L permit Switzerland: short-term residence of up to one year, extendable to two. Requirements, procedure, job changes and the step up to a B permit.
The L permit is the Swiss residence document for temporary stays. Its legal basis is Art. 32 of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA): under para. 1 it is issued for stays of up to one year, under para. 2 always for a specific purpose and it may be linked to further conditions. Under para. 3 it may be extended up to two years, and a change of employment is possible only for important reasons.
This sets the L permit apart from the B residence permit under Art. 33 FNIA, which covers stays of more than one year, and from the G cross-border commuter permit under Art. 35 FNIA. The L permit is not a weaker B permit but a category with its own logic: a temporary purpose, a temporary duration and a firm link to one employer and one canton.
The decisive distinction is between two regimes. EU and EFTA nationals are covered by the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP), with no quotas and no priority for domestic workers. All others — third-country nationals — fall under Art. 18 ff. FNIA, with maximum numbers, a labour market test and personal requirements.
Who is eligible
The short-term residence permit covers a wide range of temporary stays:
- fixed-term contracts, for example cover for maternity leave or a defined project
- project assignments and installation work of clearly limited duration
- intra-group transfers and postings under a service contract
- internships and trainee programmes under trainee agreements
- education, further training and job-seeking by EU/EFTA nationals
- seasonal work in agriculture, construction and hospitality
- engagements of artists, musicians and athletes of limited duration
- provision of services under the AFMP
For EU/EFTA nationals, an employment contract of three months to under one year leads to an L EU/EFTA permit valid for the contract duration. Anyone working up to 90 days per calendar year needs no permit at all and uses the notification procedure instead: the notification is filed online before work begins, and for postings an advance notification period applies. This is the point most frequently handled incorrectly — companies apply for a permit they do not need, or fail to notify an assignment and expose themselves to sanctions.
For third-country nationals the L permit is available only if the admission requirements of the FNIA are met; Art. 23 FNIA restricts admission to managers, specialists and other qualified workers.
Requirements in detail
For third-country nationals the cantonal labour market authority checks a chain of cumulative requirements:
- Overall economic interest and employer application (Art. 18 FNIA): the application comes from the employer, not the employee.
- Maximum numbers (Art. 20 FNIA): short-term permits have their own quota, separate from residence permits. Once exhausted, the application fails regardless of qualifications.
- Priority for domestic workers (Art. 21 FNIA): the employer must show that no suitable candidate was found on the domestic labour market or in the AFMP states.
- Salary and working conditions (Art. 22 FNIA): a salary below a collective agreement or below the customary level leads to refusal.
- Personal requirements (Art. 23 FNIA): qualifications, experience and adaptability are assessed from diplomas and references.
Self-employment is governed by Art. 19 FNIA. Irrespective of nationality, applicants must also have secured accommodation, hold the compulsory health insurance and be free of grounds for revocation under Art. 62 FNIA. Under Art. 32 para. 2 FNIA the purpose of stay must be stated concretely; vague wording is not sufficient.
The procedure step by step
- The employer clarifies the category — notification, L permit or B permit — and, for third-country nationals, documents the labour market search before signing the contract.
- The employer files the application with the cantonal labour market authority, enclosing the contract, job description, salary details and personal documents.
- The cantonal labour market authority issues the preliminary labour market decision, reviewing priority, salary and qualifications.
- The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) gives its approval where required and monitors the maximum numbers.
- The cantonal migration office grants the entry authorisation and authorises the Swiss representation abroad to issue the national D visa.
- After entry the person registers with the municipality of residence, as a rule within fourteen days and before taking up employment.
- The cantonal migration office records the biometric data and issues the L permit card.
For EU/EFTA nationals the process is much shorter: registration with the municipality on presentation of an identity document and the contract, then issuance of the L EU/EFTA card. For assignments of up to 90 days the online notification is sufficient.
Required documents
- valid passport or identity card with sufficient remaining validity
- fixed-term contract stating function, workload, duration and salary
- cantonal application form, completed by the employer
- curriculum vitae, diplomas, professional certificates and references
- evidence on the priority of domestic workers: job advertisements, notification to the public employment service, evaluation of applications
- biometric passport photograph and proof of accommodation
- proof of compulsory health insurance, at the latest within three months of entry
- for internships and traineeships: proof of education and a placement agreement with learning objectives
- for education and further training: confirmation of admission and proof of funding
- certified translations of foreign-language documents where required by the canton
Duration and costs
| Constellation | Validity | Extension | Fees (vary by canton) |
|---|
| L permit, third-country national | contract duration, twelve months at most | up to two years (Art. 32 para. 3 FNIA) | around CHF 100–200 plus card fee |
| L EU/EFTA, contract three to under twelve months | contract duration | on contract extension, within two years | around CHF 60–150 |
| EU/EFTA employment up to 90 days | no permit, notification | not applicable | normally free of charge |
| Internship or trainee programme | as a rule up to twelve months | only within two years | around CHF 100–200 |
| Job-seeking, EU/EFTA nationals | several months | on proof of a genuine search | cantonal tariff |
All amounts are indicative. Fees and processing times are set at cantonal level and vary considerably; the tariff of the competent canton is binding. Processing takes a few weeks to several months, and visa procedures add time.
Rights and obligations
The permit authorises residence and employment exclusively within the approved purpose and with the approved employer. From this follow the category's key restrictions:
- Change of employment only for important reasons (Art. 32 para. 3 FNIA). A better offer is not enough; the authorities regularly accept business closure, insolvency of the employer or serious breaches of contract. The change must be applied for before the new position starts.
