I am a Canadian (ie, non EU) and I have been living in Zurich for four years on a series of 1-year B-Permits.

My girlfriend is American (also not an EU country). She is currently living in the US, but she has lived with me here periodically as a visiting tourist. We are now ready to get married in Switzerland and get her a permit! I have visited the Migrationsamt and they gave me a list of instructions (in German) for how to arrange a "fiancee visa" for her. The first instruction seems to say that we need a lawyer...

Can anybody give me some advice about how to go about this process? Do I really need a lawyer? Can somebody recommend one in Zurich who could help?

Thanks for the info that the USA is not in the EU.

But on to the reply..

If the Migrationsamt tell you to get a lawyer, why question it?

My question. Do you really want to get married in Switzerland?

My wife(German) and I(American) looked at this, but we decided not to because of all the Swiss paperwork.

We ended up marrying in the US. The migration authority required
us only to get an Apostille( the equivalent of a notary public in the US )
for the marriage certificate. This cost about 30USD and spared us
all of the Swiss paperwork.

The guy simply wanted information not a smart@ss answer.

We are really just at the beginning of the process, so I think a wedding in the US is still a possibility. We kind of like the idea of doing a Swiss-style wedding where we do a civil ceremony here, then have a party here and also one for friends and family back in North America.

Do you need a "fiancee visa"? Can she not come over as a tourist, and stay for the 3 months she is allowed and during that time you simply get married?

Have a civic marrige in CANADA ,go to Niagara falls across the border to the USA have a other wedding in Las vegas,then to Switzerland und have a Swiss-style wedding I WISH YOU ALL THE LUCK BTW If you need a alphorn player and swiss music for your wedding near ottawa I have it A friend of mine played the alphorn at my Sons wedding

I think that is a great idea. Have the legal wedding there and a church
wedding here.

And all the mamas,papas, granddad, grannis ,sisters, brothers etc etc can be there to