Whether you need permission to change jobs depends on your nationality and your permit. EU/EFTA nationals and C permit holders can change employer freely and only have to report it. Third-country nationals on a B permit can also change employer without a new permit under Art. 38 para. 2 FNIA, but switching to self-employment, or a change that amounts to a new admission, needs approval. L permit holders face the strictest rules.

In short

  • EU/EFTA (B, C, L, G): free choice of job; report the new employer to the canton. A switch to self-employment changes the basis of your permit.
  • Third-country B: you may change employer without a new permit (Art. 38 para. 2 FNIA), but you must report it (Art. 90 FNIA). Self-employment needs a permit (Art. 38 para. 3 FNIA).
  • C permit: no approval, no priority check, no salary check (Art. 38 para. 4 FNIA).
  • L permit: a job change only for important reasons, usually within the same sector and occupation (Art. 38 para. 1 FNIA, Art. 55 OASA).
  • Do not start a job that needs approval before the canton has decided.

What decides your situation

Three things matter:

  1. Nationality. EU/EFTA nationals fall under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP, SR 0.142.112.681) and its Annex I. Third-country nationals fall under the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA, SR 142.20) and the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment (OASA, SR 142.201).
  2. Permit: B, C, L, G or Ci.
  3. The new job: employed or self-employed, and whether it is in the same field.

Keep in mind the difference between first admission, when the labour market and salary are checked in full, and a job change by someone already admitted, which Art. 38 FNIA treats more lightly.

EU/EFTA nationals

With a B, C, L or G permit under the AFMP you choose your job freely:

  • you can change employer within your field or move to another field without a new permit;
  • moving between employment and self-employment changes the legal basis of your permit (from Annex I Art. 6 to Annex I Art. 12 AFMP), but stays within free movement.

What you must do:

  • Report the new employer to the cantonal migration office or the residents' office. Registration is governed by Art. 10 OASA; the deadline for reporting a new employer is set by the canton, often a few days or before you start. Ask your migration office.
  • Report a move separately. If you also move municipality or canton, deregister and register within the deadline (Art. 15 OASA; a change of canton follows Art. 67 OASA). The municipal deadline is often 14 days, shorter in some cantons.
  • Update your permit if you switch to or from self-employment. The migration office issues a new or amended card.

There is no check of the employer or job like the priority rule in Art. 21 FNIA. The report only updates a right you already have under the AFMP (Annex I Art. 2 AFMP).

If you lose your job before starting a new one

Art. 61a FNIA applies. In simple terms:

  • L permit: your right of residence ends six months after involuntary job loss (para. 1).
  • B permit: it also ends six months after involuntary job loss, but only if this happens within the first twelve months of your stay (para. 1). Later job loss gives longer protection.
  • If you receive unemployment benefit beyond six months, your right ends when the benefit ends (para. 2).

See losing your job and your permit.

Third-country nationals on a B permit

It is a common belief that every change of employer triggers a full new labour-market check. That is not accurate.

What Art. 38 FNIA says

  • B holders admitted to work may work anywhere in Switzerland and change job without a further permit (Art. 38 para. 2 FNIA). This covers moving between employed jobs.
  • Switching to self-employment needs a permit, granted if the conditions of Art. 19 FNIA (let. a and b) are met (Art. 38 para. 3 FNIA).
  • L holders may change job only for important reasons and if Art. 22 and Art. 23 FNIA are met (Art. 38 para. 1 FNIA).
  • C holders may work employed or self-employed anywhere without restriction (Art. 38 para. 4 FNIA).

Every change still has to be reported under your duty to cooperate (Art. 90 FNIA) and the registration rules (Art. 10 OASA). In practice the new employer usually reports it and the authority updates your card. Whether you also need approval depends on the kind of change (new purpose, new canton, new type of activity) and cantonal practice, so ask your migration office.

What first admission checks

The full labour-market test applies mainly when you are first admitted to work (Art. 18 FNIA and following). That is why a change of field or a new admission is treated more strictly than a new employer in the same field.

