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WORK PERMITS

EXPLAINED: Who can work in Switzerland but live in a neighbouring country?

Hundreds of thousands of foreigners from neighbouring nations commute to their Swiss jobs every day. What permits do these people need and how to obtain them?

Published: 20 May 2022 16:05 CEST
Updated: 21 October 2022 11:01 CEST
EXPLAINED: Who can work in Switzerland but live in a neighbouring country?
Some workers from Germany cross this border in Koblenz on the way to their Swiss jobs. Photo by NICHOLAS RATZENBOECK / AFP

At the end of 2021, 362,000 cross-border workers were employed in Switzerland, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Most (203,689) are from France and work predominantly in Geneva and Vaud, but also in Jura and Basel, all of which border Switzerland.

The second-largest group, 86,322 workers from Italy, are employed mostly in Ticino, with some jobs also in Valais and Graubünden.

Next are people from Germany (63, 547) , who cross the border into Basel, Aargau and Schaffhausen

The smallest group (8,489) is from Austria, which shares a border with St. Gallen and Graubünden.

‘Border zones’ are defined by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) as “the regions fixed in cross-border commuter treaties concluded between Switzerland and its neighbouring countries” — that is, regions that are in close enough geographic proximity to the Swiss border to make daily commuting to and from work feasible.

Why does Switzerland recruit these workers and what is in it for them?

Cross-border work is a win-win situation — that is to say, everyone involved benefits from this arrangement.

For Switzerland, it is a way to fill vacancies in professions for which Swiss citizens or foreign permanent residents can’t be found.

One of them is the healthcare sector, which suffers from a shortage of nurses and other skilled medical professionals.

At Geneva’s university hospital (HUG) alone, 60 percent of nurses and 9 percent of doctors are cross-border workers from France.

In Ticino, which shares a long border with Italy, about 120 doctors and 500 nurses employed in the canton’s health sector are daily commuters from the nearby Italian regions.

“Without cross-border workers, our hospitals would not be functioning”, Bertrand Vuilleumier, head of the hospital association in Vaud, said during the height of the Covid pandemic in 2020.

These workers are employed in other sectors as well, including construction, retail, and service and hospitality.

For these foreign employees, working in Switzerland means higher wages than they would earn in their own countries for the same jobs.

The fact that foreign employers can’t match Swiss wages causes staff shortages in border areas, as “everyone wants to work in Switzerland”, according to one employer in the French Haute-Savoie region.

How are cross-border employees able to work in Switzerland?

They must obtain the so-called G work permit, which is given only to eligible border area residents (see below).

Once you find a job in Switzerland, your Swiss employer will apply for this permit for you at the canton where you will be working. This is what this permit entitles you to (and not):

  • Most cross-border workers typically commute to and from work on daily basis, but they must return to their main place of residence abroad at least once a week.
  • The G-permit is valid five years, unless it’s a temporary contract in which case it is valid only for the duration of employment. The permits are limited only to the issuing cantons.
  • A cross-border permit does not grant access to permanent residence  (B or C permit), or to Swiss citizenship. This status also changes the way you will have to pay taxes and social deductions, which also depends on your country or residence and the canton of employment.

This article explains all the details:

How to get a permit as a cross-border worker in Switzerland

I live in the border region of France / Italy / Germany / Austria. Am I eligible work in Switzerland?

Yes, but only if you are a citizen or legal resident of the  country where you live (or another EU state), or of an EFTA nation (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein).

The fact of merely living in a EU state doesn’t grant the right to work in Switzerland. However, if you are a citizen of a third nation, you can still apply for a G permit as long as you have been a legal resident of a country adjacent to Switzerland for at least six months.

If you are a Swiss citizen who just happens to live across the border (as some dual nationals do), then you obviously don’t need a permit to work in Switzerland.

READ MORE: Five things you should know if you’re a cross-border worker in Switzerland

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WORK PERMITS

What happens to Brits in Switzerland when their work permits expire?

Ever since the UK ‘Brexited’ from the EU, its citizens have faced various restrictions in Switzerland (as elsewhere in Europe). But what happens to those already living here?

Published: 15 April 2024 14:19 CEST
What happens to Brits in Switzerland when their work permits expire?

Since January 1st, 2021, Brits fall under the category of “third-country” nationals, a term used to describe people who are not citizens of either the EU or EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein).

This means that they have lost their pre-Brexit right to an almost limitless access to Swiss jobs and residency granted to EU / EFTA nationals.

So what hurdles can UK nationals already in the country expect when time comes to renew their permits?

Much depends on when they arrived in Switzerland.

If they moved here before January 1st, 2021, they are in luck.

That’s because according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), they benefit from “acquired rights” – the ones they obtained pre-Brexit.

In other words, if you are a longtime resident, and have either a residence permit B or – even better – C, then you are in the clear.

For all intents and purposes, these Switzerland-based Brits are still free to enjoy the same perks as their EU / EFTA counterparts, including being able to work in Switzerland for the duration of the validity of their permit, as well as freedom to change jobs and move from one canton to another. 

Also, in case of a job loss, a pre-Brexit UK citizen doesn’t have to leave Switzerland immediately.

Instead, they may stay in the country for at least six months to seek new employment. 

However, they will have to apply for a permit as a job-seeker with the cantonal migration authorities while looking for a new position. 

Another perk is that if you are living in Switzerland as an EU / EFTA citizen, you can purchase property – indeed, you have the same rights in this regard as Swiss citizens do.

What happens to Brits who came to Switzerland after their country left the EU?

They are now considered to be third-country nationals, and must comply with all the restrictions imposed by this status.

They will likely “feel” these limits when time comes to renew their permit.

If their permits are “tied” to their jobs – as is often the case with non-EU nationals – and their employer no longer needs them, then in all probability they will have to leave the country.

One exception would be if the person in question has some specialised skills that Switzerland’s labour market badly needs but can’t find in a Swiss or EU / EFTA candidate.

In such a case, the permit might be extended, provided that there is a sufficient number of third-county permit quotas left at a given time.

Out of the total of 12,000 permits set aside each year for citizens of third countries, Brits benefit from 3,500: 2,100 B and 1,400 L permits are set aside just for them.

READ ALSO: How UK citizens can obtain a Swiss work permit set aside for Brits 

And there is another exemption as well…

If you arrived in Switzerland post-Brexit but are a dual citizen of the UK and an EU / EFTA country, then the latter passport will take precedence for the purpose of employment.

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