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Residence permits · Ci
Ci — Accompanying persons IO/diplomacy
Permit for family members of international officials and diplomats.
Last reviewed
03.06.2026
Statute as of
01.01.2008 (GSG in-force); current consolidation 2024
Statute citations
4 linked
Reading time
19 min read
As of: 01.06.2026 · Snapshot
Ci permit — residence permit for accompanying family members of employees of international organisations and diplomatic missions
Frequently asked
4 answers on this topic.
Concrete questions people ask about Ci — Accompanying persons IO/diplomacy.
Spouses and children (up to 25 years of age) of personnel of international organisations (UN, WHO, WTO, ICRC, ITU, etc.) and diplomats with a Carte de légitimation. Issued by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA), not by the cantonal migration office. Application via the respective international organisation/mission.
: 01.01.2008 — Entry into force of the Host State Act (GSG, SR 192.12); includes consolidations up to 2024 as well as the current practice of the EDA and the cantonal migration offices, in particular the Office cantonal de la population et des migrations (OCPM) Geneva.
Status
: AI draft — pending review by the supervising attorney of record (CLR — Lawyer-of-Record).
What this is about
The Ci permit is a special residence permit with the right to work for the accompanying family members of persons who are employed in Switzerland as staff of an international organisation, a permanent mission, a foreign embassy or a consulate. It does not regulate the status of the main person themselves (the main person usually receives a carte de légitimation from the EDA with the letters B, C, D, E, F, H, I, K, O, P or S, depending on their function), but rather the status of their family members, which is derived from this.
The Ci permit is legally distinct from ordinary foreign nationals law: it is primarily based on the Host State Act (GSG, SR 192.12) and the Host State Ordinance (V-GSG, SR 192.121); the ordinary Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (AIG, SR 142.20) only applies subsidiarily. This special regulation reflects the obligations that Switzerland has undertaken as the host state of numerous international organisations, particularly in Geneva.
Geneva context. In the Lake Geneva region alone, approximately 40,000 people live under the host state regime: employees of UN Geneva, WHO, ITU, WIPO, IOM, ICRC, GAVI, Global Fund, ILO, OHCHR, UNHCR, UNCTAD and over forty other organisations, in addition to the permanent missions and consulates. The Ci permit directly affects their spouses and children – and is therefore, in Geneva, the most significant “special regime” in terms of numbers, alongside the classic B/C permits.
Legal basis — what actually applies
Federal Law
Host State Act (GSG, SR 192.12) — Main legal basis. Art. 1 GSG defines the scope of application: intergovernmental organisations, international institutions, international conferences, permanent missions, special missions, consular posts, as well as arbitration tribunals and similar bodies.
Gaststaatverordnung (V-GSG, SR 192.121) — Implementing order. This contains the detailed rules on the stay of accompanying persons, in particular:
Art. 17 V-GSG — Access of the accompanying person to the labour market.
Art. 20 V-GSG — Continued stay after the main person’s employment has ended.
(The cited article numbers should be verified in light of the current consolidation of the V-GSG.)
Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (AIG, SR 142.20) — applies subsidiarily where the GSG and V-GSG do not contain their own provisions, in particular when converting a Ci permit into an ordinary B permit or when social integration takes place within the meaning of Fedlex·Art. 58a AIG.
Administrative practice
EDA — Manual for permanent missions (also “Manual on the application of the privileges and immunities regime”) — the operational reference work of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. It specifies the practice for issuing the Carte de légitimation, defines the categories of accompanying persons and describes the cooperation with the cantonal migration offices in the granting of Ci permits.
SEM — Host state instructions: specific instructions from the State Secretariat for Migration regarding the interface between GSG status and ordinary foreign nationals law.
OCPM Geneva — cantonal practice: the Office cantonal de la population et des migrations has its own Section Organisations internationales, which is responsible for the operational issuing of Ci permits, as well as for preparing the transition to ordinary B permits.
Who is eligible for a C settlement permit?
