Following the UK’s exit from the EU and the end of the withdrawal period agreed between the two parties on 31 December 2020, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) between Switzerland and the EU no longer applies with the United Kingdom. From 1 January 2021, UK citizens are no longer citizens of the EU; instead, they have the status of third-country citizens.
For information about the rights of UK citizens under the citizens’ rights agreement, please see “UK Nationals with acquired rights”.
For information on the rights of UK citizens who wish to work in Switzerland from January 1, 2021, please see paragraph “UK nationals coming to Switzerland to work from 1 January 2021”.
Switzerland is not a member of the EU. Switzerland and the UK have thus drawn up their own bilateral agreement on citizens’ acquired rights based on the AFMP.
The agreement protects AFMP rights acquired before 31 December 2020. Some of the areas covered by the new agreement are:
You’ll find further information on social security and the recognition of professional qualifications on the websites of the Federal Social Insurance Office and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.
UK nationals living in Switzerland who obtain a short- or long-stay residence permit before 31 December 2020 and are therefore officially registered in a local commune do not generally need to take any action. The same applies to persons with an EU/EFTA cross-border commuter permit.
However, UK nationals with a valid permit may be informed that they need to exchange their current permit for a different one. This will not affect their existing right to remain, as long as they continue to meet the relevant residence requirements under the AFMP. If they are not informed that they need a different permit, they must simply apply for a new permit before their existing one expires, as usual. After 31 December 2020, UK nationals will be issued with a biometric residence permit marked (in German, French and Italian) “In accordance with the CH-UK agreement of 25.02.2020”.
UK nationals who currently have a cross-border commuter permit and live in the UK or in a country that is not in the Schengen Area (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland, Romania) should contact the local cantonal authorities about obtaining a new permit.
UK nationals in possession of a permanent residence (C) permit do not need to take any action either.
In Switzerland the cantons are responsible for issuing residence permits. The issuing authorities in each canton can be found here:
Cantonal immigration and labour market authorities
The transition period agreed between the EU and the UK ended on 31 December 2020. During this transition period, the AFMP continued to apply to UK nationals in Switzerland and to Swiss nationals living in the UK. This meant that they could still acquire rights under the AFMP up to 31 December 2020. In order to benefit from the agreement on citizens’ acquired rights, UK nationals must have acquired rights under the AFMP by this date. Applications for short-stay, temporary residence or cross-border commuter permits had to be submitted along with all the necessary documentation to the competent cantonal authority by 31 December 2020.
Acquired rights depend on the residence status or type of activity exercised in Switzerland under the terms of the AFMP. The following conditions apply:
UK nationals who hold already a valid short-stay permit (L), residence permit (B), permanent residence permit (C) or cross-border commuter permit do not need to submit a new application to secure their acquired rights (see question 4).
Since 1 January 2021, all other UK nationals who do not fall under the terms of the agreement on citizens’ acquired rights and who wish to take up employment in Switzerland are subject to the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA). They are therefore subject to quotas and must apply for a permit before entering Switzerland (see “UK nationals coming to Switzerland to work from 1 January 2021”).
There are three major differences between the AFMP and the bilateral agreement on citizens’ acquired rights between Switzerland and the United Kingdom:
After 31 December 2020, UK nationals in Switzerland have the status of third-country citizens.
The rights acquired under this agreement are valid indefinitely, provided the conditions stipulated in the agreement are met.
The acquired rights are lost once the terms of the agreement are no longer met.
Example 1: A UK national who gives up their residence in Switzerland by announcing their departure to another country cannot ‘reactivate’ their acquired rights at a later stage. If they do not announce their departure, their short-stay permit or temporary residence (B) permit expires after an absence from Switzerland of more than six months. On request, a permanent resident (C) permit can be maintained for four years in case of absences from Switzerland.
Example 2: From 1 January 2021, a person who commits a crime and poses a threat to public order may lose their acquired residence rights based on the somewhat stricter provisions of the FNIA.
