I underestand that thanks to bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU, Swiss citizens may work in EU countries.

Can someone explain to me why the non-EU spouse of a Swiss citizen living in an EU country is either not allowed to work or may do so only with a work permit that is sponsored by a company?

Are non-EU spouses of EU citizens allowed to work in Switzerland?

My husband is Swiss, and is living in the UK, so we looked into this. A non-EU spouse of a Swiss citizen is fully entitled to work in the UK as if they were EU, but you need to apply for certain permits. Not sure how it would apply to other countries, although I believe it is similar.

That is really interesting. My Swiss husband and I (US citizen) are temporarily in Belgium. I have been advised that I cannot work (unless, of course, I could get an employer to sponsor me).

Could this be country specific? That seems strange to me. By the way, the lawyer told me that spouses from Iceland, Norway and Liechenstein CAN work here, so I wonder if it has something to do with the EEA (European Economic Area).

It shouldn't be country specific. I found a page to get you started on your search, from the EU: http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/nav/e...ens/index.html

Good luck!

It shouldn't be country specific, but it is.

It turns out that according to the bilateral agreement between EU and CH Article 7e, spouses of Swiss nationals are entitled to work irrespective of their nationality.
(http://ec.europa.eu/world/agreements...e&treatyId=112)

Unfortunately, The Kingdom of Belgium has not adopted this EU law/treaty into their national law and as such I am not allowed to work. I am not sure what that means for me yet in the long term and I am trying to find a way to challenge this, but with the amount of red tape it might take a while.

It is certainly something to consider for those of you who are also a non-EU/non-Swiss spouse of a Swiss national and are considering a move to Belgium or another EU country.

If anyone has any experience with this and can share what you did in your respective situation, it would be much appreciated.

Wow, that really sucks! Sorry to hear that for you, and good luck fighting the red tape!

Thanks. Apparently, Belgium is one of the worst countries when it comes to adopting EU laws. But since I have nothing else to do, I am going to challenge this anywhere I can.