Work Visa
in Switzerland.

SALARY PAYMENT IN Swiss Franc (CHF)

CONTRACT LANGUAGES German / French / English

PAYROLL TAX 8.17% – 23.50%

PAYROLL CYCLE Monthly

TIME TO HIRE 24 hours

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Switzerland

Types of work visas in Switzerland

If you can live and work freely in Switzerland will depend on if you are a Swiss national, a national of a European Union member state or a national from a European Free Trade Association (EFTA) country. Those that are not from one of these eligible countries, will require a valid working permit to live and work in Switzerland.

There are 5 types of work permits available to third-country nationals who wish to work in Switzerland. These include:

L Permit

The L Permit is a short-stay work permit granted to foreign nationals who present a valid employment contract valid for between 3 to 12 months only. EU/EFTA nationals can enter Switzerland freely for up to three months to look for work in Switzerland that is valid for a L or B work permit, while third country-nationals must apply for a work visa prior to arriving in Switzerland.

B permit

The B permit is a residence permit issued to those who are on a permanent or fixed employment contract that is ongoing or longer than 12 months. EU/EFTA nationals need to renew this permit every five years, while third-country nationals need to renew it on a year-to-year basis.

C Permit

The C permit is issued to settled foreign residents who have resided in Switzerland for 5 years continuously for EU/EFTA nationals or 10 years for third-country nationals.

Ci Permit

The Ci Permit is for spouses or children under the age of 21 of foreign workers of international organisations or permanent missions in Switzerland. This gives the holder access to the Swiss labor market.

G Permit

Foreign nationals that reside in a border country to Switzerland and commute weekly to work are issued with the Ci Permit.

Required documents for a work visa in Switzerland

In Switzerland, employers are responsible for applying for a work permit for the foreign national. However, new foreign employees will need to apply for a work visa to enter Switzerland before they move. To do this, they will need to gather the following documents:

Filled out long-stay visa form in either German, French, Italian or English
Passport
Three copies of the main pages of their passport
Four passport-sized photos
Two copies of the job contract
Proof of professional and tertiary qualifications
CV

These documents will need to be submitted to the relevant Swiss Embassy or Consular service in the applicant’s resident country. EU/EFTA citizens do not need to apply for a work visa prior to arriving in Switzerland.

Process to get a work visa in Switzerland

It can take anywhere from 8 to 10 weeks to process work visas for third-country nationals.

Application procedure to get a work visa in Switzerland

Depending on if you are a foreign national that is not from an EU/EFTA or not will determine how you can apply for a work visa for Switzerland.

Getting a work visa when the employee is based outside of Switzerland

Third-country nationals must always apply for a work visa outside of Switzerland, but the process also involves work from the employer in Switzerland. The complete process to attain a valid visa is as follows.

The employer in Switzerland applies for the work permit
The employer proves to the relevant Canton authorities that the role could not be filled by a Swiss national or EU/EFTA national
The Canton Authorities review the employer’s work permit application and forward it to the Federal Office of Migration (FOM) for further review
The foreign employee gathers the relevant documents and submits them to the Swiss Embassy in their home country
Once the FOM has made a decision, this is relayed to the employer and foreign national
If approved, the Swiss long-stay visa gets approved by the relevant embassy or consulate where the work visa application was made
Foreign nationals have 14 days to register themselves at the Residents’ Registry Office after entering Switzerland on their work visa

It is important that the employee and employer keep in touch during the entire application process.

Getting a work visa when the employee is based inside of Switzerland

EU/EFTA nationals can remain in Switzerland while they wait for their prospective employer to apply for their long-stay residence permits.

Special notes about work visas in Switzerland

Foreign nationals must be highly qualified to be eligible for a work permit in Switzerland, with employers having to prove they cannot find equally qualified nationals for the same position and that hiring a foreign national is in Switzerland’s overall economic interests. There is also a limit each year on how many work permits are issued to foreign nationals.

Hiring in Switzerland, Made Easy

Your business can easily hire employees in Switzerland without opening a local entity. We handle local employment law, complex tax regulations, and international payroll in 180+ countries worldwide. All you need to do is focus on your business.

FAQs

What is the EU Blue Card? [for European countries only]

An EU Blue card is distributed to foreign nationals living and working in one of the 27 European Union countries. As Switzerland is not a part of the EU, all foreign nationals are required to have a Swiss Resident permit to freely move in and out of Switzerland.

Can Switzerland work visa holders bring their family members?

Whether or not you can bring family members with you on a work visa will depend on the type of residence permit you are on. Generally, most foreign nationals will need to apply to the Swiss authorities for family reunification before their family can join them in Switzerland.

How long will it take to get a work visa in Switzerland?

It can take anywhere from 8 to 10 weeks to be granted a work visa in Switzerland.

How long can I stay in Switzerland on a work visa?

Third-country nationals will need to prove to the Swiss Authorities that their employment is still valid each year. EU/EFTA nationals can renew their work permits every 5 years.

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Client Testimonials

"As a seed-stage, London-based startup, we were initially hesitant to expand internationally due to the administrative workload involved. Horizons took the headache out of the process, allowing us to hire a team of software engineers in Germany."

Gabor SzedlakCo-founder & COO at MindLabs (UK)

"I truly appreciated the thoroughness and the professionalism of Horizons personnel while we hired internationally with them. They were knowledgable on all subject matters pertaining to international employment."

Gary PaskyVP Software Development, PICS ITech (USA)

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Chris MorrellManaging Director, Schaeffler Group (Germany)

"The collaboration with the Horizons team is excellent. Both our local employee as well as our HQ in Germany are more than pleased with the support provided and the simplicity of the service. We can highly recommend the Horizons solution to anyone."

Christoph EngelbertCo-Founder & CTO, Clevabit (Germany)

"We needed an EOR that could provide expert support for payroll in APAC. We are pleased with Horizons’ expertise and the fact that they are flexible, responsive, and easily accessible from Belgium. They were able to provide services within the short timeline we required."

Katia FlamandHuman Resources, Devian Chemicals (Belgium)

Work Visa
in Switzerland.

Types of work visas in Switzerland

Required documents for a work visa in Switzerland

Process to get a work visa in Switzerland

Application procedure to get a work visa in Switzerland

Getting a work visa when the employee is based outside of Switzerland

Getting a work visa when the employee is based inside of Switzerland

Special notes about work visas in Switzerland

Hiring in Switzerland, Made Easy

FAQs

Success stories from businesses we’ve helped enter and grow in new markets.

Client Testimonials

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100+

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130+

180+

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The Global Workforce Payment Platform

What to expect when you connect with Horizons

Work Visa in Switzerland.

Types of work visas in Switzerland

Required documents for a work visa in Switzerland

Process to get a work visa in Switzerland

Application procedure to get a work visa in Switzerland

Getting a work visa when the employee is based outside of Switzerland

Getting a work visa when the employee is based inside of Switzerland

Special notes about work visas in Switzerland

Hiring in Switzerland, Made Easy

FAQs

Success stories from businesses we’ve helped enter and grow in new markets.

Client Testimonials

180+

100+

24x5

130+

180+

100+

24x5

130+

The Global Workforce Payment Platform

What to expect when you connect with Horizons

Work Visa
in Switzerland.