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Switzerland residence and citizenship

No residence route by investment with a stated minimum is on file for Switzerland. Ordinary naturalisation in Switzerland needs 10 years of legal residence.

Last updated: 9 November 2026

Checked — Sources last checked 9 November 2026 by the automated residence and citizenship review.

Residence routes in Switzerland

Investment, own-income, remote-work and permanent routes. Scroll across the table to see every column.

RouteKindMinimumProcessingTo citizenship
B Permit with Lump-Sum TaxationResidence by investment—3–7 months10 years
B Permit (Non-EU/EFTA Retirement)Retirement or own income——10 years
C Permit (Permanent Settlement)Permanent residence——10 years

"Minimum" is a cited investment threshold in its stated currency. A USD figure appears only when a supported conversion is on file; "—" means no supported amount is on file, not that it is free. "To citizenship" counts the years of residence before a naturalisation application. A zero-year entry states no residence wait; citizenship still needs a separate decision.

Work, family, study and other routes (3)
RouteKindMinimumProcessingTo citizenship
B Permit (Non-EU/EFTA Employment)Work—up to 2 months10 years
B Permit (Non-EU/EFTA Self-Employment)Work——10 years
B Permit (EU/EFTA Residence)EU / EEA free movement——10 years
Each route's conditions and sources

B Permit with Lump-Sum Taxation

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens.

Lump-sum taxation is a tax arrangement plus a separate B-permit application, not an investment purchase or citizenship grant. Henley quotes CHF 250,000–1 million annual tax, determined case by case; it is not recorded as a minimum investment. Fee amount and renewal fee are unstated. The 3–7 months are Global Citizen Solutions' range from first contact to permit issuance; complex cases can take longer. Citizenship follows the ordinary ten-year C-permit rule.

Sources: Ordinary naturalisation (State Secretariat for Migration), Swiss Residence Program (Henley & Partners, summary), Lump-sum taxation and residence (Global Citizen Solutions, summary)

B Permit (Non-EU/EFTA Retirement)

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens.

This is separate from lump-sum tax residence. No national fee, fixed investment minimum, renewal amount or processing bound is stated. Ordinary citizenship requires ten qualifying years and a C permit.

Sources: Residence for retired third-country nationals (State Secretariat for Migration), Ordinary naturalisation (State Secretariat for Migration)

C Permit (Permanent Settlement)

Settlement follows qualifying B/C residence. The cited SEM pages show five years for listed treaty EU/EFTA states and certain other nationals, or ordinarily ten years for other states; early settlement may also be possible with successful integration. The cited sources do not establish a nationwide application or renewal fee, investment minimum or processing bound. Citizenship still requires ten qualifying years in total and a C permit.

Sources: EU/EFTA C settlement permit (State Secretariat for Migration), Settlement permit periods (State Secretariat for Migration), Ordinary naturalisation (State Secretariat for Migration)

B Permit (Non-EU/EFTA Employment)

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens.

Employer sponsorship, labour-market priority and annual quotas apply. No nationwide fee, renewal fee or minimum investment is stated by the cited sources. SEM's typical six-to-eight-week file review is rounded up to a two-month typical maximum, with no firm minimum; complex cases can exceed it and visa issuance may add time. Ordinary citizenship requires ten qualifying years and a C permit.

Sources: Third-country work admission (State Secretariat for Migration), Third-country quotas (State Secretariat for Migration), Ordinary naturalisation (State Secretariat for Migration), Third-country employment processing (State Secretariat for Migration)

B Permit (Non-EU/EFTA Self-Employment)

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens.

This replaces the unsupported CHF 1 million 'Entrepreneur/Investor Permit': SEM states no universal minimum investment. No nationwide fee, renewal fee or bounded processing time is stated. Ordinary citizenship requires ten qualifying years and a C permit.

Sources: Third-country self-employment (State Secretariat for Migration), Third-country quotas (State Secretariat for Migration), Ordinary naturalisation (State Secretariat for Migration)

B Permit (EU/EFTA Residence)

Only for EU citizens, EEA citizens.

The permit is valid five years. No nationwide fee, renewal fee, minimum investment or bounded processing time is stated by the cited source. Citizenship requires ten qualifying years and a C permit; some EU/EFTA nationals can get C after five years, others ordinarily after ten.

Sources: EU/EFTA residence permits (State Secretariat for Migration), Ordinary naturalisation (State Secretariat for Migration)

Citizenship in Switzerland

  • Years of residence before naturalisation: 10 years
  • Years before permanent residence: 10 years
  • Dual citizenship allowed: Yes
  • Language: One Swiss national language; minimum B1 spoken and A2 written (cantons may add requirements)
  • Residence and presence: 10 years' residence, including 3 of the last 5 before application; 2–5 years in the canton/commune; C permit required

Ordinary naturalisation after ten qualifying residence years with a C permit. Settlement is ordinarily ten years; certain EU/EFTA and other treaty nationals may qualify after five, and early settlement may be possible. SEM's German citizenship FAQ states the B1 oral/A2 written language levels and three of the previous five residence years; its English ordinary-naturalisation page confirms 2–5 cantonal/communal years. No Swiss direct CBI programme is established: Global Citizen Solutions lists the five legal routes and says investing does not directly grant citizenship; Another nationality may be lost under its own law.

What is the cheapest residence visa in Switzerland?

No residence route by investment with a stated minimum is on file for Switzerland. Routes for people living on their own income or working remotely (B Permit (Non-EU/EFTA Retirement)) ask for proof of income, not an investment.

How many years to citizenship in Switzerland?

Ordinary naturalisation in Switzerland needs 10 years of legal residence. Permanent residence is possible after 10 years. 10 years' residence, including 3 of the last 5 before application; 2–5 years in the canton/commune; C permit required.

Does Switzerland allow dual citizenship?

Yes. Switzerland lets a new citizen keep another nationality, subject to the other country's rules.

Tax and residence days

A residence permit and tax residence are different tests. See the Switzerland tax rates, count your days with the Switzerland day test and see what changed in the data, day by day.

Sources

The Switzerland profile cites 15 sources, 12 of them from a government or a statute. Data as of 2026-Q4.

Rules, fees and minimums change, and many routes have conditions not shown here. Did you find an error? Tell us, with the source.

Other countries in Western Europe: Cyprus, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France. See every country.

This page is general information. It is not legal, immigration, tax or investment advice. Check the official source and ask a qualified immigration lawyer before you apply or invest.