Chronicle · Ice hockey
Player subject to a visa: documents, entry and family, what changes in practice
The same legal regime for all third countries, but a different path of entry: legalisations, a visa and family reunification that needs preparing early.
The player's path
On paper, two players from third countries come under exactly the same regime: a work permit, a cantonal decision subject to the approval of the SEM. Yet a club that has already signed one is not done with surprises when it signs the other, because everything surrounding the decision can differ, starting with the visa requirement, which depends on the passport.
The road is longer before the filing
First difference: where entry into Switzerland requires a visa, a consular stage is added at the end of the chain, with its own timescales and its own requirements. Second difference: the documents. Diplomas, extracts and civil status records call for certified translations and legalisations, and some of these formalities have to be completed from the country of origin. A file waiting on an apostille waits, however impatient the dressing room.
None of this is a deal-breaker. All of it is slow when discovered along the way, and perfectly manageable when the list of documents goes out the day negotiations turn serious.
The question to ask at the negotiation stage
Is he coming alone, or with his family? It is the question we ask every time, because it changes the scope of the file. Residence for the spouse and children has its own requirements and its own documents, with the same translation and legalisation constraints. Family reunification prepared alongside the player's permit means a family that settles in calmly. Prepared as an afterthought, it means a player who spends his first season between two time zones, and it shows on the ice.
Our role, in the end, is the same as for any signing: making sure the only suspense left for the club is the sporting kind.
The first step
A signing under discussion?
The feasibility assessment examines the position, the player and the canton, then tells you frankly where you stand, before the signature.
The decision to grant a permit rests with the cantonal and federal authorities. We prepare the file and make its case, we do not guarantee its outcome.