Visa

• The 27 EU Member States
• The EFTA Member States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway)
• United Kingdom
• Nationals of the following non-EU countries: Andorra, Australia, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Monaco, New Zealand, Saint-Martin, Singapore, Vatican City.

The D visa (long-term stay – more than 3 months) must be applied for at the Swiss representation closest to your place of residence abroad at least 3 months before the start of the activity, using the required form.

Usually, it takes 3 months to obtain a visa from the date on which the application is submitted. The 3 months do not include the time required to make an appointment with the Swiss representation to submit the visa application. It is therefore advisable to start this process as soon as possible.

This non-exhaustive list may vary depending on the representations.

• Employment contract or  invitation letter
• Ad-hoc form sent by HR
• Valid passport
• If you are single: your birth certificate showing your parents’ names (maiden name) – printed in English, French, German or Italian.
• If you are married: your marriage contract – printed in English, French, German or Italian. The birth certificate is not necessary.
• If you have children and they are travelling with you: their birth certificate – printed in English, French, German or Italian.
• Your family members (spouse and children) must apply for a “long-stay visa for family reunification” if they are accompanying you for a stay of more than 3 months.
• Your family members (spouse and children) must apply for a “tourist visa” if they are accompanying you for a stay of up to 3 months.

For some countries, it is not necessary to obtain a visa for a tourist stay or a visit to Switzerland limited to 3 months, while for others, it is imperative to obtain a visa to travel to Switzerland, whatever the purpose of the stay (tourism, taking up employment, etc.). Check whether :

• your family members (spouse and children) must apply for a “long-stay visa for family reunification” if they are accompanying you for a stay of more than 3 months, depending on their nationality
• your family members (spouse and children) must apply for a “tourist visa” if they are accompanying you for a stay of up to 3 months, depending on their nationality

Employment of over 3 months:

Exemption from the visa requirement for gainful employment if you hold a Schengen residence permit or a D visa valid until you start work at EPFL.

Employment of up to 3 months :

No visa is required if you hold a Schengen residence permit or a C or D visa issued by a Schengen state with a validity covering the period of employment at EPFL.

The visa only allows entry into Switzerland, which is why its duration is limited to 90 days.
The residence permit is issued to people who wish to reside in Switzerland, without necessarily working (studies, retirement, family reunification).
A work permit is issued to people who come to Switzerland to work with an employment contract or invitation letter, depending on their employment status.

If you absolutely need to leave Switzerland during the validity of your visa, i.e. for around 90 days (conference abroad, urgent return trip home, etc.), it is advisable to apply for a multiple-entry visa when you submit your visa application to the Swiss representation. This will allow you to return to Switzerland before obtaining your work and residence permit.

If you need to leave Switzerland and have not yet received your work and residence permit, check your visa:

• Whether it is a multiple-entry visa and whether it is still valid for leaving and returning to Switzerland.
• If your visa is not multiple-entry, you will need to apply for a new visa (return visa) from the Population Department – Foreign Nationals Division ( Service de la population – Division étrangers). If all the conditions are met, the return visa will be issued directly at their counter when you arrive.