According to Art. 17 V-GSG and the practice of the EDA, the following are generally entitled to claim:
Spouses and registered partners of the main applicant (accompanying person in the narrower sense);
Children up to the age of 25, provided that they are financially dependent on the main applicant or are in full-time education;
Exceptionally, other family members (e.g. parents, siblings) who live in the same household and can demonstrably prove that they are dependent on the main person – the practice in this area is restrictive and based on individual cases.
The following are not eligible for Ci:
former spouses after a divorce has become final — the entitlement ceases upon divorce; see the section “Separation from the main person” and the comparative file life-events/le_divorce_art50.md;
Cohabiting partners who are not in a registered partnership, provided that the EDA does not recognise a so-called "stable cohabitation" in individual cases (the practice is restrictive and inconsistent, VERIFY in the EDA manual);
Individuals who are themselves the main applicant for a Carte de légitimation – they receive their own Carte, not a Ci permit.
Family members of persons holding an ordinary AIG permit (B, C, L, G) — the family reunification provisions of the AIG (Art. 42–45) apply to them, not the GSG regime.
Important distinction. The Ci permit is not family reunification for relatives of Swiss citizens. They receive a B permit under Fedlex·Art. 42 AIG. The common misconception that "Ci = family of Swiss citizens" is incorrect and leads to incorrect advice. For the correct scenario, see the file life-events/le_family_reunification_swiss_citizen.md (in preparation).
What is a C permit holder allowed to do?
Gainful employment
The most important point for practical purposes: the Ci permit allows gainful employment – and this in a significantly simplified form compared to the ordinary AIG regime:
Dependent employment is permitted without cantonal labour market testing. In particular, the priority for nationals is waived under Fedlex·Art. 21 AIG. The accompanying family member can, in principle, work for any employer in Switzerland – in the private sector, in the public service (federal government, cantons, municipalities), in non-governmental organisations or in another international organisation.
Self-employment is also possible according to Art. 17 V-GSG. It is subject to the general commercial, tax and social security obligations of Switzerland, but not to the immigration restrictions that apply to nationals of third countries under the AIG.
Study and training are possible without additional authorisation; a separate student permit (typically a B permit under Fedlex·Art. 27 AIG) is not required.
Occupation-specific restrictions remain in place. Anyone holding a C permit who wishes to take up a regulated profession — doctor, lawyer, architect, nurse, teacher — is subject to the general recognition of foreign qualifications (BBT/SRK procedure or registration in the cantonal bar register, Art. 6 LLCA). The C permit does not replace professional authorisation.
Social Security
Accompanying persons with a C settlement permit are generally subject to Swiss social insurance (AHV/IV, ALV, BVG, health insurance under KVG) as soon as they start working. This is in contrast to the main person, whose social insurance obligations are typically regulated by the headquarters agreement of the organisation or by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (exemption or the organisation's own system).
In practice, this means that when taking up employment, the holder of a C settlement permit must register with the competent cantonal compensation office, choose a Swiss health insurer and, if necessary, take out occupational pension insurance (BVG insurance via the employer).
Validity and Extension
The Ci permit is ancillary to the status of the main applicant:
It is usually issued at the same time as the accreditation of the main person by the EDA and is entered in the permit card (foreigner’s identity card Ci), which is issued by the cantonal migration office – in Geneva, by the OCPM.
The period of validity corresponds to the duration of the main person’s assignment or mission, typically scaled according to the contract duration.
Extension: This is carried out in conjunction with the renewal of the main person’s Carte de légitimation. An independent extension of the Ci permit without extending the main person’s accreditation is not provided for.
Termination: If the main person’s employment ceases – due to the end of the assignment, retirement, transfer to another location, or death – the accompanying person’s entitlement to the Ci permit will generally also terminate.
According to Art. 20 V-GSG (VERIFY article number in light of the current consolidation), after the main person’s activity has ended, the accompanying person typically has a period of 90 days to either leave Switzerland or submit an application to the competent cantonal migration office to change their status to an ordinary residence permit (B permit) under the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration.
