Permits B, L and C
Which permit a hire needs, how long it takes, and what changes on the payslip when they have one.
Anyone who is not a Swiss national needs a permit to live and work in Switzerland. Which one depends on nationality, the length of the contract and how long they have already been resident.
| Permit | What it is | Valid for | Quellensteuer |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | Residence permit | 5 years for EU/EFTA, 1 year otherwise, renewable | Yes |
| L | Short-term permit | Up to 12 months, tied to one contract | Yes |
| C | Settlement permit | Indefinite, after 5 or 10 years of residence | No |
| G | Cross-border commuter | 5 years, requires weekly return home | Yes |
EU and EFTA nationals
The Freizügigkeitsabkommen — the free-movement agreement — means an EU or EFTA national with a Swiss employment contract has a right to a permit. It is a registration, not an application with a decision at the end. A B permit follows a contract of 12 months or more; an L permit follows a shorter one.
Practically: two to four weeks from signed contract to permit in hand, and the person may usually start work once the registration is filed.
Everyone else
Third-country nationals face annual federal quotas, a labour-market test, and a requirement that the role is senior or specialist. This is a genuine application with a genuine possibility of refusal, and it takes eight to twelve weeks.
Anstell will tell you within one working day whether a given hire is a registration or an application. The answer changes the start date by two months, so it is worth asking before making an offer.
Renewals
A B permit for a non-EU national is renewed yearly. The cantonal migration office wants the application before the current permit lapses, and a lapsed permit is an administrative problem rather than a formality. The portal flags a permit sixty days before it expires.
What changes on the payslip
Only the tax line. Social contributions — AHV, ALV, BVG, UVG, KTG — are identical for a Swiss national and a B-permit holder. A permit holder has Quellensteuer withheld; a Swiss national or C-permit holder does not.