Swiss residence permits: every permit and the figures
At the end of 2025, 2,566,958 people lived in Switzerland with a foreign nationals’ permit: 1,406,673 with a C permit (settlement), 955,652 with B (residence), 70,474 with L (short term), 71,206 with S (protection status), 42,839 temporarily admitted people (F) and 18,863 asylum seekers (N) (FSO).
| Permit | Meaning | End of 2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| L Short-term residence permit | For a limited stay, usually under one year, for a specific purpose, with or without gainful employment. SEM | 70,474 | 2.7 % |
| B Residence permit | For a longer stay with a specific purpose, with or without gainful employment; limited and renewable. SEM | 955,652 | 37.2 % |
| C Settlement permit | Unlimited and without conditions (AIG Art. 34 para. 1). SEM | 1,406,673 | 54.8 % |
| Ci Residence permit with gainful employment | For working spouses and children up to 25 of staff of intergovernmental organisations and foreign missions; valid for the duration of the main holder’s function. SEM | 1,251 | 0.0 % |
| F Temporarily admitted foreign nationals | For people whose removal was ordered but is not permitted, not reasonable or not possible. Temporary admission is granted for 12 months, can be extended and allows work anywhere in Switzerland. SEM | 42,839 | 1.7 % |
| N Asylum seekers | For people who have applied for asylum in Switzerland and are in the asylum procedure; during the procedure they generally have the right to stay. SEM | 18,863 | 0.7 % |
| S People in need of protection | Temporary protection for people in need of protection; the permit allows a provisional stay in Switzerland. SEM | 71,206 | 2.8 % |
| G Cross-border commuter permit | For people living in the foreign border zone who work in the neighbouring Swiss border zone and return to their main home at least once a week. SEM | → | |
People by permit since 2010
Asylum statistics: applications, decisions and numbers every month →
Rules for the B and C permits
- The first B residence permit is valid for one year and can be extended by two years. Your passport must remain valid for six months after the permit expires. (VZAE Art. 58)
- Apply to renew a B permit no earlier than three months and no later than 14 days before it expires. You may stay in Switzerland during the procedure. (VZAE Art. 59)
- 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)
- If you move to another commune or canton, register at the new place within 14 days and deregister at the old one within the same period. (VZAE Art. 15 para. 1)
Permits by canton, end of 2025
| Canton | C | B | L | F | N | S | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aargau | 126,926 | 72,383 | 5,171 | 2,956 | 1,687 | 5,464 | 214,588 |
| Appenzell Inner Rhodes | 1,123 | 850 | 35 | 81 | 28 | 131 | 2,248 |
| Appenzell Outer Rhodes | 6,091 | 3,599 | 82 | 282 | 187 | 410 | 10,651 |
| Basel-Landschaft | 50,231 | 23,650 | 1,059 | 1,339 | 545 | 2,722 | 79,568 |
| Basel-Stadt | 42,974 | 33,112 | 2,403 | 847 | 393 | 1,993 | 81,744 |
| Bern | 107,338 | 73,501 | 6,240 | 5,938 | 2,095 | 9,068 | 204,286 |
| Fribourg | 56,565 | 28,931 | 1,837 | 1,518 | 635 | 2,776 | 92,267 |
| Geneva | 114,008 | 77,206 | 4,180 | 2,986 | 1,445 | 4,053 | 204,770 |
| Glarus | 5,985 | 4,702 | 471 | 225 | 84 | 324 | 11,791 |
| Grisons | 17,965 | 22,208 | 8,987 | 854 | 422 | 1,404 | 51,840 |
| Jura | 7,505 | 3,836 | 131 | 366 | 101 | 616 | 12,555 |
| Lucerne | 51,578 | 39,532 | 2,353 | 1,840 | 514 | 3,354 | 99,171 |
| Neuchâtel | 30,953 | 15,919 | 1,147 | 768 | 324 | 1,395 | 50,506 |
| Nidwalden | 3,856 | 3,841 | 241 | 192 | 94 | 328 | 8,552 |
| Obwalden | 3,189 | 3,364 | 394 | 114 | 222 | 215 | 7,498 |
| Schaffhausen | 15,176 | 9,973 | 565 | 441 | 263 | 768 | 27,186 |
| Schwyz | 25,384 | 13,638 | 547 | 884 | 322 | 1,283 | 42,058 |
| Solothurn | 47,050 | 23,995 | 2,055 | 1,390 | 428 | 2,317 | 77,240 |
| St. Gallen | 86,067 | 55,074 | 1,601 | 2,297 | 860 | 4,268 | 150,167 |
| Thurgau | 48,727 | 32,494 | 1,520 | 854 | 562 | 2,080 | 86,237 |
| Ticino | 67,599 | 34,376 | 1,895 | 1,807 | 914 | 2,762 | 109,353 |
| Uri | 2,288 | 3,162 | 563 | 187 | 93 | 279 | 6,572 |
| Valais | 48,129 | 43,725 | 11,858 | 2,305 | 826 | 2,605 | 109,448 |
| Vaud | 162,350 | 117,286 | 5,613 | 4,441 | 1,846 | 6,401 | 298,113 |
| Zug | 23,337 | 16,287 | 1,363 | 523 | 306 | 954 | 42,770 |
| Zurich | 254,279 | 199,008 | 8,163 | 7,367 | 3,432 | 13,183 | 485,454 |
Cross-border commuters (G permit)
Cross-border commuters live abroad and are not part of the permanent resident population. Their figures by canton, country of residence and sector: →
Moving to and from Switzerland →
Leaving Switzerland: what you need to do →
Gross to net salary calculator →
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
What is the difference between a B and a C permit?
The B permit is a limited residence permit for a specific purpose. The C settlement permit is unlimited and granted without conditions.
How long is a B permit valid?
The first B residence permit is valid for one year and can be extended by two years. Your passport must remain valid for six months after the permit expires. For EU/EFTA nationals with employment of at least 365 days it is valid for five years (SEM).
When do you 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. 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 do the F, N and S permits mean?
F stands for temporarily admitted people whose removal cannot be carried out; N for asylum seekers in an ongoing procedure; S for people in need of protection with temporary protection.
How many people have an S permit?
At the end of 2025 there were 71,206 (FSO); a year earlier 67,692.
Information, not legal advice. The laws and the decision of the cantonal migration office are authoritative.
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