Hi everyone. Newbie here. Hoping someone can shed some light on this one.

I've just started working in Basel. Caught the good weather it seems. I've submitted my forms for a residency permit and I've received a temporary permit until the full one comes through (hopefully) in 2 weeks.

I've also applying for family reunion for my wife who is currently living in the US and is a US resident. Question is, this green family reunion form is asking for the last 6!! pay slips from your job. Obviously having only just started I don't have anywhere near 6. Can anyone throw their weight into this one and say if it will be a problem. My work are quite good in writing any correspondence to back me up and I have a solid well written contract. But I know that might not count for anything if i don't have these pay slips.


one other point. I've read a few stories on here about couples trying to jump the gun by the non-sponsor coming over here as a tourist, awaiting aproval and then picking up the right to entry permit in Germany for example. Is this a route anyone would take seriously. Obviously being apart is killing us and we want to get this done asap.

Thanks in advance to any comments.

In case you have not already done it, you should check with US INS and file proper paperwork for your wife to be living with you in CH. Technically speaking, if you wife is living with you in CH, then she is not residing in the US and can not qualify as a US resident (after some time). Without the right paperwork in place, having lived with you in CH for a while, if/when she applies for the US residency extension or the US passport, the INS form(s) will ask for residencey details - depending on what you put in there, you might generate interesting questions from INS.

As far as I recall, the INS process is pretty straight forward and humane, as long as you are up-front with them, clear it with them before-hand, and let them know before yur wife comes to live with you in CH. Use resources in the US to help you with this, rather than the US embassy in Bern (they are focused in other areas and your wife is supposed to do it before she comes over to live with you).

I know of one person in similar situation, who did not clear things with INS up-front, and told INS/CBP after the fact. That person is now on a special CBP list and has to go through secondary interview process and other CBP precedures when he/she comes into and goes out of the US (do not know if the two are related, but do know that the person did not have to go through secondary process before).

Good luck.

technically you can't enter as a tourist if you are waiting for a visa to be processed, although some people have posted success stories it seems this is the exception rather than the rule, and yes being apart for 'visa reasons' is no fun at all

Aussie/Nomad, thanks for the swift replies. I'm glad i'm not the only one spending their friday night sat infront of a computer. I appreciate the concern over my partners residency, but we are up to speed on that one.

Yup i think entering as a tourist over complicated things but you said it yourself... it's no fun at all being apart.

anyone chip in with anything on these last 6 payslip requirements.

I think only your employer can help you out on this. Ask your personnel officer to call the authorities in Basel for clarification.

In the old days a B permit holder had to wait a year before the family could move to Switzerland! Maybe the 6 payslip requirement is now out of date, and someone has slipped up?

We were also asked for the 6 previous, which we didn't have. So we just sent in a random 6. Husband's employer also provided a letter saying that he was in employment and that they had no intention of sacking him any time soon. (A bit different situation, I was already here and asking for renewal of my permit). I would have thought the best thing to do is check with your employer and ask if they're willing to write such a letter, then ask the authorities if it's acceptable. (PS I'd advise you not to ask them in English, ask them in a national language!)

The OP is British. The employer has nothing to do with it.

She'll need an entry visa. Once she has submitted the paperwork she can come as a tourist and arrange to collect the visa from any Swiss embassy outside Switzerland. As for the payslips, just attach the page from your contract with salary details and you'll be fine.

Ok will do. Will give the immigration office a bell tomorrow morning too. Thanks for settling some nerves.


Right, have i got this straight? The purpose of my spouses' 'entry visa' is to declare that you intend to stay in Switzerland for 3 months and that basically without it you can't proceed with family reunification/application for residency. Hence why coming as a tourist and then trying to apply simply doesn't work as the guys at the local kanton will expect to see on your possession an 'entry visa' whether you need one for simply entering switzerland or not.

and tell me if i'm missing a step here as this is how the local kanton tried to explain to me. (though i appreciate they don't deal with immigration directly). I'm not a 100% sure at what point my spouse receives an entry visa? or how flying over on a tourist visa quickens anything up!

1. I obtain a residency permit - done
2. I fill in green 'family reunification' form along with required documents.. marriage certificate...etc
3. Spouse applies for 'long stay visa (type D)' at local Swiss embassy
4. Both sets of documents get sent to Bern where a decision is made - (within a min 8-10 weeks)
5. Berne informs my local Kanton and my Spouse's local embassy of the decision - hopefully a yes
6. Spouse returns to her local embassy to get a 'visa entry' stamped?
7. Spouse flies over and registers for residency permit at local Kanton within 8 days
8. Happy days

Why? Every time I've spoken to them over the phone in English they've been quite helpful? Or maybe i got them on a good day?

Yes and no. Even though US citizens can come to Switzerland for up to 3 months on the visa waiver scheme they still need a visa in order to take up residence i.e. longer then 3 months and are not technically allowed into the country until they are in possession of the visa. This used to be very strictly enforced but has become more relaxed in the last few years.

At this point she could come to Switzerland as a tourist.

As you are an EU citizen, it cannot be denied except in extreme circumstances like serious criminal activity .

She can arrange to pick it up at any Swiss embassy - France or Germany for example. Once in her possession she would register at the local geminde.

Or refer to point 3.

I'd like to see you pop into a Zurich Kreisburo and ask them in Italian .

I'm a bit confused. If the primary visa holder is on a British passport, but their spouse is on a US passport - doesn't it revert to the rules for UK/EU and therefore they won't have a huge problem getting the permission ?

The only way I can see it going wrong is if the spouse (US) overstays Switzerland whilst waiting for it to get sorted out - but if they are married to a UK citizen, couldn't they just go to the UK for a few weeks/months until it gets sorted ?

Oh, and I can definitely agree with dealing with the Swiss consulate general, in your home country, but in this case I'd try the UK one - I am sure you are not the first UK citizen to have a US spouse!

Yes it does but the spouse still needs an entry visa.

3 months should be more than enough time .

Thanks Swissbob. I couldn't get through to immigration today on the phone, so have written a couple of thoughts.

So does her entry visa get stamped/stapled (not sure what the actual thing looks like) on her 1st visit to her local swiss embassy as she hands over her type D documents. Or does she have to return few days later after approval?


Don't I arrange that that via the initial 'family reunification form' by saying where we want to pick up the visa (section 4). Or can this 'pick up venue' be changed further down the line? and if so, how? as is seems to be one way correspondence from the Swiss authorities to ourselves after handing all the forms in.

Hi Swiss pea.. thanks for your input.

I'm sorry, but you have lost me here. My home country is the UK. My wife's is the USA. She'd only go through the US. We have never lived in the Uk together previously

Hi there, just a thought: you are in Basel.. if you want her to join you while waiting for paperwork, why complicate things? get her file from the US, then while you wait for the whole thing to go through, you guys can temporarily find a place to live in FR or DE around Basel.. she could be there on a tourist visa in the EU, nothing to do with CH; and bonus, it is cheaper...

Erm, that IS complicating things .

Her visa gets stamped as she enters Switzerland after picking it up ... if she can find anyone to stamp it, that is. These days as many as not turn up at the town hall with an unstamped visa and from evidence on the forum there's no problem with that.

Yep, put it on the form.