and have drawn no social assistance in the previous three years. Federal fees are CHF 100 for an adult, CHF 150 for spouses applying jointly and CHF 50 for a minor, with additional cantonal and communal fees. Facilitated naturalisation, decided federally by SEM, is available to the spouse of a Swiss citizen after five years of residence and three years of marriage (or six years of marriage with close ties for spouses living abroad), and to third-generation immigrants who apply before age 25. Dual citizenship has been permitted without restriction since 1992.
Not yet researched
Talent, religious, humanitarian, media, official and permanent residence.
Humanitarian / Asylum Route
The hardship permit is a residence permit granted in cases of serious personal hardship under Article 30 paragraph 1 letter b of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act and Article 31 of the implementing ordinance (VZAE). It is used mainly to regularise long-term undocumented residents (sans-papiers) - for example through the Geneva 'Papyrus' operation - and to grant permits to provisionally admitted persons and people in the asylum sphere who have lived in Switzerland for at least five years. Decisions are discretionary and made case by case, weighing the degree of integration, respect for public order and Swiss values, family circumstances and children's schooling, financial situation, length of presence, health and the prospects of reintegration abroad. The process is two-step: the canton decides and SEM must approve. A successful applicant receives a B permit, which can lead to a settlement (C) permit after 10 years (or about 5 with strong integration) and to naturalisation after 10 years. Holders may work and study, and family reunification follows the ordinary B-permit rules.
Permanent Residence
The settlement (C) permit is Switzerland's permanent residence status, granted under Article 34 of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act. It is of indefinite duration and unconditional; only the biometric residence card and its control period are reissued every five years, which does not affect the underlying right. Ordinary eligibility requires 10 years of total residence in Switzerland with the last five years held continuously on a residence permit, successful integration and no grounds for revocation. An early settlement permit is possible after five years for applicants who are very well integrated, and nationals of states with a settlement agreement - including the EU-15/EFTA states, the USA, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City - qualify after five years. Integration requirements include language skills (spoken A2 and written A1 for the ordinary route, spoken B1 and written A1 for early settlement), economic participation, respect for public order and no substantial reliance on social assistance. C-permit holders enjoy unrestricted access to the labour market, can change jobs and cantons freely, and the permit is the prerequisite for ordinary naturalisation. Family members reunified with a C holder gain settlement and full work rights.
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