I have a B permit from Neuchatel. Since I am doing a PhD, this is the kind of B permit that is canton specific. My girlfirend works in geneva on an L permit, and recently we signed the lease for an apartment together, my name being on the application mainly to increase the chances of getting a place due to our combined salaries. I still have my place in Neuchatel and have no intention of giving it up, and continue to have my B permit issued from there, since that where my workplace is located.

Now I have a letter from the Geneva OCP saying I need to show up with my passport to discuss why I am living in geneva. My girlfriend made some enquiries, and was told that, to start with, we need to officially declare that we are living together. Then it wasnt very clear as to what will actually happen. If now we change the lease only to my girlfriends name, we might lose the apartment, and the OCP might smell a rat, both of which are no-nos.

I do want to retain my residence in Neuchatel, since commuting daily from geneva is not feasable. So does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing, being able to reside in two cantons at the same time? What can I do to minimize the bureaucratic hassles with the Geneva OCP.

thanks
Kaustav

You cannot reside in two cantons at the same time.

The only thing you can do is change the lease so that you appear as guarantor rather than co-renter.