Hi everyone

I am currently back and forth between switzerland and England but am hoping to stay here on a more permenant basis. My partner is Swiss and we have a 3 month old little girl. Does anyone have any info on how my daughter and i are able to stay in Switzerland on a longer term basis. I am under the impression i can only stay 90 days per half a year currently which is not great with a new baby as it restricts the time she gets with her father.

Also does anyone know of any groups etc where i could meet other English speaking people who also have small children as i would love to make some friends whilst here.

thank you x

You're an EU citizen, you and your baby can move here with your partner. Check out the threads on permits, etc., there's loads of information and help.

...with a proper subject title, that's where.

Well, that's welcoming

The only issue is that you are not, I presume, married to your child's father. However, as EU and with a child whose father is Swiss, I suspect the main issue is that the authorities will want to know how you are going to support yourself - your partner may have to act a guarantor. Best bet is to go and talk to the Gemeinde in Richti as your first port of call - in my experience they are very helpful.

Thank you for your reply��, I now have a place to start. As for the comment above I agree, those comments you dont need when all you are asking for is a little advice. ��

Unwelcoming probably, unnecessary sure, but not unwarranted. Not only are both of your questions answered time and time again on the forum, but your title is 100% vague and hardly even relates to your ultimate question.

1. Use the 'search' function by typing in keywords related to your question/s.
2. Be clear in your subject title, you'll attract those who are most knowledgeable and/or interested.

Not only is it annoying to some of us, but it helps you find the right information in the long run.

Oh, and welcome to EF

Oh come on, give the poor girl a break! It's her first post and how can you know whether or not she's used to using forums? Unless you want to scare away newbies? It's bad enough finding your feet in a strange environment in Switzerland as it is without having the imported locals making you unwelcome to boot. I think it's intensely unfair to jump on someone on their first post (and I say that as the admin of another forum set up around the same time as EF, and a 13-year veteran of using forums or one sort or another). Just because you've seen a question a million times, it's still new to the OP - and don't forget you were a newbie here less than 18 months ago.

Incidentally the post title turned out to be very effective: "where to start? Richti Gemeinde". Job done.

Go on, groan away now

Was it really that harsh what I said? No profanity, no abuse, no insults. I merely posted a response based on what I expected given the title of the thread. If you can't take a harmless comment like that with a grain of salt, then I'm afraid you won't last very long in this forum anyway. Besides, I think I offered some useful advice in my second post - no redemption points there?

I'm tempted to, as your clean slate makes me salivate...

The community here (among those who care at all) is divided on this. Some people are tetchy about newbies not doing searches, while others are more sympathetic, particularly when there is a human angle (3 month old child etc). As you might have guessed, I'm in the latter camp.

When it comes down to it, if a question pisses you off, why not just ignore it? Last time i said that, I got awarded 'bad rep' by someone (pretty unfairly IMO, and of course I'm not sore about it - ooo no... )

Often, although a question might seem to have been discussed before, it isn't always easy to find an exact match for the questioner's situation.

I quite understand that people might get tetchy about a regular not doing a search when they must have been around long enough to know it's a subject that frequently comes up. But in a situation where there is the human angle of a new mother with a very young infant trying to find information that affects 3 lives, I think it is rather churlish to jump on a first post (I think it's churlish to jump on a first post anyway, let alone in these circumstances).

EF alledgedly has a rep in some quarters of being a scary place where you need a very thick skin to post. I was always taught, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. I just didn't think your post was very nice, I'm afraid. IMHO of course.

The other factor is that her partner is Swiss. There is a bit of an undertone here that if your other half is a local, they should do at least part of your homework, especially as they probably know the language, and can very easily search for and read the local information.

On the 'flipside', locals often have zero understanding of how permits work as they've never had to go through the process to get one...

So, good luck VictoriaR. With your new bubs, and with your partner (hope he's a keeper) and with getting the info you need - I'm sure you will find it very straightforward if you head down to the local town hall where your partner lives and ask them about it. You could also try the swiss consulate general in your home country, as they would have seen it all before, and be most up to date with the current procedures specific to citizens of that country...