- No entitlement to extension. The extension under Art. 32 para. 3 FNIA is discretionary and capped at two years.
- Waiting period after exhaustion. Once the two years are used up, practice grants a new short-term permit only after a reasonable period abroad, its length depending on the canton.
- Cantonal restriction. The permit is valid in the issuing canton; a change of canton is governed by Art. 37 FNIA.
- Limited family reunification. Art. 45 FNIA governs family members of short-term permit holders. There is no entitlement, and those admitted receive a short-term permit themselves. EU/EFTA nationals benefit from the AFMP rules.
- Counting towards the settlement permit. Art. 34 para. 2 let. a FNIA requires ten years on short-term or residence permits, the last five continuously on a B permit. Time on an L permit counts towards the ten years but does not replace the five years on B; temporary stays are disregarded under Art. 34 para. 5 FNIA.
- Duties to notify changes of address and civil status, termination of employment and stays abroad. Health insurance is compulsory and income is generally subject to withholding tax.
Common reasons for refusal
- The quota under Art. 20 FNIA is exhausted when the application is filed.
- Priority for domestic workers under Art. 21 FNIA is not documented: no advertisement, one placed too late, or no evaluation of applications.
- The salary falls below the conditions customary for the locality, occupation or sector under Art. 22 FNIA.
- Qualifications do not meet Art. 23 FNIA or the diplomas are not substantiated.
- The purpose of stay is too vague or does not match the category, for example an open-ended contract calling for a B permit.
- The two years under Art. 32 para. 3 FNIA are exhausted without an intervening stay abroad.
- A change of employment is requested without an important reason, or has already taken place.
- Grounds for revocation under Art. 62 FNIA exist: false statements, convictions or social assistance.
- The authority sees a chain of short-term stays as an attempt to achieve permanent residence.
What to do if your application is refused
The decisive information is in the instructions on legal remedies attached to the decision. They name the competent instance and the deadline, generally thirty days from notification, which cannot be extended. Depending on the canton, the decision may be challenged by objection or appeal to the cantonal appeals body, then to the cantonal administrative court, again within thirty days.
Before the Federal Supreme Court, an appeal in matters of public law is excluded where there is no legal entitlement to the permit. With the short-term permit this is the standard situation, because it is discretionary. What remains is the subsidiary constitutional complaint, raising only violations of constitutional rights such as arbitrariness or the right to be heard.
A second route is often faster: a new, better documented application once the ground for refusal has been remedied — after a proper advertisement, a salary adjustment, or at the start of a new quota year. How an appeal is structured is set out in the article on challenging administrative decisions.
When legal advice makes sense
Legal representation makes a difference wherever discretion is exercised or deadlines are running:
- Change of employment during a short-term stay. The important reasons under Art. 32 para. 3 FNIA must be evidenced and legally framed; a careless submission uses up the application.
- Move from an L permit to a B permit, a fresh admission procedure with its own quota and labour market test, where timing and reasoning are decisive.
- Evidence on the priority of domestic workers, which has to be built up before the contract is signed.
- Change of canton under Art. 37 FNIA.
- Revocation or non-extension under Art. 62 FNIA, in particular after early termination of employment.
- Hardship situations under Art. 30 para. 1 let. b FNIA, where return after the two years appears unreasonable.
- Observing deadlines where a thirty-day appeal period is running.
Sobiera Legal Consulting advises companies and private clients in these proceedings; fees are set according to the scope of the mandate.
Related topics
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
How long is the L permit in Switzerland valid?
Under Art. 32 para. 1 FNIA the short-term residence permit is issued for temporary stays of up to one year. Under Art. 32 para. 3 FNIA it may be extended up to a total of two years. In practice the validity mirrors the duration of the employment contract or of the approved purpose of stay.
Can I change jobs while holding an L permit?
Only in limited circumstances. Art. 32 para. 3 FNIA allows a change of employment during a short-term stay only for important reasons. The permit is tied to the approved employer and purpose, and any change must be applied for and approved by the cantonal migration office before the new position is taken up.
What happens once the 24 months are used up?
The short-term permit is then exhausted. In practice the authorities require a reasonable period of residence abroad before a new L permit is granted, so that a chain of short-term stays does not become a de facto permanent residence. Alternatively a change to a B residence permit may be possible if its own requirements are met.
Do EU/EFTA nationals need an L permit for short assignments?
Not always. For gainful employment of up to 90 days per calendar year, EU/EFTA nationals and workers posted from those states only have to use the online notification procedure and no permit is required. The L EU/EFTA short-term permit is issued once the contract runs from three months to under one year.
Does time on an L permit count towards the C settlement permit?
Partly. Art. 34 para. 2 let. a FNIA requires a total of ten years of residence on short-term or residence permits, of which the last five years must have been held continuously on a B permit. Time on an L permit therefore counts towards the ten years but cannot replace the five years on a B permit. Temporary stays are disregarded under Art. 34 para. 5 FNIA.
Is family reunification possible with an L permit?
Only to a limited extent. Art. 45 FNIA governs family members of holders of a short-term residence permit. There is no legal entitlement; the authority decides at its discretion and normally requires suitable accommodation, sufficient financial means and cohabitation. EU/EFTA nationals benefit from the broader rules of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons.
How much does an L permit cost in Switzerland?
Fees are set at cantonal level and vary considerably. Depending on the canton, issuance of the permit and of the permit card typically costs around CHF 100 to 200, plus federal fees for the biometric identity card and, where applicable, visa fees. The cantonal fee schedule is always decisive.