In Basel-Landschaft, your residence permit is handled by the Amt für Migration und Bürgerrecht Basel-Landschaft (AMBU), the cantonal migration and citizenship office in Liestal. The canton applies the federal rules without any documented special practice of its own, and proceedings are in German. Standard cases take around six weeks as a rough guide.

In short

  • Your office: the AMBU, part of the cantonal Security Directorate. Current address, hours and online services: https://www.baselland.ch/politik-und-behoerden/direktionen/sicherheitsdirektion/amt-fuer-migration
  • Language: German, assessed on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
  • Processing time: around six weeks for standard cases, longer for first applications, family reunification and hardship cases. These are not guaranteed times.
  • Permits: B, L and C permits follow the federal standard.
  • Naturalisation: federal, cantonal and municipal requirements all apply.

About the canton

Basel-Landschaft is a German-speaking canton in north-west Switzerland with Liestal as its capital. It has around 290,000 to 300,000 inhabitants, and about a quarter are foreign nationals. For exact current figures, see the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

The canton surrounds the city canton of Basel-Stadt and is part of the economic area of the Basel region, which spans three countries. Many residents commute, among others into the pharmaceutical and life-sciences sector. Municipalities near the city are more urban; the valleys are more rural. The largest municipalities include Liestal, Reinach, Allschwil, Muttenz and Pratteln. For rents and housing figures, see the FSO or cantonal and federal housing statistics.

The law that applies

Basel-Landschaft applies federal law first. Cantonal law only fills in responsibilities and procedures.

  • Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA, SR 142.20): work (Art. 18), education (Art. 27), hardship cases (Art. 30 para. 1 let. b), the B permit (Art. 33), the ordinary and early C permit (Art. 34 para. 2 and 4), changing canton (Art. 37), family reunification (Art. 42 FNIA to 47 FNIA), end of the family unit (Art. 50), integration (Art. 58a and 58b), revocation (Art. 62 and 63) and SEM approval (Art. 99).
  • Ordinance on Admission, Period of Stay and Employment (OASA, SR 142.201): hardship criteria (Art. 31), language and integration (Art. 60 para. 2, 62 para. 1bis and 77d), family reunification deadlines (Art. 73), approval and notifications (Art. 85 and 86).
  • Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP, SR 0.142.112.681) and its implementing ordinance: a more favourable regime for EU/EFTA nationals.
  • Asylum Act (AsylA, SR 142.31): allocation to cantons (Art. 27) and legal advice in the extended procedure (Art. 102f).
  • Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA, SR 141.0): residence (Art. 9), conditions (Art. 11) and integration (Art. 12). The language requirement comes from the Citizenship Ordinance (SCO, SR 141.01, Art. 6 SCO).
  • Tax and victim support: the Federal Act on Direct Federal Taxation (SR 642.11, Art. 83 and 89a) and the Victim Support Act (SR 312.5).

The canton also has implementing law for the FNIA, a cantonal citizenship act and rules on administrative appeals. Find them in the official statute collection on baselland.ch. See the FNIA and OASA glossary, the AFMP glossary and the Asylum Act glossary.

Contacting the AMBU

The AMBU is usually organised into EU/EFTA residence, third-country residence, asylum and naturalisation. The cantonal administration is spread across several sites, so check the authority website above for the current address, counter hours and contact form. The SEM also keeps a directory of cantonal migration offices on sem.admin.ch.

Processing times

The AMBU publishes no binding processing times. As a rough guide, standard cases take around six weeks. The real time depends on your file, whether your documents are complete, the office's workload and the complexity of your case.

ProcedureTypical time
First B permit (work or family reunification)longer than six weeks
B permit renewalshorter than six weeks
Ordinary C permit (Art. 34 para. 2 FNIA)around six weeks
Family reunification from a third country (Art. 42 FNIA to 47 FNIA)longer, depends on the case
Hardship case (Art. 30 para. 1 let. b FNIA, Art. 31 OASA)much longer, depends on the case

If your case needs SEM approval (Art. 99 FNIA with Art. 85 and 86 OASA), expect several extra weeks to months. What the office tells you in your own procedure is what counts.

Language requirements

You prove your language skills in German.

  • Family reunification from a third country: as a rule, at least A1 (spoken) in German, or proof that you have registered for a language course (Art. 43 FNIA with Art. 73 and 77d OASA). This is a legal minimum, with exceptions set by law.
  • Early C permit after five years instead of ten (Art. 34 para. 4 FNIA with Art. 62 para. 1bis and Art. 77d OASA): as a rule B1 (spoken) and A1 (written) in German. The canton still decides at its discretion.

The fide certificate in German is recognised, as are the other certificates listed in Art. 77d OASA. Check baselland.ch for how the canton applies these minimums. See proof of language skills (fide A1/A2/B1).

B, L and C permits

  • L short-term permit: for time-limited stays for work or education (Art. 32 FNIA with Art. 18 and 27 FNIA). See the L short-term permit at a glance.
  • B residence permit: under Art. 33 FNIA, for work (Art. 18 FNIA), education (Art. 27 FNIA) or family reunification (Art. 42 FNIA to 47 FNIA). EU/EFTA nationals fall under the AFMP.
  • C settlement permit: normally after ten years (Art. 34 para. 2 FNIA), or after five years if you are well integrated and meet the language level above (Art. 34 para. 4 FNIA). The early permit is at the canton's discretion.

Public information describes the canton's practice as standardised and close to federal law. That does not predict the outcome of any application, and the canton responsible is always the one where you live.

Naturalisation

You need approval from the Confederation, the canton and your municipality.

  • Federal level: at least ten years of residence (Art. 9 SCA, which also counts some years double) and the conditions in Art. 11 and 12 SCA. You need B1 (spoken) and A2 (written) in a national language (Art. 6 SCO). The fide certificate and the other proofs listed in Art. 6 SCO are accepted.
  • Cantonal level: the cantonal citizenship act sets further conditions, including a minimum period of residence in the canton. Check the current period in the statute collection on baselland.ch.
  • Municipal level: each municipality has its own rules, and some run their own interviews and assessments. Ask your municipality how it works there.

See the Swiss Citizenship Act 2018 glossary and the naturalisation paths.

Asylum

Asylum applications are processed in a federal asylum centre in the relevant asylum region. If your case goes to the extended procedure, the SEM allocates you to a canton using its distribution key (Art. 27 AsylA). That canton provides accommodation and support, and you live and register there. In the extended procedure you get free legal help from the organisation mandated for the region (Art. 102f AsylA). Check sem.admin.ch for Basel-Landschaft's asylum region and the current legal advice organisation. See the Asylum Act glossary.

Tax at source

If you work here without a settlement permit, for example as a third-country national with a B permit, tax is usually deducted from your salary at source. The cantons regulate this within the federal harmonisation rules, and the federal side is in Art. 83 of the Federal Act on Direct Federal Taxation (SR 642.11). If your gross annual income is above the threshold, commonly set at CHF 120,000, you are assessed in the ordinary way afterwards (Art. 89a of the same act, with cantonal law). Confirm the threshold and the details with the cantonal tax administration.

Tax debts or debt enforcement do not by themselves lead to revocation of your permit. The grounds in Art. 62 and 63 FNIA concern public security and order. Your finances can only affect your status indirectly, through the integration assessment (Art. 58a FNIA).

For tax questions, ask the cantonal tax administration or a qualified tax adviser.

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