Hi,

I am PhD Student at University of Neuchatel and I have B work permit issued by the Canton of Neuchtael.

As part of my PhD research, I will be going to Africa for 12 months for fieldwork and data collection. However, my B permit will expire before I come back. What should I do in this case? Do I need to put my permit on Hold as I will be out of Switzerland for 12 months? Do I need re-entry visa for coming back in? Also, as I am going for 12 months I do not want to keep my apartment.

My PhD/ work contract will be valid for 6 months after the expiry date of my B permit. I would really appreciate any help with this. Thanks.

As far as I know, you automatically lose your B permit if you leave the country for more than 6 months

It is however possible to put your permit on hold for special reasons, and yours seems to be the case. If I were you I’d go speak with the authorities in person.

Isn´t that only for C permits? But you are right in saying to contact the authorities, as it is for your studies, they might consider this

Hello Mélusine and roegner,

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I went to a migration office and they said, Yes, I can go for a year. Although my permit will expire, they will give me re-entry visa for coming back and then I can get a new permit. It will break the continuity of my permits, however, it is preferable to me compared to other expensive option of coming back after 6 months to Switzerland and keeping an apartment here. It also works for me as I am not looking for permanent residence here and planning to go back after my PhD.

I was also abroad in the US for 7 months during my PhD at ETH Zurich. I was able to remain registered in Switzerland, sublet my apartment, and renew my B permit as soon as I returned. However, my permit expired until 1 month AFTER I returned to Switzerland. If it would have expired before, I would have requested to extend it BEFORE leaving for the US, not to have any issues to enter Switzerland afterwards. All the best in your year abroad!