Hi Everyone

My wife is a Swiss National and has found a job and a flat after moving back to Switzerland from South Africa. My mother-in-law will take our child over within a week to join her mother. Naturally, I'm South African, and will only come in 1 month to join my family.
Please answer me this: Do I apply for a visitors visa to go over and just register when I get there or is there another form/paper I need to fill in for the purpose of reuniting with my family..???

Regards,
Riaan

Yes. You need to apply for the family reunification visa at the Swiss consulate closest to where you live before you come to Switzerland. They will provide you with a D entry visa and then with that you can apply for your B permit when you arrive.

A month is a very optimistic time frame. I'm not sure it can get done in only a month.

There is a lot of information on this forum and on this site:
http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/...af/afosaf.html

Good luck.

As an SA citizen you must contact the Swiss Consular in Cape Town and apply for the Family Reunification visa(D). This process may take up to 3 months, so I would start on the documents asap. More info here
http://www.eda.admin.ch/capetown

Consulate General of Switzerland
Embassy of Switzerland (Jan-Mar)
Nr.1 Thibault Square 26th Floor
(Cm. Long Str/Strijdom)
Cape Town 8001, South Africa

Postal address
Consulate General of Switzerland
P.O. Box 563
Cape Town 8000, South Africa

Tel.:+27 21400 75 00
+27 21 418 36 69 (Embassy Jan-Mar)
Fax:+27 21 418 36 88
+27 21 418 15 69 (Embassy Jan-Mar)

Office hours
(for all public and visas applicants)
Monday-Friday: 09:00-12:00
Saturday and Sunday closed

Hi Riaan,
we are in the same boat, I (wife and EU Citizen) already in Switzerland and my husband and daughter (both South African) still in Cape Town. My husband is currently waiting for his police clearance before the embassy will accept his application for D Visa.
Would be great to hear how long they said it will take and do they keep the passport?