  • Art. 18 FNIA: admission must serve the economy as a whole, the employer must apply, and Art. 20 to 25 FNIA must be met.
  • Art. 21 FNIA, priority for local workers: you can be admitted only if no suitable worker from Switzerland or the EU/EFTA was found. The employer must show reasonable recruitment efforts, typically advertising the job with the regional employment office (RAV) for a suitable period, posting it on the relevant job boards, and documenting applications and why they were rejected. Cantonal labour-market authorities check this, and strictness varies by sector, field and region.
  • Art. 22 FNIA, pay and conditions: these must be usual for the place, occupation and sector. Collective agreements, standard employment contracts and salary statistics (such as the Federal Statistical Office salary calculator) are the benchmark. Below-standard pay rules out admission even if the priority test is met.
  • Art. 33 FNIA, the B permit: normally limited in time (usually one year at first, renewable). If you were admitted for a specific purpose, such as a project, the authority can require you to report and possibly get approval for a significant change of purpose.

When approval is needed

If your change triggers a procedure under cantonal practice (a new purpose, a new admission, some changes of field):

  1. Application to the cantonal migration office or labour-market service, usually by the new employer, online or on paper depending on the canton.
  2. Documents: job description, (draft) contract, salary details, qualifications, and for a new admission proof of the priority search (RAV confirmation, adverts, list of applications).
  3. Checks: priority for local workers and salary, where they apply.
  4. Quota check: for permits subject to quotas, availability within the annual limits in OASA Annex 1 and 2. Whether a job change counts against the quota depends on whether it is a new admission; cantons count differently.
  5. Decision: if positive, your permit is updated. If negative, that change is not allowed.

Changing field. If you change not just employer but your whole occupational field, the authority may treat it as a new admission and check Art. 18 FNIA and following again, including the priority rule and your qualifications for the new field. Whether a change of field is still covered by Art. 38 para. 2 FNIA is decided case by case.

Quotas. The Federal Council sets annual limits in OASA Annex 1 (residence permits, third countries) and Annex 2 (short-term permits for service providers) and divides them between the cantons and the Confederation. If the quota runs out, a permit can be delayed even when all other conditions are met. The SEM publishes the current figures.

Processing time varies a lot by canton, sector, complexity and quota. Some cantons and their economic promotion offices offer faster handling for economically important projects. This speeds up the paperwork, not the checks.

C permit holders

The C permit (Art. 34 FNIA) is unlimited and not tied to an employer, field or activity (Art. 38 para. 4 FNIA). So:

  • no approval for a new employer;
  • no priority check under Art. 21 FNIA;
  • no salary check under Art. 22 FNIA, though collective agreements and employment law still apply.

What remains:

  • report a move if the new job comes with one;
  • if you become self-employed, report it to the migration office and register with the commercial register and your AHV compensation fund. No permit is needed while you hold a C (Art. 38 para. 4 FNIA); for EU/EFTA nationals, Annex I Art. 12 AFMP also applies;
  • if you move canton, Art. 67 OASA applies and your card is updated. Your C status is unaffected.

L permit holders

The L permit (Art. 32 FNIA) is tied to a purpose, usually a specific job with a specific employer, and normally lasts up to a year with limited extension.

  • General rule (Art. 38 para. 1 FNIA): a job change only for important reasons, and if pay, conditions and personal requirements are met (Art. 22 and Art. 23 FNIA).
  • Art. 55 OASA: you can be allowed to change job within the same sector and occupation if you cannot continue with your employer, or cannot reasonably be expected to, and it is not your fault.
  • Third-country L: a change of sector or occupation generally needs a new admission check (priority, salary, quota), in effect a new permit.
  • EU/EFTA L: a change is allowed under free movement and often leads to a B if the new job is open-ended or for at least a year.

Short assignments. For some short assignments of posted or short-term EU/EFTA workers, an online notification through the federal EasyGov portal replaces a permit. Stricter rules apply in sectors with higher risk of abuse, such as construction, hospitality, cleaning and security. The SEM and EasyGov publish the thresholds and exceptions.