Example 3: UK nationals who become unemployed in Switzerland can stay in Switzerland while drawing unemployment benefits. After their entitlement to unemployment benefits expires, they must either find gainful employment or meet the requirements of another residence category under the AFMP in order to stay in Switzerland. Otherwise they will lose their acquired residence rights.
Example 4: UK nationals have the right to work in Switzerland as cross-border commuters. If a UK national loses their job in Switzerland, they also lose the acquired right to work in Switzerland as a cross-border commuter. If they change employers without a break, they retain the acquired right.
See the factsheets on the different residence categories as well as the AFMP FAQs (> Job loss) on the SEM website:
Free Movement of Persons Switzerland – EU/EFTA: Factsheets
AFMP FAQs
UK nationals seeking employment with an employer in Switzerland for a maximum of three months can no longer use the notification procedure. These UK nationals require a work permit in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA). The employer in Switzerland must submit an application for a work permit to the cantonal authorities.
For information on the rights of UK nationals who want to come and work in Switzerland after 1 January 2021, see “UK nationals coming to Switzerland to work from 1 January 2021”.
The notification procedure still applies to service provision by posted workers or self-employed workers from the UK.
More information on how to use the notification procedure is available here:
Notification procedure for short-term work in Switzerland
You have acquired rights if you have a valid residence permit (C, B or L permit) or a cross-border commuter permit (G permit) marked “EU/EFTA” or (in German, French and Italian) “in accordance with the CH-UK agreement of 25.02.2020” (see question 4). For more details, please contact your local cantonal authority where you live (or where you work if you are a cross-border commuter) in Switzerland.
Locally recruited staff: UK nationals who exchanged an EU/EFTA cross-border commuter, residence or permanent residence permit (permit G, B, C) for a legitimation card should contact the competent cantonal authority (place of residence in Switzerland or place of work for cross-border commuters) before returning their legitimation card.
UK nationals wanting to move to Switzerland are not covered by the agreement on citizens’ acquired rights. Please see «UK nationals coming to Switzerland to work from 1 January 2021».
The EU has revised Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 on visas in the light of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. With the revision of this regulation, UK citizens are exempted from visa requirements for a short-term stay (90 days in any 180-day period) for the Schengen area (therefore including Switzerland).
On 22 March 2019 the Federal Council decided to extend this exemption to UK nationals seeking to come to Switzerland for a longer period.
You can find more information on entry and visa requirements here:
General information on entry and visa requirements
No, because since the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union and the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, UK nationals now have third-country status, and so cannot come to Switzerland to look for work. UK nationals wanting to come and work in Switzerland are subject to the same admission requirements in the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA) as all other persons from third countries.
Information for UK nationals on working in Switzerland can be found here:
UK nationals coming to Switzerland to work from 1 January 2021
No, in order to work in Switzerland you first require a work permit.
Your employer can apply to the competent cantonal immigration and labour market authority for this permit.
Information for UK nationals on working in Switzerland can be found here:
UK nationals coming to Switzerland to work from 1 January 2021
UK nationals coming to Switzerland to work from 1 January 2021 are subject to the admission requirements in the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA). This means that from 1 January 2021 only essential managers and specialists from the UK will be admitted to work here, if this is in the overall economic interests of Switzerland. Persons with specialist professional knowledge or skills may be admitted if it can be shown that these skills are required. Swiss residents and EU/EFTA nationals are given preference, and the wage and work conditions standard for the location, profession or sector must be observed.
You should apply to the competent cantonal immigration and labour market authority for a work permit.
More information on the admission requirements for third-county nationals can be found here:
Non-EU/EFTA nationals
Information for UK nationals on coming to Switzerland to work can be found here:
UK nationals coming to Switzerland to work from 1 January 2021
Before you can be admitted to Switzerland to work in a self-employed capacity, the labour market conditions first need to be assessed. Besides giving proof of your qualifications and meeting other requirements, you need to show that your self-employment will have a lasting positive effect on the Swiss labour market (overall economic interest). You need to submit a range of documents, including a business plan setting out the activities you intend to engage in, market opportunities, plans to expand the number of staff employed (quantitative and qualitative), recruitment opportunities and planned investment, projected turnover and profit. You should also give information about existing connections with other companies and enclose your company’s certificate of incorporation and an extract from the commercial register. More information can be found in Section 4.7.2 of the FNIA guidelines (in German, French and Italian).
