EU/EFTA Citizens: Living and Working in Switzerland

Are you planning to work in Switzerland, to join your spouse or family or to study at a Swiss university?

The conditions applicable for residence in Switzerland are dependent on the reason for your stay.

You can find further information on the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons in the FAQs:
FAQ – Free Movement of Persons

You will find the documents relevant to your stay in the table below (according to your nationality).

Countries of the EU/EFTA

Austria	Finland	Latvia	Portugal
Belgium	France	Liechtenstein	Romania
Bulgaria	Germany	Lithuania	Slovakia
Croatia	Greece	Luxembourg	Slovenia
Czechia	Hungary	Malta	Spain
Cyprus	Iceland	Netherlands	Sweden
Denmark	Ireland	Norway
Estonia	Italy	Poland

Documentation

Factsheets

Croatia

Croatia joined the European Union (EU) on 1 July 2013. Each time a new member joins the EU, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) is supplemented by an additional protocol. The extension of the AFMP to Croatia was negotiated in Protocol III. On 1 January 2017, Protocol III came into force. It provides full free movement of persons for Croatian nationals following a ten-year transitional period.

Croation nationals have full access to the Swiss labour market since 1 January 2025.

If the number of Croatian workers in this country exceeds a certain threshold again in 2025, Switzerland may once more invoke the safeguard clause and limit the number of permits, but only for the year 2026.

More detailed information on the AFMP is provided in the factsheets and in the FAQ:

Documentation

Press release of 27 November 2024
Press release of 22 November 2023
Press release of 25 November 2022
Press release of 16 November 2022
Medienmitteilung vom 3. Dezember 2021
Medienmitteilung vom 22. Oktober 2021
Medienmitteilung vom 7. Dezember 2018
(Not all press releases are available in English)

Following the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU and the end of the transition period, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) no longer applies to relations between Switzerland and the UK. The two countries have therefore concluded the agreement on citizens’ acquired rights, which will allow Swiss citizens living in the UK and UK citizens living in Switzerland to remain in their respective host countries.

The agreement on acquired citizens’ rights came into force on 1 January 2021.

UK nationals who wish to come to live and/or work in Switzerland after 31 December 2020 are subject to the provisions of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA). They are subject to quotas and so their employers in Switzerland must first apply for a work permit from the competent authority.

For more information please see : United Kingdom

Additional information

Permits

The cantons are responsible for issuing permits. For detailed information on the application procedure (where to apply, which form to fill out, how long it will take, etc.), please contact the competent cantonal authorities: