Hi,

Does anyone know this for a fact? Thisbis the situation.

I am trying to accelerate my date of arrival and start of work in Zurich (the latter not by choice). I have proof of EU citizenship but do not have an EU passport yet (due to processing backlog) but I do have another passport that allows me travel into Switzerland now, clearly as a tourist.

Do you know if I would absolutely need my EU passport to apply for the residency permit or will the evidence of EU citizenship suffice?

On the flip side, can an employer apply for the work permit based on the same evidence and not an EU passport?

Thanks!

They may have found evidence of water on Mars.

Employer certainly couldn't apply, they'd have to go through the whole non-EU hiring thing which would take months - and likely end up with you not having a job here.

Is that saying that the employer absolutely needs an EU passport and cannot proceed with just evidence of EU citizenship?


And you're right, we wouldn't be progressing at all if it were on the basis of a non-EU applicant.

We didn't need to show our passports for our residence permits. We took our birth certificates and marriage certificate.

It's possible to be a citizen of a country without necessarily holding a passport for that country.

I had both birth cert and many details for my daughter showing entitlement to not one but 2 EU citizenships and a passport application in Zürich and was told without a physical passport she would be deported, this was just for a residence permit. I already had one and a work permit. Given this I would expect that no passport means no permit. It may well be different though if you were to have a national ID card from an EU country.

And the previous two replies show how different the cantons can be when dealing with these things.

As an EU national you have to apply for your permit, an employer can't do it. As a non-EU, it's the other way around. An employer has to apply and get permission to hire you, you couldn't apply for a permit yourself.

Best to contact the Zurich migration office and ask them. They're the ones who'll be issuing your permit after all.

Migrationsamt des Kantons Zürich
Berninastrasse 45
Postfach
8090 Zürich
Tel.: 043 259 88 00
Fax: 043 259 88 10
Internet

Now that's a small but clearly material difference that I wasn't aware of.

I had thought that, even for an EU national,
(1) the employer would need to do something on their part to get an employment permit, and
(2) the employee would have to sort out the residency permit upon arrival and before commencement of work - hence the nature of my questions above.


If the above is the case, then is it now correct to say that all I have to do, as an EU national, is to show up at the local authority and sign up for residency (for simplicity sake, the L-Permit of the EU type), and show up for work, without the employer having to do anything else at any time with regards to permits?


This may be that watershed moment...

Yes, take along your employment contract, rental contract if you have one, and other documents and you should be able to register as being resident here. However, you're not supposed to start work until you have registered.

I would like to work in Switzerland. What are the conditions for getting a work permit?
Nationals of an EU-25/EFTA state now only need a residence permit: this residence permit doubles as work permit. However, a residence permit will only be issued if you have a valid employment contract. Nationals of an EU-2 state still require a separate work permit to work in Switzerland. The transitional period for granting a work permit has now been extended to 31 May 2016.

Gainful employment of more than 3 months
Within 14 days of their arrival and before actually taking up work, nationals of EU-25/EFTA states have to register with the local authorities of the commune in which they are residing and apply for a residence permit. A valid ID or passport and a written confirmation of employment (e.g. the contract of employment containing details of the duration of employment and the number of working hours) have to be presented. A residence permit will be issued depending on the duration of employment: a short-term residence permit (type L permit) for employment of up to 364 days or a residence permit (type B permit) for employment of at least one year or for an unlimited period.

https://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home...hweiz/faq.html

Of course it will depend on whether the migration office will accept your EU citizenship certificate without you having a passport to go with it. From the sounds of that an EU passport may indeed be necessary.

Many thanks for clearing that up for me, Medea Fleecestealer. It is crystal to me now.