Keep your permit safe: renewals, long trips and job changes
Overview
Know what could affect your permit before it happens.
The question you never knew to ask“Can a long trip abroad or losing my job put my permit at risk?”
Why it matters
Permits expire and are renewed, and long stays abroad or losing a job can affect them. The rules depend on your permit and nationality, so ask the canton before you act.
Does this apply to me?
Your circumstances: Canton Bern, B permit, mixed nationalities, family with children, moving with a partner, arriving soon
It applies to every household moving to Switzerland.
When?
Before a long trip or a job change.
What do I need?
- Your permit card
What do I do next?
- Note when your permit card expires and when to renew.
- Before a long stay abroad, ask your canton's migration office what it means for your permit.
- If you lose your job, ask the migration office and register with the regional employment office promptly.
Official guidance
Read official guidance from the Swiss authorities' joint information site (federal, cantonal and communal):
ch.ch: residence permits, application and renewalRead official guidance from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM):
SEM: your canton's migration officeRead official guidance from the Swiss authorities' joint information site (federal, cantonal and communal):
ch.ch: unemploymentRead official guidance from the official collection of federal law:
Federal law: Foreign Nationals and Integration Act, Art. 61, when a permit lapses after a stay abroad (Fedlex, German)