Before you start

An employment contract with a Swiss employer
For third-country nationals: employer sponsorship, a quota place and a labour-market test
A Swiss address
Passport or national identity card

Step-by-step

1
Employer secures authorisation (third-country nationals)
Your employer applies to the cantonal labour-market authority, demonstrating that no suitable candidate was found in Switzerland or the EU/EFTA and that pay and conditions match local norms. Annual federal quotas apply and can run out.
Via employerWho: Your employer
2
Obtain an entry visa if required
Third-country nationals generally need a national D visa issued by the Swiss representation in their country once authorisation is granted. EU/EFTA nationals do not.
In personWho: You
3
Arrive and register within 14 days
Go to the Kreisbüro for your Zurich district with your passport, employment contract and tenancy agreement. This is the legally binding step and the one everything else depends on.
In personWho: YouWithin 14 days of arrival
4
Receive your permit card
The residence permit card (B or L) is produced after registration and biometrics, and arrives by post. Your registration confirmation covers you in the interim.
In personWho: Cantonal migration office
5
Register any change of address
Moving within Switzerland requires deregistering (Abmeldung) and re-registering at the new commune. This is not optional and is how the entire administrative system tracks you.
In personWho: You
6
Consider Permit C after five or ten years
Settlement permits give unrestricted residence and labour-market access. Nationals of some countries qualify after five years; most others after ten.
In personWho: YouAfter 5 or 10 years

Documents you’ll need

Passport or EU/EFTA identity card
Employment contract
Tenancy agreement or proof of Zurich address
Passport photographs
Marriage and birth certificates, for accompanying family

Things most newcomers don’t know

The 14-day Anmeldung is the hinge of the entire system.

It is not a formality. It produces your permit, starts your three-month health-insurance deadline, and is the document banks and employers ask for. Delaying it stalls everything downstream and can attract a fine.

Source: City of Zurich registration requirements

Third-country hiring runs against annual federal quotas.

Even a well-qualified candidate with a willing employer can be blocked because the canton's allocation for the year has been used. Timing an offer early in the quota year materially improves the odds — ask your employer where things stand.

Source: State Secretariat for Migration — work permits for third-country nationals

Your permit is tied to residence and employment, and moving means re-registering.

Switzerland tracks residents at commune level. An unregistered move is an administrative problem that surfaces at the worst moment — usually a permit renewal or a bank compliance check.

Source: ch.ch — moving within Switzerland

Permit C timing depends on nationality, not just years served.

Some nationalities qualify for settlement after five years under bilateral agreements; others wait ten. It changes long-term planning significantly, so check your own case rather than a general figure.

Source: State Secretariat for Migration

Common mistakes to avoid

Missing the 14-day registration window and stalling the health-insurance and banking chain behind it.
Assuming a job offer guarantees a permit for a third-country national — quotas and the labour-market test can still block it.
Moving apartment without deregistering and re-registering.
Treating the registration confirmation as the permit itself when dealing with authorities abroad.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.