Permits and family

The C permit, once the period of residence is reached

The settlement permit is granted for an indefinite period and without conditions. It does not come by itself: it has to be applied for, and it has to be shown that the requirements are met.

Request an assessment See the early C permit

For whom

Who can apply for the C permit

The employer, for an employee

A long-standing employee is approaching ten years of residence: you offer to prepare their application, and you no longer have to keep track of the expiry of their B permit.

The private individual, for themselves

You have lived in Switzerland for a long time under a B permit and want to know whether the time has come, and what has to be proved.

The requirements of the law

Duration, no ground for revocation, integration

Art. 34 para. 2 FNIA

The competent authority may grant a settlement permit to a foreign national who has lived in Switzerland for at least ten years under a short-term or residence permit, the last five years of which without interruption under a residence permit, who shows no ground for revocation (Art. 62 or 63 para. 2 FNIA) and who is integrated.

Temporary stays do not count towards the five uninterrupted years. Stays for education are taken into account where the person subsequently held a lasting residence permit for two years without interruption (para. 5).

Integration is assessed on four criteria: respect for public security and order, respect for the values of the Federal Constitution, language skills, and participation in economic life or acquisition of an education (Art. 58a FNIA).

Source: FNIA (SR 142.20), Art. 34 and 58a, Fedlex

Depending on nationality

Five years instead of ten, for certain nationals

Our work

What we do for you

Reconstruction of the residence history and calculation of the period taken into account
Check of the absence of grounds for revocation and of the integration criteria
Verification of the language certificate, or guidance towards a recognised certificate
Compilation of the file according to your canton's requirements
Filing with the cantonal authority and replies to its requests for further information
Follow-up until the decision

The documents

What generally needs to be gathered

Valid passport and current residence permit
Language certificate or equivalent evidence
Evidence of gainful activity or of current education
Depending on the canton: certificates on social assistance, extract from the debt enforcement register, criminal record extract

The documents and their form vary from one canton to another. We hand you the exact list with the proposal.

Fees

A flat fee per person

C permit (standard)

CHF 1,200

flat fee per person

The application for a settlement permit after ten years of residence, or after five years for the nationalities that benefit from it.

Calculation of the period of residence taken into account
Check of the integration criteria and of the language level certified
Compilation and filing of the file
Follow-up until the decision

See the service

Indicative amounts, excluding VAT (Swiss standard rate of 8.1% since 1 January 2024). They are confirmed in writing before any engagement, on the basis of the actual file. For an employer established abroad, the service is deemed to be supplied abroad within the meaning of art. 8 para. 1 LTVA and the invoice is issued without VAT. For a private individual domiciled abroad, the VAT treatment is specified in the proposal.

Limits of the engagement

The decision rests with the authorities

The first step

Applying for the C permit

Tell us the date you arrived in Switzerland and your successive permits.

Request an assessment The five services