Residence and work permits
If you originate from an EU/EFTA country, you will receive a work and residence permit for Switzerland based on the rule of full free movement of persons if you can prove that you have an employment contract with a Swiss employer. The type of permit depends on the duration of your employment contract.
If you are from a non-EU/EFTA country (called a ‘third country’), you generally do not qualify for a work and residence permit. Exceptions to this rule are people with outstanding and rare qualifications: these would include managers and specialists, for example. Integration criteria are also taken into account. The application must be made via your employer, who must also demonstrate that nobody suitable for the position to be filled is available on the domestic market and on the employment markets of the EU/EFTA. There are also annual limits on the number of people who can be admitted via this route (quota system).
Set up your own company in the canton of Lucerne
In line with the rules for salaried employees, in principle, anyone with EU/EFTA citizenship can set up a business and become self-employed on the basis of the free movement of people.
Again though, there are similar restrictive conditions applicable to nationals of non-EU/EFTA countries. There are special rules in place here, but there is no legal entitlement to self-employment. Proof must be provided that the company in question sees it having a long-term positive impact on the employment market.
Each canton’s own Economic Development Agency (“Wirtschaftsförderung”) provides support in individual cases and answers initial questions about the potential setting up of a business.
Undeclared work is illegal
Once you start working in Switzerland, you are obliged to register your work with the social security authorities (via your employer) and to pay tax on your earnings (including any additional income). If you do not do this, you are performing undeclared work. Undeclared work is illegal and will have legal consequences for you and your employer. Additionally, not declaring your work means you are not insured and are not entitled to a pension.
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