Dear All,

My apologies if this has been asked few times, but the situation with COVID is changing a lot, so I would be very grateful for any relevant info you might have

I will be moving to Zurich in June (contract signed) to work for well known international corp. I am an EU Citizen and will need a B permit.

3 Questions.

1) How long would you expect the issuance of permit B to take in Canton Zurich? What if there is something missing/should be added? How fast will they let me know/will they check the completeness of my application on spot? I will have ready ID, Passport, Contract, and rental...which brings me to a second question.

2) I am planning to live in 30 days AirBnB at the start and then move to something more long-term once I got my paperwork and permit in order. I spoke with the owner and she would be willing to sign/write a confirmation that I truly live there. Is that enough? I read that sometimes the migration office has an issue with short-term stays like that, but having owner confirmation should be enough to fix it, unfortunately, the requirements on this seem to be really inconsistent, since I read some ppl were staying for 2 weeks in a hotel and it was sufficient.

3) Is health insurance needed in order to obtain a B permit? I found online you need to get it in 3 months after arrival, which is fine...I just don't want to spend money on it before I get my permit.

Thanks a lot for answering my questions. I am fairly young and moving alone/without much help, so I want to make sure that I get everything right

Adding Question Please,
It is possible to apply for Permit B from Abroad? (I am married to a Swiss women and entitled to get B Permit)

Thank you very much

I would check with the cantonal migration office whether AirBnB is acceptable to them. Some cantons don't allow it for these sort of things.

No, you don't need health insurance for your permit, but you do need to arrange cover before the 3 months is up, otherwise the canton is likely to put you on their default health insurance scheme which may be more than you want to pay. Once you arrange cover you need to take it to your gemeinde admin office so they know you're covered.

No, you are not entitled to a permit of any kind unless your spouse lives/works here in Switzerland. They would have to show they can afford to support you financially since you're considered their dependent and also they would have to show their accommodation here is big enough for both of you. Requirements are similar to this:

https://www.ch.ch/en/family-reunification-eu-efta

I work as software engineer at my country and I and my wife (Swiss Citizen) are now in a process of relocating to Zurich.
I can't apply for any position in Switzerland from abroad till I get to B Permit?
Can I apply and say to the companies that I'm
entitled to get Permit B?

Thank you very much

You could try, but the emphasis is on hiring people who already live/work here and have a permit.

I'd wait until you've done the move and know you will get a permit before you start looking for a job.

I would def apply for jobs as soon as you can! It takes more than a hot minute to get a job here (depends on a lot of factors, but...), so the earlier you start, the better off you are! *Some* of your rejections may be from your permit situation, but then you'd be able to re-apply and be re-considered once you have a permit in hand.

Congrats on your new job and the impending move! Woo!
You can call the Kreisburo (depending on the Kreis you're registering in - where your airbnb is based) and ask them if that paperwork will suffice. In general, I find Swiss bureaucratic offices super helpful on the phone! Don't be afraid to call and ask questions! There are a number of weeks between registering at the Kreisburo and then the migrationsamt and then receiving the card in the mail, but you can begin to work prior to getting your card, since your employer will have registered you already. (The airbnb host should also register you with the Kreisburo -- this will make the process of your registration much easier.)

HR at your international corp should also be super helpful and explain the registration process with you and at which part of the process you'd be allowed to work and how long they expect that would take. For my husband, it was a matter of days. I assume they do this all the time, so it won't be a big deal to hop on the phone and explain how everything works with them specifically.

You are legally required to have health insurance as soon as you arrive, and often when you buy the insurance, they'll backdate it to arrival date. This isn't always the case, but just in case, you should be ready for that expense.

I've just got a non-EU B permit, approx 8 weeks from contract award.