Third-country nationals

Issuance of a maximum of 4,500 residence permits and 4,000 short-term residence permits for third-country nationals is foreseen for 2026. These permits will be distributed at federal and cantonal level according to economic and labour market needs.

Allocation of supplementary quotas by the federal government is possible for special needs.  

At the beginning of the year, the Canton of Zurich is allocated 250 residence permit quotas and 399 short-term residence permit quotas. The allocation of additional federal quotas is possible in cases of special needs.

EU/EFTA

Citizens of EU/EFTA member states who enter an employment relationship with an employer in Switzerland benefit fully from the free movement of persons. However, they require a quota as soon as they are posted to Switzerland by an EU/EFTA based company for more than ninety days.

For the latter cases, the envisaged maximum quotas for 2026 amount to 500 for residence permits and 3,000 for short-term residence permits. The quotas are released quarterly.
 

United Kingdom (UK)

Following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the EU will no longer apply to the UK. To enable companies based in Switzerland to recruit specialists from the UK, the Federal Council decided to set maximum quotas for gainfully working UK citizens.

The maximum quotas (Switzerland-wide) for 2026 are: 2,100 residence permits (B) and 1,400 short-term residence permits (L).

For the time being, these maximum quotas for the United Kingdom (UK) are valid for one year and will be released to the cantons quarterly.