Becoming self-employed

  • Third-country B (Art. 38 para. 3 with Art. 19 FNIA): you need a permit. It is granted if your business serves the economy as a whole and meets the financial and operational requirements. The canton usually reviews a business plan, may consult its economic promotion office, and issues an updated permit. The bar is high.
  • EU/EFTA (B, C, L): switch under Annex I Art. 12 AFMP. You must actually start the business and show it is viable, typically with early business records, a commercial register entry and AHV recognition as self-employed.
  • Third-country C: no new admission check (Art. 38 para. 4 FNIA), but you still register with the commercial register, AHV fund and migration office.

Special cases

UK nationals

UK nationals who lived in Switzerland before the Brexit cut-off date are covered by the Citizens' Rights Agreement (in force since 01.01.2021). They keep their L, B, C or G permit (marked as issued under the CH-UK agreement), giving free-movement-style rights at work: no priority check (Art. 21 FNIA does not apply), a report of a new employer under Art. 10 OASA and Art. 90 FNIA within the cantonal deadline, and self-employment on AFMP-like terms. UK nationals who arrived or started work after the cut-off date are third-country nationals (Art. 18, 21, 22 and 33 FNIA; quotas under OASA Annex 1). See the UK Citizens' Rights Agreement.

Cross-border commuters (G permit)

  • EU/EFTA: free choice of job anywhere in Switzerland (Annex I Art. 7 AFMP). Report the new employer within the cantonal deadline.
  • Third country (rare, mostly border regions): a job change needs a permit under the priority and salary rules (Art. 21 and 22 FNIA).

See the G permit.

Moving within a group

A new role with the same employer (the same legal entity) usually needs no full admission check, though your permit may need updating if the field, canton or type of work changes a lot. Moving between different Swiss companies of the same group is a change of employer and the normal rules apply. Check with your migration office.

Can a job change cost you your permit?

Changing jobs, even often, is not a ground for revocation. The grounds in Art. 62 FNIA are exhaustive. A job change can matter only indirectly:

  • False information about the job, employer or salary in a permit or reporting procedure can be a ground for revocation under Art. 62 FNIA.
  • Not reporting a change breaches your duty to cooperate (Art. 90 FNIA) and can have consequences.
  • Social assistance that is substantial and lasting can matter under Art. 62 FNIA. Debts, debt collection and tax arrears do not lead directly to revocation, but can count indirectly in the integration assessment.

See revocation of permits (Art. 62 and 63 FNIA) and the FNIA and OASA glossary.

Starting the new job

Art. 11 FNIA requires a permit to take up work, from the authority where you will work. So:

  • If your change needs approval (a new admission, a new purpose, self-employment), wait for the canton's decision before you start. Working without the required permit can bring fines or criminal consequences for the employer and consequences under immigration law for you.
  • If you are a B holder changing job under Art. 38 para. 2 FNIA, you still have to inform the authority (Art. 90 FNIA). Ask your migration office whether you need to wait for confirmation.
  • EU/EFTA nationals can start and report the change within the cantonal deadline.

Whether to resign before or after applying depends on processing times, your notice period and your own risk. If unsure, ask the migration office or a lawyer.

Tax and social insurance

  • Tax at source: without a C permit, tax is usually deducted from your salary. It is cantonal, and your new employer deducts it from day one at the right cantonal rate. If you also move canton, tax jurisdiction changes. Ask the cantonal tax administration.
  • AHV/IV/EO: contributions continue; your new employer registers you. If there is a gap, register with unemployment insurance.
  • Pension (BVG, second pillar): your savings move to the new employer's pension fund. If there is a gap, they go into a vested benefits account or policy.
  • Health insurance: unaffected; it is personal, not linked to your employer.
  • Accident insurance (UVG): your new employer registers you. In a gap, cover from the old job continues for up to 31 days; after that you can take out continuation insurance.

Cantonal differences

The law is the same everywhere, but procedures, forms and some discretion lie with the cantons, so strictness and processing differ. What counts is the canton where you work. See Zurich, Bern, Vaud, Geneva, Basel-Stadt and Ticino, and the deadlines table.