Change from Ci permit to B permit after the end of the main person’s employment
This is the most critical moment for many families – and therefore the point at which qualified legal advice is most urgently needed (PHANTOM priority G11: “cliff-edge rights loss” upon cessation of the IO activity).
General
The V-GSG itself does not provide for an automatic transition of the Ci permit to a B permit. Instead, after the 90-day period has expired, the accompanying person transitions to ordinary foreign nationals law, where they are treated like any other third-country national – with the crucial difference that their previous period of stay in Switzerland under the Ci regime is generally not counted towards the length of stay required for the settlement permit (Fedlex·Art. 34 AIG) or naturalisation (Art. 9 SCA).
This non-recognition of GSG residence time is one of the most significant consequences of the special regime. A family may have lived in Geneva for fifteen years – the children attending local schools, the accompanying person employed – and yet, after the end of the main person’s UN assignment, they may still be considered “newly arrived third-country nationals” within the meaning of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration. The precise practice of crediting residence time is a matter of debate between the EDA, SEM and the cantons, and is the subject of ongoing legal development – VERIFY this against the current SEM instruction on host states.
Procedural avenues
Within the 90-day period, the following are eligible for conversion:
B permit for gainful employment (Art. 18 ff. AIG) — if the accompanying family member has taken up qualified gainful employment during the Ci period and the employer submits the application. The standard requirements then apply (quota restrictions, overall economic interest, priority for nationals, personal requirements).
B permit due to hardship case (Art. 30 para. 1 lit. b FNIA) — in cases of particularly close ties to Switzerland, in particular in the event of a long period of residence, integration of children, and lack of possibility of return. See the parallel file life-events/le_haertefall_art30.md.
B permit due to marriage with a Swiss national or a holder of a B/C permit — if the accompanying person has married a person entitled to reside in Switzerland during the period of the Ci permit (family reunification pursuant to Art. 42–43 AIG).
Student permit (Art. 27 FNIA) — if the person has commenced studies in Switzerland and wishes to continue them.
In Geneva, the OCPM Geneva handles these change of status applications in a dedicated department, which coordinates with the Section Organisations internationales. The preparation of the file – in particular, the documentation of the children’s integration, professional integration and Swiss language skills – should begin well before the end of the main applicant’s accreditation period, ideally six to twelve months in advance.
Separation from the main applicant
Divorce
With the final divorce, the status as an accompanying person ceases to exist. The former spouse loses the requirement of marital relationship with the main person and, as a result, generally also loses the right of residence under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons.
In practice, the divorced person will be transferred to the ordinary law on foreign nationals. The following options are available:
Remaining after Article 50 AIG — if the marital relationship has lasted for at least three years and integration has been successful, or if important personal reasons require a further stay. The precise applicability of Article 50 AIG to previous Ci constellations is differentiated in the case law of the Federal Supreme Court — VERIFY using current Federal Supreme Court case law. See the file life-events/le_divorce_art50.md for a detailed discussion.
Hardship case under Art. 30 AIG — see above.
Self-employed B residence permit due to gainful employment — if the divorced person is qualified and gainfully employed in Switzerland.
Death of the main character
In the event of the principal’s death during an active assignment, the special provision of Art. 20 V-GSG (VERIFY article number) applies accordingly: 90-day deadline, possibility of transfer. In addition, Art. 50 para. 1 lit. c AIG provides for an explicit provision regarding the continued stay in the event of the death of the spouse. In practice, a distinction is made here based on the specific circumstances – duration of the marriage, integration, and any children.
Family of the C permit holder
A holder of a C permit may, in turn, apply for family reunification, with the following distinctions:
Spouse of a C permit holder: If the spouse is also a family member of the main applicant, they will also receive a C permit – derived from the main applicant, not from the C permit holder. If they are not a family member of the main applicant, but a later addition, the standard provisions of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (Fedlex·Art. 44 AIG) on family reunification apply, with its more restrictive requirements.
