G permit: the cross-border commuter permit
Cross-border commuters live abroad, work in Switzerland and return home at least once a week. In 2026-Q2 there were 414,262 of them (FSO). People from outside the EU/EFTA need a permanent right of residence in a neighbouring country and must have lived in the border zone for six months.
The rules
- Cross-border commuters from outside the EU/EFTA need a permanent right of residence in a neighbouring country, must have lived in the neighbouring border zone for at least six months and must work in the Swiss border zone. (FNIA Art. 25)
People with a G permit since 2010
Cross-border commuters, 2026-Q2
| Canton | Cross-border commuters | Share of all |
|---|---|---|
| Aargau | 15,950 | 3.9 % |
| Appenzell Inner Rhodes | 92 | 0.0 % |
| Appenzell Outer Rhodes | 446 | 0.1 % |
| Basel-Landschaft | 26,694 | 6.4 % |
| Basel-Stadt | 35,749 | 8.6 % |
| Bern | 4,802 | 1.2 % |
| Fribourg | 2,140 | 0.5 % |
| Geneva | 118,067 | 28.5 % |
| Glarus | 64 | 0.0 % |
| Grisons | 9,293 | 2.2 % |
| Jura | 12,279 | 3.0 % |
| Lucerne | 751 | 0.2 % |
| Neuchâtel | 16,243 | 3.9 % |
| Nidwalden | 143 | 0.0 % |
| Obwalden | 111 | 0.0 % |
| Schaffhausen | 5,743 | 1.4 % |
| Schwyz | 517 | 0.1 % |
| Solothurn | 2,561 | 0.6 % |
| St. Gallen | 10,387 | 2.5 % |
| Thurgau | 6,802 | 1.6 % |
| Ticino | 79,121 | 19.1 % |
| Uri | 46 | 0.0 % |
| Valais | 5,926 | 1.4 % |
| Vaud | 46,496 | 11.2 % |
| Zug | 1,594 | 0.4 % |
| Zurich | 12,248 | 3.0 % |
All figures on cross-border commuters: country of residence, sectors, communes →
Work permits in Switzerland: rules, priority, quotas →
B permit: the residence permit →
L permit: the short-term residence permit →
All permits compared →
Moving to and from Switzerland →
Sources: FSO: demographic balance and permanent resident population by permit type · FNIA · VZAE · SCA · SEM · FSO Grenzgängerstatistik · SLI-2026-10-10.39
Frequently asked questions
What is a G permit?
The cross-border commuter permit for people who live in the foreign border zone, work in the neighbouring Swiss border zone and return to their main home at least once a week (SEM).
Can I become a cross-border commuter from a non-EU country?
Cross-border commuters from outside the EU/EFTA need a permanent right of residence in a neighbouring country, must have lived in the neighbouring border zone for at least six months and must work in the Swiss border zone.
Information, not legal advice. The laws and the decision of the cantonal migration office are authoritative.
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