Please note: for each applicant a complete file is required.

For people intending to work in Switzerland.

All foreigners wishing to work in Switzerland need a special residence permit, regardless whether an employment contract has been concluded by a Swiss or foreign company or whether the work is paid or unpaid. Activities of temporary and interim employment agencies also require a work permit.

All information, regardless the source - be it from an agency or private person or from a newspaper - alleging that employment may be taken up with a tourist, visitor or business visa is not true. You must obtain a work visa before entering Switzerland. If you decide to accept a respective job offer, you should read your contract carefully and consult with a lawyer for legal advice.

If you plan to renew your contract after it has expired, you will have to leave Switzerland and apply for a new work visa at the Swiss Embassy in Moscow or the Swiss General Consulate in St. Petersburg. Please be advised that no special agreements exist between Swiss government officials (incl. Swiss Embassy/Consulate General of Switzerland) and employers in Switzerland or their partners. In all cases you must follow the procedure as mentioned.

If you arrive in Switzerland as a tourist and somebody offers you a job there, you cannot obtain a work permit in Switzerland. You must leave our country and apply for a work visa at the Swiss Embassy in Moscow or at the Swiss General Consulate in St. Petersburg.

After receipt of your visa, please check on the visa-sticker in your passport if your surname and first name, your passport number as well as the remark "raisons professionnelles" (professional reasons) have been stated correctly. 

Due to the international engagements contracted by Switzerland with its neighbours, priority is given to citizens of the European Union (EU) and to countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Only in exceptional cases fulfill citizens of other countries the conditions required to obtain a work permit, for example if they have exceptional skills or talents that no person in Switzerland and no citizen of an EU/EFTA-country can offer.

In case of illegal work, legal sanctions are severe.

Requiremed documents:

1. 3 application forms "Antrag auf Erteilung eines Visums für den langfristigen Aufenthalt (Visum D)" (Application for long term-stay visa, visa D) duly completed (in German, French, Italian or English) and signed by the applicant in person (consult "Visa forms / Photo requirements" on this website)
2. Passport which must be valid for at least three months after the date of the first departure from Switzerland and containing at least two empty pages
3. 2 copies of the applicant's passport (pages with photo, personal data and signature)
4. 2 copies of the last two Schengen visas (if applicable)
5. 4 identical, recent passport photographs, meeting Schengen requirement (three glued on the application forms, the fourth attached) (consult "Visa forms / Photo requirements" on this website)
6. Work contract (original plus 2 copies)

The applicant’s file will be forwarded for decision to the responsible immigration authority in Switzerland, therefore the Embassy/the Consulate General will charge additionally CHF 5.00 for postage (equivalent amount in RUB). The Swiss Embassy/the Swiss Consulate General can only issue a work visa upon receipt of the authorisation. Please note that the procedure takes approx. 6 – 12 weeks.

People wishing to work in Switzerland must apply for their visa in person.

The Embassy of Switzerland/the Consulate General of Switzerland reserves the right to:

• request additional documents
• summon the applicant for an interview