C permit: the settlement permit
The C permit is unlimited and has no conditions. At the end of 2025, 1,406,673 people held one (FSO). It is usually granted after ten years in Switzerland, the last five without interruption on a B permit, if you are integrated; early after five years with good language skills.
The rules
- The C settlement permit is unlimited and granted without conditions. (FNIA Art. 34 para. 1)
- You can get a C permit after at least ten years in Switzerland with an L or B permit, the last five years without interruption on a B permit, if there are no grounds for revocation and you are integrated. (FNIA Art. 34 para. 2)
- Early after five years: if you held a B permit without interruption for the last five years, are integrated and communicate well in the national language spoken where you live. (FNIA Art. 34 para. 4)
- Language proof for a C permit: at least A2 spoken and A1 written; for early issue B1 spoken and A1 written, in the national language spoken where you live. (VZAE Art. 60, 62)
- Nationals of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway get a C permit after five years of regular, uninterrupted residence. (SEM)
- Your permit ends when you deregister to go abroad. Without deregistration an L permit ends after three months, B and C after six months. On request a C permit can be kept for up to four years. (FNIA Art. 61)
- The request to keep a C permit must be filed before the six months run out. Visits, holidays or business trips to Switzerland do not interrupt the period. (VZAE Art. 79 para. 2)
People with a C permit since 2010
People with a C permit by canton, end of 2025
| Canton | People | Share of all permits |
|---|---|---|
| Aargau | 126,926 | 59.1 % |
| Appenzell Inner Rhodes | 1,123 | 50.0 % |
| Appenzell Outer Rhodes | 6,091 | 57.2 % |
| Basel-Landschaft | 50,231 | 63.1 % |
| Basel-Stadt | 42,974 | 52.6 % |
| Bern | 107,338 | 52.5 % |
| Fribourg | 56,565 | 61.3 % |
| Geneva | 114,008 | 55.7 % |
| Glarus | 5,985 | 50.8 % |
| Grisons | 17,965 | 34.7 % |
| Jura | 7,505 | 59.8 % |
| Lucerne | 51,578 | 52.0 % |
| Neuchâtel | 30,953 | 61.3 % |
| Nidwalden | 3,856 | 45.1 % |
| Obwalden | 3,189 | 42.5 % |
| Schaffhausen | 15,176 | 55.8 % |
| Schwyz | 25,384 | 60.4 % |
| Solothurn | 47,050 | 60.9 % |
| St. Gallen | 86,067 | 57.3 % |
| Thurgau | 48,727 | 56.5 % |
| Ticino | 67,599 | 61.8 % |
| Uri | 2,288 | 34.8 % |
| Valais | 48,129 | 44.0 % |
| Vaud | 162,350 | 54.5 % |
| Zug | 23,337 | 54.6 % |
| Zurich | 254,279 | 52.4 % |
Naturalisation: the rules of all 26 cantons →
B permit: the residence permit →
Family reunification in Switzerland: who, when and on what conditions →
Leaving Switzerland: what you need to do →
All permits compared →
Moving to and from Switzerland →
Sources: FSO: demographic balance and permanent resident population by permit type · FNIA · VZAE · SCA · SEM · FSO px-x-0103010000_101 · SLI-2026-10-10.39
Frequently asked questions
After how many years do I get a C permit?
You can get a C permit after at least ten years in Switzerland with an L or B permit, the last five years without interruption on a B permit, if there are no grounds for revocation and you are integrated.
Can I get a C permit faster?
Early after five years: if you held a B permit without interruption for the last five years, are integrated and communicate well in the national language spoken where you live.
What language skills do I need?
Language proof for a C permit: at least A2 spoken and A1 written; for early issue B1 spoken and A1 written, in the national language spoken where you live.
What happens to my C permit if I leave?
Your permit ends when you deregister to go abroad. Without deregistration an L permit ends after three months, B and C after six months. On request a C permit can be kept for up to four years.
Information, not legal advice. The laws and the decision of the cantonal migration office are authoritative.
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