Hi everyone,

Sorry if it is already asked but I have an important question. In a year, what is the maximum amount of time that I can spend outside of Switzerland?

It has been mentioned as 6, but if I do not make consecutive 6 months, and come to Switzerland in every 2-3 months for a few weeks, can I exceed this 6 months limitation? Or it is mandatory at total of 6 months in a year?

Thanks

It's not rigorously defined. The only thing so defined is that if you leave for more than 6 months at a time your permit is void (unless it's a C permit put on hold).

Otherwise it's up to the question of where your 'center of life' is, which is up to the authorities and courts to decide if there's a suspicion that it's not in CH. The law expressly says that "purely touristic visits to Switzerland don't interrupt the 6-month clock". On the other hand if you have a job that requires frequent international travel it's totally fine to spend 200+ days per year outside Switzerland (well before COVID it was ).

what is your real question, you know, the one that's burning a hole in your mind to ask this abstracted question?

Actually what I am asking is would it be problem if I exceed 6-months outside of Switzerland not at one time but in a yearly total? I will keep paying my rent, bills, insurance etc, everything while I am outside of Switzerland

then probably not, possibly, maybe not. *it depends*

what do you do? Does your employer or education institute need to know, possibly object? Where are you from, where will you go?

Not Wales I hope.

As so much in Switzerland, it depends. If the authorities suspect that you purely maintain your permit without actually having your center of life in Switzerland you might be in trouble. Continuing to pay rent and insurance is a factor but it's not enough.

Now the probability of the authorities getting wind of you being absent for a lot of time can obviously vary a lot (depends on you living in a large city or tiny village, neighbors' nosiness etc.)

This is like deja vu.
30 or more days in Switzerland working, requires a residence permit. As does 90 days or more without working. Do one of those in the year with a permanent abode and you should be fine. Centre of life defines tax domicile. It's perfectly fine to have no tax domicile in Switzerland. i.e. to have your 'centre of life' elsewhere.

I'm currently working at Switzerland with B Permit, but because of some family problems, I need to spend some time out of Switzerland at my home country.

But it would be good to know if it is ok to exceed this up-to 6 months limitation in total in a year not a continuous way

Ask the authorities if you want a definitive answer, although I'm not 100% convinced you'd actually get one :-)

A friend of mine has been out of Switzerland for least 18 months because of corona and there are allowances for that. One day those allowances will stop but probably not for a while.

I have quite same question. Can I leave Switzerland for 2 months, without having any rent, and informing the municipality that I am leaving. Afterwards come back and register in a new place?

I am a student with Student Permit B, and for Summer I want to leave to some island in Indonesia, chill a bit, because there it is much cheaper than 2 months in Switzerland. So, I was wondering if it is possible to keep the permit without having a place of residence during Summer. Quite stupid, but would be happy for your clarification. Thanks