If you work in Switzerland on a G cross-border permit and want to move here, you do not convert your G permit. As an EU/EFTA national with a Swiss job, you simply apply for a first B residence permit based on that job (AFMP Annex I, Art. 6). You register with your new municipality within 14 days, and the permit usually follows within 2 to 6 weeks.

In short

  • Who: G permit holders who live in France, Germany, Austria, Italy or Liechtenstein and want to move to Switzerland.
  • How: register with your Swiss municipality within 14 days, then apply for a B permit on the basis of your job.
  • No quotas apply to EU/EFTA nationals.
  • Health insurance: once you live here, Swiss insurance under the KVG is compulsory.
  • Tax: you move from tax at source as a cross-border worker to ordinary taxation in Switzerland.

Step by step

  1. Move your home to Switzerland: sign a lease, report your change of address and update your insurance.
  2. Register with your municipality within 14 days of arrival (Art. 12 FNIA). See registering in your canton within 14 days.
  3. Apply for a B permit at the cantonal migration office. Your municipality usually forwards the application.
  4. Provide your documents:
    • identity card or passport;
    • your current G permit, which the B replaces;
    • your employment contract or a confirmation from your employer;
    • your lease or proof that you own the property;
    • proof of Swiss health insurance;
    • your biometric data, taken on site.
  5. Switch your health insurance. As a cross-border worker you were often exempt from compulsory Swiss insurance, for example under the France-Switzerland arrangement (CMU-Frontalier) or another neighbouring country's system. Once you live in Switzerland, KVG insurance is compulsory. See social insurance and your permit.
  6. Receive your permit, usually within 2 to 6 weeks.

Other points

  • Quotas: do not apply to EU/EFTA nationals.
  • Family: your spouse and children can also move under AFMP Annex I, Art. 3. You can apply for their B permits at the same time or later.
  • Tax: once you live here, you are taxed in Switzerland under ordinary assessment instead of the cross-border withholding tax. This does not affect your permit, but it changes your tax situation. For tax questions, ask the cantonal tax administration.
  • Driving licence: exchange it for a Swiss licence within 12 months of moving (Art. 42 para. 3bis let. a of the Traffic Licensing Ordinance, SR 741.51).

Third-country nationals

G permits for third-country nationals are rare, mostly older or special cases. Switching to a B follows the rules for employing third-country nationals (FNIA Articles 18-21), including registration of the job and, where relevant, quotas. See the B residence permit for that process.

Related pages

B residence permit · G cross-border permit · Changing canton (Art. 37 FNIA) · AFMP glossary

Check this page again when cross-border agreements change, in particular the Switzerland-France social security agreement and the Switzerland-Germany agreement on cross-border commuters.