Hi everyone,

I think I may have massively screwed up and need some advice.

I came to Switzerland in April 2015 as an au pair (in Vaud). During that time, the host family registered my arrival within 1 week and applied for the L permit (valid 1 year). A month into my stay I had to go home to London as my mother was very sick. I didn’t end on the best terms with the host family so when I left that was the last contact. No health insurance was taken out yet but a bank account had been issued to me (BVG) and I’m assuming my permit arrived at some point. I didn’t cancel the account or state that I was leaving Switzerland (at the time I was desperate to get home and the host family gave me no indication of what I might need to do on departing). I have just learnt that I needed to fill out a form telling the authorities that I was going to leave.

Honestly I haven’t even thought about it until recently as I am planning on returning to Switzerland now as my partner lives in Annemasse and I have been offered a job that requires a B permit in Geneva (but I’ll be living in neighboring France).

My major worry is how much trouble I have gotten myself in by not declaring that I left. As far as I know, if you don’t take out insurance within 3 months, they will issue one for me. If this is the case, it would be almost 4 years of backdated insurance bills waiting for me. Or does insurance stop once your permit stops? Would I be blacklisted? How about social contributions - would they backdate that (as far as I know, my employer would have been paying them)? Does anyone know what on earth would be waiting for me should I apply for a B permit and give them all my details?

I am fully aware how stupid it was to not look into the situation further when I left, but it wasn’t even a thought in my mind and I thought I was safe.

Any advice or knowledge of the system will help me greatly.

Thanks a lot!

Should probably add that I am have a UK passport

Interesting question. But I imagine your employers announced that you had left, and no insurance was ever taken out.

Personally, I'd come clean. Contact the Commune where you were registered and ask to speak to the 'Officer d'Etat Civil' who register residents- and explain the situation and ask them. Same for the Bank.

Are you in Annemasse now. How good is your French?

I would contact the commune where you were registered. The paperwork
could have been dealt with by your host family but perhaps not.

Thank you for your reply and information. I would hope they would announce that I left especially since everything was registered to their address. I will fly to Geneva and be in Annemasse this coming Friday until Tuesday so I can try and sort this out. I booked a flight as soon as I realised the mistake I made
My French is intermediate, I can get by but it definitely needs work. Thank you again!

Thank you for your reply, I will contact them for further information as soon as I arrive in CH this week!

L permits expire after 3 months if you leave without deregistering.

You won't get a B permit if you live in France. You'll have to apply for a G permit.

Good to know! And yes, definitely got the permit type wrong. Thanks for the correction

How do you feel towards the family that you left to clean up after you?

I *felt* resentment towards them for giving me a hard time during one of the most traumatising times of my life. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t drop everything if they learned their mother was days away from death, and unfortunately they couldn’t grasp this. People disappoint (thanks for your useful contribution), but I am over it.

You could also ask the Swiss Embassy in London for advice. They tend took be very helpful and perhaps more sympathetic. And of course they will speak English.

If you enter Switzerland on your way to Annmasse, you will find out if you are blacklisted. I’d call the embassy in London with a bit of urgency on Friday morning.

Good luck.

Eek.. very good point, I’ll give them a call. Thanks!!!

Great suggestion, many thanks

From Geneva airport, you can't really 'enter Switzerland on your way to Annemasse' lol

It is most likely you won't have to show your passport, either at the airport, or at Bardonney - if you come from UK.

I do the Geneva/UK trip up to three times a year and my passport is always checked in both directions at Geneva aiport. Shortly after the Brexit referendum the passport control queue for outbound flights had "UK" added to the "EU/CH" (or EEA/CH - I forget which) queue.

Odile, I believe that entering either CH or FR at Geneva airport on a flight from the UK will require her to show her passport. She is entering Schengen.

Yes, you are right, my passport will be checked. Come to think of it, I visited for a weekend in November and border control checked my passport and let me straight through without any questions or problems. So maybe all is okay on that front.

I don't believe this will be the case.

I have a friend who left and never deregistered then came back. He has now been here 8 years or so. He never had a problem getting a new permit.

They just deregistered him eventually. My guess is that the employer told the commune that she left.

Oh I hope so! Thank you for giving me hope