This table lists the deadlines that come up most often in Swiss immigration law, grouped by life event. The three you meet first are registering with your municipality (14 days), taking out health insurance (3 months) and, if you get a negative ruling, appealing it (usually 30 days). The hardest part is often working out when a deadline starts, so if you face one, get legal advice early rather than at the last minute.
In short
- On arrival: register within 14 days, health insurance within 3 months.
- Appeals: usually 30 days from receiving the ruling; in asylum cases sometimes only 5 working days.
- Time abroad: a B or C permit expires after 6 months abroad unless you applied for an extension beforehand.
- Family reunification: 5 years for a spouse and children, 12 months for children over 12.
- How deadlines are counted: they start the day after delivery, and a deadline ending on a weekend or public holiday moves to the next working day.
For how appeals work and how to count deadlines in detail, see the appeal pathway against rulings.
Arrival and registration
| Deadline | Time allowed | Legal basis | If you miss it |
|---|
| Register with your municipality (stay of ≥3 months) | 14 days from entry, before starting work | Art. 12 FNIA (SR 142.20), Art. 9 OASA (SR 142.201) | Fine; your permit may be delayed |
| Health insurance (LAMal) | 3 months from taking up residence | Art. 3 KVG (SR 832.10) | The canton assigns an insurer; premiums owed from arrival |
| AHV (old-age insurance) registration | Immediately; your employer does it, otherwise register with the cantonal compensation office | Art. 1a AHVG (SR 831.10) | Contribution gaps, back payments, fines for the self-employed |
| Report a new address in the same municipality | Usually 14 days (cantonal rules) | Art. 15 FNIA; cantonal laws | Fine; outdated data can cause trouble at renewal |
| Move to another canton | Apply for a new permit before moving | Art. 37 FNIA | Loss of the permit in the old canton; new application |
Renewal, expiry and appeals
| Deadline | Time allowed | Legal basis | If you miss it |
|---|
| Renew a B or L permit | Apply about 3 months before expiry (cantons: 2 to 4 months) | Art. 33 FNIA; cantonal rules | Late filing is possible, but long inaction plus time abroad risks expiry (Art. 61 FNIA) |
| Time abroad | 6 months for B and C; up to 4 years if you apply first (Art. 61 para. 2 FNIA) | Art. 61 FNIA, Art. 79 OASA | Permit expires automatically |
| Appeal against revocation or removal | 30 days from notification | Art. 50 VwVG (SR 172.021); Art. 108 AsylA for asylum: 5 or 30 days | Ruling becomes final and can be enforced |
| Restore a missed appeal deadline | 30 days after an unavoidable obstacle ends | Art. 24 VwVG | Deadline is lost for good |
Family
| Deadline | Time allowed | Legal basis | If you miss it |
|---|
| Spouse and children of a B holder | 5 years from marriage or from the B permit, whichever is later | Art. 47 para. 1 FNIA | Only for important family reasons (Art. 47 para. 4 FNIA), applied strictly |
| Children aged 12 and over | 12 months | Art. 47 para. 1 with para. 3 FNIA | Only for important family reasons |
| Family of C holders and Swiss citizens | Same deadlines by analogy (Art. 42 with Art. 47 FNIA); EU/EFTA rules in AFMP Annex I Art. 3 | Art. 42 to 44 FNIA | As above |
| Keeping a permit after separation or divorce | Right to renewal after 3 years of marriage plus integration, or for important personal reasons (violence, hardship) | Art. 50 FNIA; Art. 77 OASA | Loss of permit; a hardship application under Art. 30 FNIA remains possible |
Moving between permits
| Deadline | Time | Legal basis | Notes |
|---|
| L permit | 12 months, exceptionally up to 24 months | Art. 32 FNIA | Then leave, or switch to a B if you qualify |
| B to C, EU/EFTA | 5 years' continuous residence | Art. 34 para. 2 FNIA with AFMP Annex I Art. 12 | Not automatic; apply and meet the integration criteria |
| B to C, third countries | 10 years, or 5 with particularly good integration (Art. 34 para. 4 FNIA) | Art. 34 FNIA | No legal right unless special circumstances apply |
| F to B | 5 years of provisional admission | Art. 84 para. 5 FNIA | At the canton's discretion |
Naturalisation
| Deadline | Time | Legal basis | If not met |
|---|
| Ordinary naturalisation, federal residence | 10 years in total (years between ages 8 and 18 count double) | Art. 9 SCA (SR 141.0) | Application not admissible |
| Cantonal and municipal residence | Usually 2 to 5 years in the canton plus 2 to 5 in the municipality | Art. 18 SCA with cantonal law | Application not admissible |
| Facilitated naturalisation, spouse of a Swiss citizen | 3 years of marriage and 5 years' residence, including the last 1 year | Art. 21 SCA | Ordinary route stays open |
| Reintegration of former Swiss citizens | Any time; some cases have a 10-year bar | Art. 26 to 27 SCA | Refused in exceptional cases |
| Annulment for fraud | Up to 8 years after the grant | Art. 36 SCA | Annulment no longer possible |
Asylum
| Deadline | Time | Legal basis | If you miss it |
|---|
| Asylum application | As soon as possible (no fixed deadline, but delay can hurt credibility) | Art. 18 AsylA (SR 142.31) | Still possible, but a disadvantage |
| Appeal against non-admission (NEM) | 5 working days in the accelerated procedure | Art. 108 para. 2 AsylA | Ruling becomes final; removal |
| Appeal against a decision on the merits | 30 days in the extended procedure | Art. 108 para. 1 AsylA | Ruling becomes final |
| Work as an asylum seeker (N) | Not before 3 months after applying, with cantonal authorisation | Art. 43 AsylA | Illegal work; penalty under Art. 115 FNIA |
Travel
| Deadline | Time | Legal basis | If you miss it |
|---|
| Visa-free Schengen stay (third-country nationals) | 90 days in any 180 | Art. 6 Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399) | Criminal offence (Art. 115 FNIA); entry ban |
| Time abroad on a B or C permit | 6 months; up to 4 years if you apply first | Art. 61 FNIA with Art. 79 OASA | Permit expires |
| Passport validity when renewing | Beyond the new expiry date, usually with a 3-month margin | Cantonal practice | Application waits until you renew your passport |
Deadlines for the authorities
| What | Time | Legal basis | Notes |
|---|
| Processing a renewal | No legal deadline; usually 3 to 6 months | Art. 6 ECHR (reasonable time); cantonal law | Excessive delay can be appealed as denial of justice (Art. 46a VwVG) |
| Ruling becomes final | When the 30-day appeal period ends (Art. 50 VwVG) | Art. 39 VwVG | Can be enforced |
| Departure after removal | Usually 7 to 30 days; immediate with coercive measures | Art. 64 ff. FNIA | Detention pending departure or deportation |
How deadlines are counted
- Start: the day after delivery (Art. 20 para. 1 VwVG). A registered letter you did not collect counts as delivered on the 7th day after the first delivery attempt (Art. 20 para. 2bis VwVG).
- Weekends and holidays: a deadline ending on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday moves to the next working day (Art. 20 para. 3 VwVG).
- Summer pause: from 15 July to 15 August deadlines stop running in administrative appeals (Art. 22a VwVG), but not in asylum cases (Art. 17b AsylA).
- Missed through no fault of your own: apply for restoration within 30 days after the obstacle ends (Art. 24 VwVG).
Cantonal procedural deadlines often differ from the federal ones. If a deadline is running, get legal advice straight away.
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