Other residence permits and naturalisation

The Ci permit, so that the spouse of an international official can work

The spouse and children of an FDFA legitimation card holder have facilitated access to the labour market. The Ci permit makes it possible: it is requested from the canton, in exchange for the legitimation card.

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For whom

The employer or the spouse themselves

The employer hiring the spouse

The person is not subject to quotas, to priority for resident workers, or to the prior check of pay and working conditions: the FDFA certificate says so. We show you what to receive and when.

The spouse or child, for themselves

You accompany a diplomat or an official of an international organisation, in Geneva, Bern or Basel for example, and you have a job offer or a plan for self-employment: we prepare the Ci permit application with you.

The requirements of the law

Facilitated access, tied to the main holder's status

The right to work exists only while the main holder performs their functions and the family shares a household with them.

Who may work, and on what conditions

The spouse or partner and the children of members of diplomatic missions and consular posts, and of officials of international organisations, all holding an FDFA legitimation card, are authorised to take up gainful activity if they present an employment contract or a formal job offer. They receive a special residence permit (Art. 45 para. 1 OASA, Art. 43 para. 1 let. a and b OASA).

The facilitated access is limited to the duration of the main holder's functions. It requires that the person live in Switzerland and share a household with them (Art. 22 para. 1 OLEH). Unmarried children who entered Switzerland before the age of 21 benefit up to the age of 25; beyond that, ordinary foreign nationals law applies (Art. 22 para. 1 let. d and e OLEH).

On request, the FDFA issues a certificate for employers (Art. 22 para. 2 OLEH). The activity carries no privilege or immunity for its holder, who is subject to Swiss law and social insurance (Art. 22 paras. 4 and 5 OLEH).

Source : OASA (SR 142.201), Art. 43 and 45; OLEH (SR 192.121), Art. 20 and 22, Fedlex

The Ci permit

A procedure in three steps

The FNIA Directives of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) describe the steps: FDFA certificate, application to the canton of residence, exchange of the legitimation card.

What the FNIA Directives describe

The migration service of the canton of residence issues the Ci permit on presentation of the FDFA certificate of facilitated access and in exchange for the legitimation card. The person presents an employment contract, a formal offer or, for self-employment, a written declaration. Granting does not require SEM approval.

The Ci permit allows work throughout the country. In practice it ends, among other cases, when the holder has not worked for three months or the main holder loses their status. A third-country national who changes job, occupation or canton must request permission from the canton.

Source : SEM, FNIA Directives, nos. 7.2.3.2.1 to 7.2.3.2.3 (as at 15 June 2026); OLEH (SR 192.121), Art. 22 para. 3

Our work

What we do for you

Checking the status of the family member holding a legitimation card
Requesting the certificate of facilitated access from the FDFA
Preparing the employer's documents and the employment contract
Filing the Ci permit application with the cantonal authority
Follow-up until the Ci permit is issued in exchange for the legitimation card
Advice on moving to another permit when the main holder's functions end

Documents

What generally needs to be gathered

FDFA legitimation card of the spouse or child
Certificate of facilitated access to the labour market, issued by the FDFA
Employment contract or formal job offer, or description of the self-employment
Valid passport and proof of shared household with the main holder
Employer's documents requested by the canton

Fees

One flat fee per person

Ci permit

CHF 800

flat fee per person

The permit allowing the spouse or child of an international civil servant to work in Switzerland.

Check of the family member's legitimation card
Preparation of the application and the employer's documents
Filing and follow-up with the cantonal authority
Advice on switching to another permit at the end of the posting

Offered mainly in Geneva, Bern and Basel, where international organisations are concentrated.

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.

All flat fees in this section

Limits of the engagement

The decision rests with the authorities

The first step

The spouse and the employer

Tell us who the main holder is, what the job offer is and in which canton.

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