Residence and Work Permits

• Permit matrix for EU/EFTA staff – FR (PDF file)
• Permit matrix for staff from non-EU countries with or without a visa if they hold a valid Schengen permit or D visa – FR (PDF file)
• Permit matrix for third-country staff without visa – FR (PDF file)
• Residence permit – general EPFL population (PDF file)

Foreign nationals taking up residence in Switzerland for a period of more than 3 months are required to report their arrival to the Residents’ Registration Office (“Contrôle des Habitants”) in their commune of residence within 14 days of entering Switzerland.

If you have temporary accommodation (hotel, Airbnb), you must still report to the commune in order to start the process of obtaining a residence and work permit. Do not forget to notify the commune and the post office of your change of address when you move into your permanent accommodation, as you will receive your residence permit by post.

• Details of residents’ registration offices (“contrôle des habitants”) according to the commune of residence in Switzerland

Documents generally requested:

• Announcement of arrival in Vaud for nationals of an EU/AEL country
• Report of arrival in Vaud for third-country nationals (non-EU nationals)
• Application form for a residence permit issued by Human Resources
• Passport and that of each family member coming to Switzerland, or identity card depending on nationality
• Birth certificate for single people or marriage certificate for married people and birth certificates for children
• EPFL employment contract (or letter of invitation)

Biometric data

Once you have passed through the Residents’ Registration Office (“Contrôle des Habitants”), you will receive a letter from the Population Department inviting you to go to the Biometrics and Identity Documents Centre in Lausanne, where you will have to make an appointment to register your biometric data and finalise your residence permit. The Population Department provides all the necessary information (procedure, price, etc.) in this document. If you have any problems obtaining your residence permit, please do not hesitate to contact them.

The time taken to obtain a work permit varies. Usually, it takes around 2 to 3 months from the time you notify the local authority of your arrival.

While you are waiting for your residence permit, you should request a certificate of residence so that you can open a bank/post office account or complete other administrative formalities before the residence and work permit is issued.

Please refer to the following page: Visas

There are different types of permit for EU/EFTA nationals and nationals of Third-states (non EU/EFTA).

Residence and work permits are generally issued for one year or for the period corresponding to the stated length of stay.

As a rule, holders of permits that are due to expire receive a notice at home approximately 4 to 6 weeks before the expiry date setting out the procedure to be followed.

For work permit renewals:

• with contract, if it is necessary to renew the work permit when the employment contract is extended, generally the HR assistant sends the employee an e-mail with the extension request form to be sent to the commune of residence and, if the person receives the notice of expiry, completes it and has it signed by HR, who checks the part reserved for the employer.
• without a contract, i.e. temporary academic staff in the following categories: (master’s valorisation, visiting professor and academic host, post-doc scholarship holder – without EPFL supplement) as well as non-academic staff for work placements, please contact the HR specialists at the following email address: [email protected].

If you need to leave Switzerland and have not yet received your work and residence permit, contact the Population Service -Foreign Nationals Division (“Service de la Population” – “Division des étrangers”) to request a return visa, which will normally be issued on the day of your visit if the conditions for obtaining one are met.

Since the introduction of the “Loi sur les étrangers et l’intégration” (LEI) in January 2019,  provisions emphasize the need for foreign nationals to integrate, and in particular on knowing the language spoken in the place of residence.

Therefore, in some cases, a minimum level of language proficiency (French in the canton of Vaud) is now required.

A language requirement has been introduced:

• To be authorised to join one’s spouse or partner in Switzerland as part of a family reunification

This new requirement does not apply to Europeans benefiting from the free movement of persons, i.e. nationals of the European Union and the European Free Trade Association (EU and EFTA). Nor does it apply to professors, who receive a C permit as soon as they enter the country, as well as their (married) spouses and children under the age of 12 who have entered Switzerland through family reunification.

• To obtain a settlement permit (permit C)

From 1st May 2023, only nationals of a French-speaking country or those who have attended school and/or studied in French will be exempt from the FIDE language certificate.

NB: people who currently hold a C permit are not affected by the language requirements.

Link to the « Transformation d’un permis B en permis C » page (FR)

• To be authorised to stay in Switzerland after dissolution of marriage when the residence permit is linked to family reunification

The level of French required varies depending on the situation.

Document : Language proficiency required according to status (FR)

In these cases, proof of language level must be included with the application (see list of documents for each type of permit application).

