Hey guys,

I am a non-EU citizen who normally requires no visa to enter Switzerland. I am going to start a traineeship program in Switzerland. My L Permit has the same validity period as my contract. However, I plan to spend one extra month after my L Permit expires in Switzerland, be it to look for prospective new job or even just travel around this beautiful country. I have read a similar thread about it before; but seems there was no definite answer there. So my question, can I just straight away stay without any permit? (As a tourist I just need a passport and no visa to enter Switzerland)

I am thankful if anyone can enlighten me.

hi,

I am also non/fresh-EU, L permit - just got it extended cause the work contract got extended.
from what i know: yes you can stay as a tourist (as long as the rules allow it - i think up to 3 months, but i guess it depends which country you are coming from) without a permit and without a visa - having your passport with you is enough (i would recommend though to have a valid health insurance for the extra period you plan to stay)

PS: depending on your profile, but in most cases, is 80% impossible to get a job coming from non-EU country - the company has to fight for you and they will do it only if you are a unique case, easy to prove to Bern authorities that you are irreplaceable (the only realistic thing to hope for, is to get an extension of your present contract).

agree with Archie, the new company would really really have to FIGHT HARD for you, do you think its possible?

in addition, its better to ask immigration department to ensure its illegal for you to stay as a tourism, and surely...dont you dream to apply the social unemployeement insurance

Hey there...

I emailed someone from bfm.admin.ch and he told me that principally one should leave Switzerland once the L Permit expires. The reason he gave me is that since the purpose of stay already fulfilled, I should leave Switzerland, although as tourist I don't need a visa to visit Switzerland. He, however, advises me to consult to the cantonal immigration once more....

Maybe I should just cross the border and exit Switzerland and then reenter as a tourist...It sounds a bit silly, but maybe it's then acceptable, as the rule is "can enter without a visa and stay up to 3 months", but not "stay without a visa for 3 months"...Any opinion on the Swiss logic?...

I am thinking whether the thing would become more complicated if I have to go to Germany after my L Permit expires (usually I have german Aufenthaltstitel, but it expires during my stay in Switzerland - I don't need to renew it as I no longer stay in Germany, do I?). I might need to back to my universiyt in Germany to settle the final things about my study after my stay in Switzerland. The same no-visa rule is for me as tourist to Germany...

but you had better get a german stamp at the border to prove you LEAVE SWITZERLAND and then come back

i think is hard to get a stamp...i go very often to Italy and they do rutine passport control but no stamping...they didn't stamp my passport in airports either...but you can keep the train tickets with the date stamped by the "ticket checker" (sorry...don't know the name in EN)...just in case someone asks you...

i think you should stop worrying and see latter on...staying afterwards as a tourist should not be a problem...and anyways each person you ask, has a different opinion when you ask these kind of things to athorities, because usually people just do it and don't ask...so...they "might have not had a case before"