In the fourth quarter of 2025, more than 411,000 people were working in Switzerland while living on the other side of the border. That figure shows how attractive the labour market is, but crossing the border means paperwork. To work there legally, you will first need the right status: a G, B, L or C permit depending on the situation, or a notification procedure for certain short assignments.

Which one applies to you? It all comes down to three things: where you live, how long your contract runs and your nationality. This guide reviews Swiss work permits, how to obtain them, the steps involved, the renewal rules and the specifics to know when you keep your home in France.

Why is a work permit mandatory in Switzerland?

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Because all employment must be covered:

• either by a permit,
• or, for certain short assignments, by a prior notification submitted by the employer.

The rules are set at federal level, in particular by the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP), concluded between Switzerland, the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). It is applied by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Your file, however, is handled locally. As a rule, that means the canton where you work for a G permit, and the canton where you live for a residence permit. Hence the differences in formalities, documents and processing times from one place to another.

You are an EU/EFTA national: easier access through free movement

French, Italian, Belgian, or from another EU/EFTA country? As a national of the European Union or EFTA, the AFMP opens up the labour market to you more easily, as soon as you have a contract or a job offer. You are not subject to the annual quotas generally imposed outside the EU/EFTA. In 2026, Croatian nationals also benefit from full free movement.

You are a third-country national: stricter access conditions

If you are not from the EU or EFTA, the rules are tighter. You generally have to show high-level qualifications, and the company hiring you must prove that it could not find a suitable candidate locally or in the EU/EFTA. Your authorisation also depends on the annual quotas. In 2026, 8,500 authorisations are planned: 4,500 B permits and 4,000 L permits (source: Federal Council). It is your company that files and follows up the application with the cantonal authorities, not you.

G, B, L or C permit: which one matches your situation?

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Four permits cover most situations. This table helps you quickly identify the one that matches your profile if you are from the EU/EFTA. Outside the EU/EFTA, the durations and rules are different.

Information taken from the SEM’s official FAQ on free movement.

The G permit: for cross-border commuters

This is the most common permit among French nationals employed in Switzerland. The principle: you live in an EU/EFTA country, you work in Switzerland, and you return home, in principle every day or at least once a week. Good news: the “border zone” has gone. You are now free to live anywhere in the EU/EFTA, and not only a few kilometres from the Swiss border.

Your G permit, also called a cross-border commuter permit, is issued by the authorities of your place of work. It is valid for five years if you have a permanent contract or a contractual commitment of at least one year. For a job lasting more than three months but less than a year, its duration matches that of the contract. It is issued by the canton where you work. Obtaining this permit only settles part of your situation, however: daily life as a Swiss cross-border worker also means managing your salary in francs, your taxation, your health insurance and your pension.

The B permit: to live and work in Switzerland

Are you moving to Switzerland with a permanent contract or a contract of at least one year? You will in principle fall under the B permit. If you are an EU/EFTA national, it is valid for five years, renewable for five-year periods as long as your situation continues to meet the criteria.

In the event of involuntary unemployment for more than twelve consecutive months, the first extension may however be limited to one year. A fixed-term contract of at least one year therefore also gives entitlement to a five-year B permit. Below one year, you switch to the L permit. After five years of residence, a French national in principle becomes eligible for the C permit. The B permit opens the way, but moving to Switzerland also means anticipating life there and the arrival formalities.

The L permit: for assignments of less than a year

Have you been hired for a short assignment, between three and twelve months? It will be the L permit. Below three months per calendar year, no permit is required: the employer simply goes through a notification procedure.

Contrary to a common belief, the EU/EFTA L permit is renewable. Several L permits can even follow one another without you having to leave Switzerland, subject to the rules against abusively chained contracts. As soon as the job becomes open-ended or reaches one year, the B permit takes over. For a one-off assignment without direct employment, umbrella company employment can be an interesting solution.

The C permit: to settle in Switzerland for the long term

The C permit does not “expire”: it grants a residence entitlement with no time limit. Only the document attesting your status has to be renewed periodically, generally every five years. Your settlement right itself remains valid indefinitely.

Access to this status depends on your nationality. French nationals, like other nationalities covered by a settlement agreement, are eligible after five years of continuous lawful residence, subject to the applicable rules. For others, the ordinary period rises to ten years.

G, B or L: how to tell them apart without getting it wrong?

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For an EU/EFTA employee, two questions are almost always enough. Where do you live? And how long does your contract run?

G or B: it all depends on where you live

An example is always clearer: take a French national living in Annemasse who works in Geneva. He falls under the G permit, since he keeps his home on the French side and crosses the border every day. If he moves to Geneva, he will then switch to the B permit. The dividing line is therefore residence: you live abroad, you fall under the G permit; you move to Switzerland, under the B permit. This choice has concrete consequences. But be careful, they do not follow from the permit alone. Taxation and health insurance depend on several factors, which we set out below.