Children under 18 years of age: receive a Ci permit without the right to work until they reach the age of majority. From the age of 18 and until they reach the age of 25, the Ci permit can be renewed – provided that they continue their full-time education – and then with the right to work.
Adult children over the age of 25: they are not entitled to an independent C permit; they may have to apply for an independent B permit (for study or employment).
Tax status — a common source of misunderstandings
This is the point at which practice most often breaks down, and is therefore a prioritised area for clarification (PHANTOM note):
The main individual (holder of the Carte de légitimation) is typically exempt from Swiss direct taxes on their salary under the Vienna Convention and/or the headquarters agreement of their organisation, but their personal status remains differentiated (tax residence, wealth tax on Swiss assets, property tax, etc.).
The holder of a Ci permit, on the other hand, is – as soon as she starts working – typically subject to regular taxation on her income from this employment. The Carte de légitimation of the main applicant does not extend to the employment income of the accompanying person. Specifically:
As a third-country national without a C permit, the holder of a B permit is typically subject to tax at source.
If earned income exceeds CHF 120,000 (variable at cantonal level), a subsequent ordinary tax assessment will be carried out.
VERIFY the cantonal Geneva practice: the Office cantonal de la population et des migrations coordinates, in part, with the Administration fiscale cantonale (AFC) — the tax status of the accompanying person is not automatically identical to the immigration status.
Social security contributions: The Ci permit holder pays Swiss social security contributions (AHV/IV/EO, ALV, BVG, NBU) like any other employee in Switzerland, provided they are in gainful employment.
The frequently encountered statement “as a family member of a UN employee, I am exempt from taxes” does not apply to the holder of a Ci permit in this general sense – and behaviour based on this assumption can lead to significant tax liabilities.
Carte de légitimation ≠ Ci-Bewilligung — the legal distinction
This clarification of terms is one of the fundamentals, because in practice they are constantly confused:
The carte de légitimation is issued by the EDA. It is the primary document for the main person – diplomats, international officials, consular officers – and bears a letter code (B = highest diplomatic category; C, D, E, F = graded; H = certain private-law employees of an IO without privileges; K = domestic staff; etc.). It confers the privileges and immunities provided for in the respective seat agreement or Vienna Convention.
The Ci permit is issued by the cantonal migration office (coordinated by the SEM). It is an immigration permit within the meaning of the GSG. It does not confer diplomatic privileges and immunities.
Practical consequence: The holder of a Ci permit is not protected by diplomatic immunity. She is subject to Swiss civil, criminal and administrative jurisdiction, just like any other foreign national with a residence permit in Switzerland.
What the Ci permit is not
To avoid the most common misunderstandings:
Family reunification is not permitted for families of Swiss citizens. They receive a B residence permit pursuant to Art. 42 AIG (in the case of free movement of persons: Art. 7 FZA). See — once created — the file life-events/le_family_reunification_swiss_citizen.md.
The permit is not issued to UN staff themselves. They receive a carte de légitimation from the EDA, not a Ci permit. The Ci permit is exclusively for their accompanying persons.
They do not qualify for the general third-country national status. Third-country nationals who are not affiliated with an international organisation or diplomatic mission will receive an L, B or C permit under the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA), depending on the circumstances, but not a Ci permit.
This does not fall under the asylum or protection regime. Anyone seeking protection for humanitarian reasons falls under the AsylA or the Protection Ordinance – and not under the GSG. See, for example, the file permits/permit_s_ukraine_temporary_protection.md for S protection status.
Geneva Special Practice — Guidance for Advisers
Given that the vast majority of Ci permits are issued in Geneva, it is worth examining the cantonal practice:
The OCPM Geneva maintains its own Section for International Organisations, which works in close proximity to the EDA’s Bureau de l’Hôte, both in terms of location and organisation. Applications are processed there in a coordinated manner.
When switching from a C permit to a B permit, the OCPM applies its own practice, which – within the framework of federal law – takes into account the family’s long-standing ties to Geneva. The exact criteria are not publicly codified and are a matter of administrative practice, not formal law. Informed advice takes this practice into account.