To join a foreign spouse in Switzerland, new housing conditions are required.

Source: https://www.vd.ch/themes/population/population-etrangere/entree-et-sejour/loi-sur-les-etrangers-et-lintegration-lei/

Legal basis:

• 16th December 2005 Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration
• 24th October 2007 Ordinance in the admission, stay and exercise of a lucrative activity (OASA) FR

If you have been living legally in Switzerland for 5 or 10 years, you may be able to obtain a settlement permit (Permit C) under certain conditions.

See the information on the Population Service website (“service de la population”) – FR.

For EU/EFTA nationals, the EU/EFTA residence or establishment permit is valid throughout Switzerland. However, the holder is obliged to notify both the municipality of departure and the municipality of arrival of any change of address.

Refer to the information on the websites of the cantons concerned (for the canton of Vaud: Service de la Population website).

Non EU/EFTA (Third-country nationals):

Foreign nationals wishing to move their place of residence from another canton to the canton of Vaud must first request authorisation from the Population Department (“Service de la population”). The same principle applies to all cantons.

Definition

Individual employed by the EPFL under a public law contract who is seconded abroad for a fixed period and whose return to the EPFL is planned at the end of the secondment.

Condition: must have lived in Switzerland for at least 3 months prior to the secondment (must hold a Swiss residence permit and be covered by LAMAL health insurance).

1. Art. 50 OASA – Readmission after an absence from Switzerland for professional reasons

• The person concerned has temporarily stayed abroad on behalf of his/her employer or for the purposes of further training.
• The foreign police authority has assured the person concerned that he or she may return to Switzerland.
• The period of absence does not exceed 4 years

1.1 For EU/EFTA nationals holding a B permit :

• There is no restriction on retaining the permit for a period of secondment of up to 6 months, provided that these employees under EPFL contract keep their ‘centre of interest’ in Switzerland.
• If they stay abroad for more than 6 months without declaring their departure from Switzerland (automatic expiry) (art. 61 al. 2 LEI).

If the foreign national returns after his or her residence permit has expired, he or she is considered a newcomer. However, the LEI provides for special arrangements to facilitate the readmission to Switzerland of foreign nationals who have held a residence permit. Articles 49-51 OASA specify the conditions for admission in this case, making a distinction according to the reason for the stay abroad.

1.2 For EU/EFTA nationals with a C permit :

• There is no restriction on keeping the permit for a period of secondment of up to 6 months, provided that these employees under EPFL contract keep their ‘centre of interest’ in Switzerland.
• If >6 months per year, a request for authorisation of absence must be submitted to the SPOP**, in order to guarantee return. This authorisation allows the permit to be suspended for a maximum period of 4 years and reactivated when the employee returns.

1.3 For non EU/EFTA (third-country nationals) with a B permit :

• There is no restriction on keeping the permit if the permit is valid for the entire period of absence from the secondment for a period of up to 6 months, provided that these employees under EPFL contract keep their ‘centre of interest’ in Switzerland.
• If >6 months per year, a request for an absence permit must be submitted to the SPOP**, in order to guarantee the employee’s return and to obtain a copy of the insurance issued at the time of leaving Switzerland by the foreign police authority guaranteeing that the employee will be able to return to Switzerland.

Work and residence permits in the host country

It is the employee’s responsibility to find out whether a residence permit is required in the host country. We recommend that they contact the host establishment abroad in this regard.

Link for more information (FR): https://www.vd.ch/themes/population/population-etrangere/entree-et-sejour/etats-tiers/sejour-relatif-a-la-readmission-detrangers-en-suisse-retour-en-suisse

Returning to Switzerland after a period of absence abroad (FR): https://www.vd.ch/population/population-etrangere/entree-et-sejour/union-europeenne/retour-en-suisse-apres-une-absence-a-letranger

In the month preceding your departure from Switzerland, you must notify your commune of residence of your departure via the commune administration website or in person.

Readmission

Readmission to Switzerland after a stay abroad is governed by article 30, paragraph 1, letter k, of the Federal Law of 16 December 2005 on “les étrangers et l’intégration (LEI)”, as well as articles 49, 50 and 51 of the Ordinance of 24 October 2007 on “l’admission, au séjour et à l’exercice d’une activité lucrative” (OASA).

The main purpose is to enable people to return to Switzerland after having previously lived here on a permanent residence permit (C permit) or a residence permit (B permit).