L or B: the length of the contract decides

Less than a year, it is the L permit. One year or more, or a permanent contract, it is the B permit. There is nothing more to remember, or almost. The table below will help you grasp the differences at a glance.

Good news if you are an EU/EFTA employee: family reunification is not reserved for B permit holders. It follows from your status as a worker under the AFMP, provided in particular that you have suitable accommodation. If you are not from the EU/EFTA, the rules are stricter and may vary locally.

How to obtain your permit, step by step

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The procedure depends on who you are and what you are doing: you are moving to Switzerland, or you are staying a cross-border commuter. The three situations below cover most cases:

• You are an EU/EFTA national and you are moving to Switzerland: the first thing to do is to register with your municipality of residence, within fourteen days of your arrival and before your first day of work (source: State Secretariat for Migration). The permit (L or B depending on the length of the contractual commitment) will then be issued by the cantonal or municipal authorities.
• You are an EU/EFTA national and you are becoming a cross-border commuter: here, everything depends on where you are employed. In Geneva, you or your company can file the G permit application. Elsewhere, it is generally handled by the employer. Prepare your supporting documents: valid passport or identity card, signed contract, proof of address abroad and the cantonal form. These documents then have to be sent to the competent local authority.
• You are a third-country national: if you are recruited from abroad, it is the company hiring you that handles your authorisation file with the competent authorities. It has to comply with the labour-market priority rules and the applicable quotas.

Processing times and starting work: what you need to check

How long will it take to get your Swiss work permit?

There is no national average: it all depends on your place of work, the type of permit, your nationality and your file. In Geneva, the cantonal office (OCPM) publishes indicative times: around three months for a cross-border permit application, six to eight weeks for a first residence permit with employment (EU/EFTA). As these times change from year to year, check the official information before setting your start date.

Can you start working before you receive your permit?

Here again, it depends on nationality, permit type and place of work. In Geneva, for example, for certain EU/EFTA G permits, the authorities sometimes allow work to start once a complete file has been submitted; this option has to be confirmed directly with the competent local office before taking up any post. Someone who is not from the EU/EFTA always has to wait for the authorisation.

Renewal, change of employer and end of contract: what you need to know

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Once you have your permit, three key moments remain to be anticipated: its renewal, a change of employer or the end of your contract. If you are an EU/EFTA national, the formalities are generally flexible, but they are not automatic: you have to follow the rules of your local authority and provide the requested supporting documents.

Renewing your G permit

As long as you keep a job in Switzerland and a compliant home abroad, renewal is in principle granted. But it is still subject to a formality: it is not triggered automatically. The deadlines are not set at national level: your local authority generally notifies you before expiry. Do not let your permit lapse without having started your application.

Changing employer

Are you an EU/EFTA national holding a G, B or L permit? You are free to change employer, without prior approval. Locally, however, it remains essential to report this change or to update your permit. This freedom does not apply to people from outside the EU/EFTA, whose authorisation is often tied to one employer or subject to fresh approval.

End of contract and the G permit

This is a point that is often misunderstood. After a dismissal, your G permit gives you no right to reside in Switzerland, since your home remains abroad (source: ge.ch). Remember to report the end of your employment to the cantonal authority. If you find another position in Switzerland, an update of the permit or a new application is sometimes required, depending on local rules.

On the compensation side, the logic sometimes comes as a surprise. If you lose your Swiss job and you live in France, you register with France Travail. It is France, your country of residence, that pays your unemployment benefit, based on your Swiss salaries.

The G permit: what effect on your taxes and your health insurance?

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Taxes: France or Switzerland depending on your canton

On the tax side, the canton makes the difference. A French resident employed in one of the eight cantons covered by the 1983 agreement (Bern, Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel, Jura) is in principle taxed in France, if they meet the conditions of the cross-border tax status and submit the required certificate (source: impots.gouv.fr). In Geneva, it is the opposite: taxation at source in Switzerland, with an obligation to declare in France.

Health insurance: LAMal or the French scheme?

On the health insurance side, the principle is affiliation in the country of employment, so Switzerland. But a cross-border worker living in France is, in principle, free to choose French insurance over LAMal. This choice, or the exemption request, has to be formalised within three months of your hiring date (source: FOPH).

Permit in hand: how to manage your salary in francs?

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Once the formalities linked to your permit are done, all that is left is to deal with what really matters: your salary. It arrives in francs, while a large part of your spending (groceries, bills, rent, etc.) is in euros. Every month, you will therefore need to convert part of your income. Nothing obliges you to convert everything, though: you can keep all or part of your salary in francs if that suits you.

As soon as you convert, pay attention to the rate offered, the exchange margin and any fixed fees charged by the provider you choose. A small difference in rate, repeated month after month, ends up making a big difference over a year. Compare the real cost of the various solutions to anticipate what you will actually receive. To estimate what you could receive after conversion, compare b-sharpe with the other currency exchange solutions.

Frequently asked questions about Swiss work permits