Hi there,

I've arrived, started my job, and my employer has sent off for my B permit to be processed (Im EU citizen).

I vaguely remember the HR guy saying I need to register with the Canton, or local town hall or something along those lines (within 8 days?..).

Can anyone fill me in a little bit?

I'm in Geneva, although I'm temporarily living in France, just on the border, untill I can find a long term apartment in Geneva city.

Much appreciate any help,
Alan

Assuming it's the same as here, on the other side of the Röstigraben, you need to register at your local Gemeinde (I'm afraid I don't know what it's called in French but it's like the local council building place, where your taxes are collected, where you'll collect your permit etc). Don't forget to take your passport etc. You also need to let them know whenever you move address. They are very helpful and can also answer any questions you may have.
Hope you enjoy Switzerland (even over in the West, ha ha)! Good luck with the new job!

Thanks mate.

I didnt realise the permit would be sent to the local town hall, I assumed it was sent to the address I provided (which is actually a friends address in Geneva).

Anyhows, seeing as I work all day, do these offices open on Saturdays?

What happens if I dont go to register? (I cant imagine I'll have any time off in the next few months during the day when these places are generally open.. office hours seem to be 10-12 and 2-3:30 LOL)

Thanks again,
Alan

I don't know if it's the same everywhere, but my permit has always been sent to the Gemeinde. They then phone/write to say it's there. Don't forget you'll have to pay for it when you go to collect it!!!
I don't think they're open Saturdays but you can always check. I don't know what would happen if you don't register but I wouldn't risk it. Play things by the rules as you're new and don't want to get off on the wrong foor. Can't you take a day or morning off? It doesn't take long. If you have a driving license you'll have to sort that to. Best to pop down and see what they say. I might be naive in saying this but as you're Canadian I assume you speak French so language should not be a problem?

I only have experience of B permits. The process for those is he same in the Suisse romande as in the German part. Once the permit is processed by the Canton it will be sent to your Commune (Gemeinde equivalent) who will write to the address you gave on the application inviting you to come down to collect the permit. The letter tells you what you need to bring along. If you used a lawyer, empolyer or other agent to do the application and he used his address as your temporary or "care of" address then they will write to them and they can collect it on your behalf if they're willing to do so. From the Commune's point of view the issue of the permit to you is the "registration". Normally you are treated as a resident (for taxes, social security, health insurance etc) from the date of the permit so I'm not sure what happens if you start work whilst the permit is being processed. If you used a temporary address for the application you will need to notify them of any change of address.

Your Commune probably has a website. Look up "controle des habitants" which is section which deals with permits to find opening hours but if I recall they give you that info when they write to you. Mine isn't open on Saturdays but it's a small village. Maybe things in Geneva are different. I'm not sure but I think they tell you that you have to pick up the permit within a certain period.

If you don't register within 8 days then technically you can be fined and you get a black mark against yoru name straight away. Your employer should understand that registration is mandatory and has to let you go to do it.

Why did your employer apply for your permit? The procedure for an EU citizen is that you take a copy of your employment contract to the town hall when you register and a residence permit is issued a few weeks later.

Did you make the authorities aware of the fact that you are not living at the address used in the application - if not, then you should.

I would expect any half decent employer would have a work permit sorted out before the employee arrived. A confirmation for mine turned up a few weeks after starting work which allowed me to register, however, the official permit took 20 weeks to arrive at the Geminde for me to collect.

I would be surprised if the Gemeinde only opens at 10 - here in Zurich it (the Kreis 3 one anyway) opens at 8 and has a late closing one day as well. My husband managed to ask to be a little bit late for work one morning and get his done (without even being that late)

The place you need to go to is www.geneve.ch/ocp. As long as you have sent the permit application, two photos, a copy of your contract and a copy of current ID they are not bothered if you do not turn up in person. The permit (and payslip) will be mailed to you in due time (Geneva due time being longer than in German-speaking cantons...)

It's simply not necessary. You don't need any confirmation to register - the way you describe your experience is from the old days before EU citizens had freedom of movement.

You are probably right. I only arrived here in Nov. last year. It seems to be standard procedure for my company to do as much as possible for the new employee.
As far as I was concerned, one less thing for me to arrange.

.

I feel I must state once again as I have in the past, that these proceedures differ all over Switzerland from canton to canton, and no one should state dogmatically thats how it is. This causes great confusion and delay in peoples lives.
In Ticino at least, the permit is posted to you after you have applied to the permesso office, you then pay for it at the post office. Your town hall has nothing to do with it, although they may be notified of your presence at that address and you need to go to them within 2 weeks and register and pay medical ins.
There are many different approaches even in the case of EU citizens. My situation is a case in point.
Refering someone to a thread that vaguely covers some of the subject does nothing but add further confusion and frustration. If you dont know, and you are not an authority on the subject, rather hold your tongue for the sake of the poor immigrant who is stressed enough without more misinformation.
I include my experience here for illustation purposes. Feel free to comment or offer advice if you have been there and can help.


There are two of us we are not married my partner is Italian I am British, Up to now we have both been resident in Italy and Ive been running a language business in Como Italy.
We applied together for residence in Mendrisio last December after making all the enquires, we were told it was simple, it wasnt.
We both applied to live in Mendrisio and continue working in Italy , my partner is a manager for a firm.
We signed a house contract in my name and lodged deposit in the bank etc.
Then we waited for two weeks to pass.... which turned into months.
We spoke to them again, they said no problem just delays.
We went again via the head office in Bellinzona, which actually issues the permit, although one is forced to only speak to Mendrisio. After a four months they sent my partners B permit by mail and nothing for me, just a letter stating I should turn up at the Mendriso office.
I did this, they wanted more tax records of my company in Italy and every receipt ever issued since inception, 3 years. When given these, they sat on them for two months.
I eventually spoke to the man in Bellinzona handling this, by phone in March, and he said he wanted my 2007 tax return, as the two previous years were not enough info. My tax for 2007 hasn't been finanised yet as its due in May.
So I'm stuck going to the post box continually to look.
I went to my local town hall, where they shook they heads and said it should be easy as we are both EU citizens, and they gave us a letter saying we didn't need cassa medical insurance in CH as we pay it and work in Italy.Various business people we have met in CH have offered to help us try and motivate this, but dont know what they should do.
Maybe I should start a company in CH, I'm not sure if this will make it any easier however. It will certainly be a completely new application. We need to move forward, we can't get a phone or internet in my name or make any plans for freelance work that Ive been offered to do in CH, till I get it, and are shuffling between two houses.
We can't operate independantly, we are a couple, although the Swiss authorities dont consider us as such.
Will opening a sole trader activity (I already have free-lance contacts to work for some language schools in CH) be sufficent to motivate my new application for B permit? This is the question, we need an answer within the next two months.
Sorry its a long explanation but perhaps someone else has a similar story. All my friends here married a Swiss person or had a permanent job contract with a CH company who did the permit, and so don't have this problem, they got a B permit quickly, although they are not EU citizens like I am.

First

Then

Rather ironic.

I think you will find that I was responding directly to someone intending to live in Switzerland who has an employment contract for a company in the French part of Switzerland.

Your own situation is much more complex. For an EU citizen below a certain age to take up residence it is normal to have an employment contact for a Swiss company or branch, be a job seeker, be self employed IN Switzerland, or be a tax exile.