Swiss residence permit without work: our support

Switzerland does not sell residence. There is no investment programme and no fixed price for a permit. What exists is a small number of legal routes for people who want to live here without working, and each one has its own conditions, its own paperwork and its own decision-maker. Our residence permit service helps you find the route that fits your situation and then carries the file through to a decision.

What this service covers

We look after the migration side of your move, from the first assessment to registration with your new commune. In practice that means:

• working out which permit route is realistic for you and your family
• choosing a canton where that route is practised, together with you
• gathering and preparing the documents the canton and, where needed, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) will ask for
• coordinating the permit with your tax position, since for non-EU applicants the two are often linked
• following the file with the authorities and keeping you informed at each step
• helping with arrival formalities once the permit is granted

Who it is for

The service is designed for people who want to live in Switzerland without a job here. That usually means one of three situations.

EU and EFTA nationals. Under the free movement agreement, retirees, people of independent means and other non-employed people may live in Switzerland with their family if they have sufficient financial means and comprehensive health and accident insurance. There are no quotas. The permit (a B EU/EFTA permit) is normally valid for five years. A C permit follows after five years for nationalities covered by settlement agreements; nationals of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia are normally on a ten-year track instead.

Non-EU nationals aged 55 or over. The retiree route (art. 28 AIG) requires a minimum age of 55, special personal ties to Switzerland, sufficient means that are reliably available for life, and no gainful activity in Switzerland or abroad apart from managing your own assets. Ties mean something real: earlier long or repeated stays, close relatives here or Swiss ancestry. Owning property or having business links is not enough on its own.

Non-EU nationals of any age with significant means. A canton may grant a permit where there is an important public interest, in practice a significant cantonal fiscal interest (art. 30 para. 1 lit. b AIG with art. 32 VZAE). You must move your centre of life to Switzerland and spend most of your time here. Work is only allowed abroad. This route is often paired with lump-sum taxation.

UK nationals deserve a special mention. Since 1 January 2021, those not covered by the Citizens' Rights Agreement follow the same third-country rules as other non-EU nationals.

How we work

1. First conversation. We listen to your plans, your family situation and your timing. Nothing is filed at this stage.
2. Route assessment. We check the legal conditions against your facts: nationality, age, ties to Switzerland, sources of income and whether anyone in the family intends to work.
3. Canton choice. Cantonal practice varies, so we compare the cantons that suit your lifestyle and where your route is realistic.
4. Tax coordination. For the fiscal-interest route, the canton needs to see your expected tax position. In Vaud, for example, a copy of the lump-sum agreement with the tax administration is one of the required documents. We align the tax ruling and the permit file so they tell the same story.
5. File preparation. We prepare the application, the supporting documents and, where required, the written commitment not to work in Switzerland or abroad.
6. Follow-up. For non-EU permits, the canton first signals its intention to approve, then sends the case to SEM, which has the final say. We follow both stages.
7. Arrival. Non-employed people staying longer than three months register with the commune within 14 days of entry. We help you plan this and the steps that follow.

What you get

• A clear written view of which routes are open to you and which are not, with the reasons
• A shortlist of cantons that fit both the legal route and your way of life
• A complete, consistent application file
• One point of contact with the cantonal migration office and, where relevant, the tax administration
• Honest updates: if the file raises questions, we tell you early

We cannot promise a permit or a timeline. The canton decides, and for non-EU applicants SEM must also agree. What we can do is make sure your file is complete, accurate and presented the way the authorities expect.

Typical questions we solve

• "I am 58 and British. Do my holidays in the Alps count as ties to Switzerland?"
• "My spouse is an EU national and I am not. Which permit should we apply for first?"
• "We want to keep a board seat abroad. Is that compatible with the fiscal-interest route?"
• "Can our children join us, and what does the canton look for?" For B permit holders under the AIG, the spouse and unmarried children under 18 may join if the family lives together in suitable housing and does not rely on social assistance.
• "If we buy a house, does that help?" Owning Swiss property gives no right to a residence permit.
• "When could we apply for a C permit?" For non-EU nationals the general rule is ten years, with an early C possible after five years of continuous B residence for people who are well integrated and speak the local language well. UK, US and Canadian nationals can be considered after five years, at the canton's discretion.

Related reading

• Residence for financially independent non-EU nationals
• EU citizens: the B permit without gainful activity
• Is there a Swiss golden visa?
• Moving to Switzerland from the United Kingdom
• Our tax ruling service

Start with your route

The quickest way to see where you stand is our short eligibility check. It asks a few questions about nationality, age and plans, and gives you an indicative route to discuss with us. Check your eligibility.