Unlike ‘lower’ type of permits — such as B for ‘resident foreign nationals’, which are regulated by various conditions and restrictions – those who have a C-permit enjoy almost the same rights as Swiss citizens.

Among them are limitless employment opportunities, being able to change jobs or cantons of residence, setting up own businesses, buying real estate without any restrictions, and having access to educational grants. (It does, however, have some limitations, which are listed below).

Any foreign national who wants to settle in Switzerland for a long haul, covets the C permit, which is also a stepping-stone to Swiss citizenship. But for many, this permit doesn’t come quickly or easily.

This is how it works:

If you are a long-term resident of Switzerland, you are likely familiar with the inner workings of the country’s permit system. But if you are new, you may not know all the conditions and criteria, or how long it takes to get one permit or another.

The answer to this question is determined by what passport you have.

As in all things relating to residency and employment, citizens of the EU and EFTA states have a priority to Switzerland’s labour market (almost on par with Swiss nationals), as well as long-term residency privileges.

Once you receive your B permit, allowing you to live and work in Switzerland for up to five years (and which can be renewed), the length of time before you are eligible for C depends on whether you come from the EU/ EFTA or from third countries.

Five versus 10 years

If you are a citizen of the EU or EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), and live in Switzerland on a B permit continuously for five years, you can apply for the C permit, provided you meet all the requirements, such as language proficiency and integration criteria.

READ MORE: Reader question: What does being ‘successfully integrated’ in Switzerland mean?

In case you come from non-EU / EFTA states (including the UK), then your wait to ‘upgrade’ from a B to a C permit is twice as long — 10 continuous years, also provided you fulfil all the above-mentioned criteria.

There are, however, some exemptions from these rules.

For instance, Americans and Canadians are on par with their EU/ EFTA counterparts: they can also apply for a C permit after five years of continuous residence on a B permit.

There are other exceptions as well: if you are a non-EU / EFTA spouse or the minor child of a Swiss citizen of a permit C holder, you too can apply for a C permit after five years.

READ MORE: ‘Plan in advance’: How easy is it to get permanent residency in Switzerland?

What does C permit NOT allow you to do?

As we said above, this permit gives its holders almost unrestricted rights.

The only thing that separates a C permit from a citizenship is the right to vote or run for office.

However, the key word here is ‘almost.’

For instance, the permit is valid indefinitely, as long as its holder doesn’t leave Switzerland permanently.

But if you leave the country for longer than six months, you will lose your permanent resident status. If you do eventually come back, you will have to go through the time-consuming steps of re-applying for a new permit.

However, there are ways to avoid this.

C-permits can be kept valid for up to four years if you are leaving Switzerland for professional reasons or to further your education. In such cases, you can put your permit on hold until you return.

You must request this suspension from your cantonal authorities in writing, explaining the reasons why you plan to remain abroad for a longer-than-permitted period of time.

READ MORE: READER QUESTION: How long can I stay out of Switzerland and keep my residency rights?

Another way to lose your C permit is to have it downgraded back to B — or have it withdrawn altogether.

There are basically three scenarios under which a C permit could be ‘demoted’.

One is if you commit a crime — not just in Switzerland, but also abroad — or threaten Switzerland’s security in any way.

In fact, if you are convicted of offences such as murder, rape, serious sexual assault, violent acts, armed robbery, as well as drug and people trafficking, you will not only lose your permit but also be deported from Switzerland.

Also, if Swiss authorities discover that you had lied when applying for a C permit, that is considered a valid reason for downgrading as well.

However, your offences don’t have to be of a criminal nature.

You can also see your permit downgraded if you and/or your immediate family rely on social aid — the Swiss really don’t like that.

READ MORE: Can Switzerland downgrade my C work permit?