An application to work in a self-employed capacity should be submitted to the competent cantonal immigration and labour market authority.
If you have a short-stay permit, you can only change jobs if you have good reason, and only if you remain in the same sector and profession. An application to change jobs should be submitted to the competent cantonal immigration and labour market authority.
However, if you have a residence permit to work as an employee, there are no restrictions on changing jobs. If the residence permit was issued for a specific position explicitly linked to a labour market requirement or condition, an application to change jobs must be submitted to the competent cantonal immigration and labour market authority.
UK nationals coming to Switzerland to work from 1 January 2021 can only be admitted as cross-border commuters if they have lived for at least six months in a neighbouring country and within the border area (see Section 4.8.3 FNIA guidelines in German, French and Italian – not available in English). Their place of work in Switzerland must also be within the border area. More information can be found here: Section 4.4.12 FNIA guidelines (in German, French and Italian – not available in English).
An application for a cross-border commuter permit should be submitted to the competent cantonal immigration and labour market authority.
No, an existing residence and work permit for an EU/EFTA state does not automatically give you admission to the Swiss labour market or facilitate the regular admission procedure. Switzerland has a dual system for admitting foreign workers: EU/EFTA nationals are admitted under the Free Movement of Persons Agreement, while from all other countries – which includes the UK from 1 January 2021 – only managers, specialists and essential qualified workers are admitted in a quota system.
Information on labour market access for UK nationals can be found here:
UK nationals coming to Switzerland to work from 1 January 2021
An application for a work permit should be submitted by your employer to the competent cantonal immigration and labour market authority.
Following the UK's withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020 and the end of the transitional period on 31 December 2020, the free movement of persons no longer applies with the UK. Accordingly, UK citizens are considered third country nationals. Without this agreement, cross-border service providers from the UK with a stay of up to 90 days per calendar year would be subject to the admission requirements of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA). Through this agreement, they can continue to use the notification procedure for stays of up to 90 days per calendar year and are not subject to a prior labour market test.
This Services Mobility Agreement has been applied since 1 January 2021 and remains valid until 31 December 2025 (see media release of 21 November 2022 below).
It also provides Swiss service providers with simplified admission requirements in the United Kingdom.
The following categories of persons can benefit from the agreement:
This agreement also applies to service providers who are covered by the Swiss-UK Citizens' Rights Agreement.
The maximum number of employed UK nationals in Switzerland set by the Federal Council applies to service providers with assignments of more than 120 days. In 2023 up to 3,500 employed persons may be recruited from the UK: 2,100 with residence permits (B) and 1,400 with short stay permits (L).
This is possible if you, as a service provider, are seconded to Switzerland by your company based in the UK for a maximum of 90 days per calendar year. This is also possible for a maximum of 90 days per calendar year if you are a self-employed service provider based in the UK and are a UK national.
You can find information on the notification procedure here:
Notification procedure
An extension is possible, but a permit is required. Applications have to be handed in at the competent cantonal authority before the maximum of 90 days of the notification procedure is exhausted. The admission requirements of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA) apply and there is no legal claim to an extension.
An application for a work permit must be submitted by the employer to the competent cantonal migration or labor market authority.
The agreement on the mobility of service providers only covers cross-border service provision of up to 90 days per calendar year. For admissions of cross-border service providers from the UK for more than 90 days per calendar year, the admission requirements of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA) apply as for all other third-country nationals.
An application for a work permit must be submitted by the employer to the competent cantonal migration or labor market authority.
Information on the recognition of professional qualifications can be found here:
Brexit
No. Short-term stays for third-country nationals in the Schengen area is limited to 90 days in a period of 180 days, the days of entry to and exit from Switzerland included. It is the service suppliers responsibility to respect this rule. Short-stay calculator / Calculation tool
For visa requirements see question 1.9 FAQ Entry.