Educational integration: The holder of a Ci permit and their children can attend both the public schools of Geneva (Département de l'instruction publique, DIP) and international schools (Ecole internationale de Genève, ISG, Lycée français, etc.). This choice has no direct impact from an immigration law perspective, but it may play a role in a later argument based on hardship grounds (Art. 30 LEI/LStrI/FNIA) – a strong record of integration in the public school system is given greater weight in practice.
Legal representation in the Canton of Geneva: CLR (Lawyer-of-Record) regularly handles the aforementioned cases. For mandates, please contact the law firm directly.
When legal representation is recommended
Unlike the standard B/C permit, the level of advisory support in the Ci regime is traditionally lower (the HR departments of the international organisations often provide support with the initial issuance), and the most legally sensitive issues arise at the end of the stay:
before the end of the main cast accreditation (ideally six to twelve months in advance): prepare for the changeover from Ci to B;
in the event of divorce or separation, in particular if there are children of compulsory school age in Switzerland;
in the event of the death of the main applicant, in particular if the accompanying person does not have independent gainful employment;
in the event of disputes with the main applicant regarding the use of the Carte de légitimation (e.g. domestic violence – special protection provisions apply by analogy under Art. 50 para. 2 LEI/LStrI/FNIA, VERIFY);
in tax disputes concerning the scope of the Ci holder’s tax liability;
in the event of naturalisation at a later date, because the crediting of the GSG period of stay is disputed.
In all these scenarios, it is advisable to engage a lawyer registered with the cantonal bar; the duty to advise, as defined in Article 12 LLCA, is particularly relevant here.
Sources and further references
Primary sources
Gaststaatgesetz (GSG, SR 192.12) — https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2007/719/deVERIFY Current consolidation status.
Gaststaatverordnung (V-GSG, SR 192.121) — https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2008/734/deVERIFY Current consolidation status.
Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (AIG, SR 142.20) — https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2007/758/de.
Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Employment (VZAE, SR 142.201) — https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2007/759/de.
Administrative practice
EDA — Manual for permanent missions / Manual on the application of the privileges and immunities regime: https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/de/home/manuel-application-regime/intro.htmlVERIFY current URL and consolidation status.
SEM — Instructions to host states: to be checked under https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/de/home/publiservice/weisungen-kreisschreiben.html.
OCPM Geneva — Section for International Organisations: https://www.ge.ch/organisation/office-cantonal-population-migrations.
Related files in the corpus
life-events/le_divorce_art50.md — Continued residence after dissolution of the marriage (subsidiary in Ci constellations).
life-events/le_haertefall_art30.md — Hardship case under Fedlex·Art. 30 AIG (subsidiary conversion procedure).
permits/permit_naturalisation_paths.md — it should be noted that the contentious issue of whether to credit periods of stay under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons needs to be considered.
cantonal/major_canton_geneva.md — cantonal OCPM practice (in preparation).
life-events/le_family_reunification_swiss_citizen.md — the correct type of permit for family members of Swiss citizens, not the Ci permit (in preparation).
life-events/le_death_of_permit_holder.md — What happens after the death of the main applicant (in preparation).
Anti-Scope
This file does not provide a forecast of individual permit prospects (no-eligibility-prediction). It does not replace advice from a lawyer registered in the cantonal bar register (LLCA). A specific assessment of the prospects of converting a C permit to a B permit in a particular situation will only be provided as part of a mandate.
Revision note
This file is marked as an AI draft. A content review by CLR (Lawyer-of-Record) is required before publication. All references marked with VERIFY must be checked against Fedlex, the EDA Manual and the current SEM guidelines in the final editing stage. The refresh threshold is 90 days (stale_threshold_days: 90), and the Geneva priority is marked with geneva_priority: high.
As of: 01.06.2026 · Snapshot
Reflects the cited law as of the snapshot — not a check of current force.
