You have 14 days after your arrival in Switzerland to register your arrival at your cantonal migration office. If you have a long-stay category D visa, you will also need to apply for your residence permit at the cantonal migration office within the first 90 days of your stay. To do this, you will need your ID, details of your Swiss visa, and proof of Swiss address.
You will be issued with a B residence permit which is valid for a year but renewable multiple times. This can take a few weeks to arrive. During this time, you won’t be allowed to leave the country.
Other things you will need to sort out within your first few weeks are:
Registering for healthcare in Switzerland
Opening up a Swiss bank account
Find out more in our Guide to relocating to Switzerland
Study grants and scholarships in Switzerland
Switzerland has a number of different types of scholarships available to foreign students. You will typically need to demonstrate both academic excellence and financial need in order to be eligible.
Swiss scholarships can be broadly split into the following types:
Additionally, you can check the list of the most affordable universities if you are looking to study overseas on a limited budget.
Transferring foreign qualifications in Switzerland
If you come to Switzerland to study, you’ll need to have your existing overseas qualifications recognized as well as any official documents translated into one of the national languages. This also applies to EU/EFTA students that don’t require a visa.
Swiss universities and federal institutes of technology are responsible for their own high school diploma recognition regarding admissions. You can find information out about individual country requirements on the Swiss Universities website.
For postgraduate studies, vocational training and work-based diplomas, the recognition process depends on your profession or field. You can find full details through the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
Learn more about studying abroad as an expat
You can also find out general information about recognition and translation of foreign academic and professional qualifications in Switzerland on the ENIC-NARIC website.
Working while studying in Switzerland
You can work up to 15 hours per week during term time as a foreign student in Switzerland. During holidays, you can work full-time. However, you will have to inform your cantonal immigration office about your work.
Students from outside the EU/EFTA can only take up employment in Switzerland after living there for six months. Additionally, your employer will need to get a work permit for you.
Study in Switzerland ConsultantIf you already hold a Master’s degree from a foreign university and you’re in Switzerland working for your Swiss university or institute, you don’t have to wait six months but can start work straight away.
You can find out more in our guides to Swiss work visas, finding a job in Switzerland, and Swiss CV and job application techniques.
Family members joining on a Switzerland student visa
Although EU/EFTA students can bring spouses/registered partners and dependent children with them to Switzerland, those from outside the EU/EFTA on a student visa cannot bring any family.
Family reunites, Switzerland student visa
This is because the Switzerland student visa only entitles you to a temporary B residence permit. If you are granted the right to stay after your studies and obtain a C settlement permit, certain family members can join you.
Cantonal migration offices can grant discretionary Swiss family visas in certain instances. Contact your local office for information. Standard exceptions are for those holding Confederation grants, doctoral students, visiting professors, post-docs, and other academics.
Cantonal migration offices can grant discretionary Swiss family visas in certain instances. Contact your local office for information. Standard exceptions are for those holding Confederation grants, doctoral students, visiting professors, post-docs, and other academics.
Our Guide to Swiss family visas explains all you need to know
After your study finishes and your Switzerland student visa expires
After you’ve completed your studies in Switzerland you can extend your temporary residency permit allowing you to stay for a further six months to look for a full-time, permanent job. During this job search period, you can work for up to 15 hours a week. This permit cannot be extended after six months.
To apply, you’ll need to go to your cantonal migration office and provide:
A certificate or other proof that you have finished your course
Evidence that you can support yourself financially during this time
If you find a job in Switzerland, your employer must submit an application to the cantonal authority where you’ll be working. While foreign graduates from Swiss university-level educational institutions are treated the same as Swiss graduates in terms of entering the job market – that is, the job does not have to be offered to Swiss or EU candidates first – the employer will still have to prove that the job (or you) is of particular economic or scientific importance before you will be issued with a Swiss work permit.
If you want to continue your studies as a postgraduate at a Swiss university, you can apply to extend your residence permit but you must already have an offer of a place. The maximum extension period is two years.
Appeals and complaints about student visas in Switzerland