Income and Marriage

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
1

I am a NON EU foreigner now living aboard, my fiance is a Swiss in Switzerland.

Can anyone tell us if INCOME affect our marriage or not ?

I have a job in my place but my fiance is now unemploy.

Does it affect the ‘commune’ to issue permit ?

Do they care about if we have money in bank, a nice job, a proper house?

2
Where do you want to get married and live?

Yes, INCOME is one of the reason they will issue a permit for you to stay in Switzerland. Your fiance will need to prove that he can support your stay.

Yes, they will check if your fiance have a job, money in the bank and apartment/house.

I am currently in the process of marriage preparation as we will get married in Switzerland. I am also a Non EU.

3
We want to live in Vaud or Geneve

Does it means that we cannot get marry if he does not have enough income or money in bank? or I can get married but without getting a permit? I just want to be with him legally..

So how much in the bank will be considered acceptable ? Do you know more in details? Thanks a lot for reply

4
You can get married, but you won't get a permit because he has not job/money to support you. If you are the one with the job, maybe you should consider both move to where you are living. You will be with him legal & you can be assured you can eat & pay rent.

5
When I got married going on six years ago, my Swiss fiance was unemployed. That never came into question. I was issued a B permit without any hassle at all. This was in Zurich canton, and I'm American.

6

Thanks for your kindly reply, but what will be my status in switzerland if I got married without a permit? I will be a tourist ??

7
You can't get married without a permit. When your marriage license is approved, they issue you with an L permit, with enough time for you to get married. You cannot work on the L permit, however.

8
The commune had asked him for income prove, but they did not mention what to do if he is unemployed. Actually my fiance has a job, but is non-fix. But when you went to ZH you were having a job and certain saving? We need to show our financial status or not if we are the one who married to swiss?

I just don't understand why everything is so confuse in Switzerland

9
No, I didn't have to show any of that. I was not legally allowed to work in Switzerland until we were married, and did not myself find a job for a bit after we were married.

10
How to get approved in marriage license do you know?

And if the condition is - no income from husband, no permit to the wife, then will I stick to L permit until he has a job?

Thanks !!

11
When you get married, both partners income is added together and declared on the same tax return.

so eg if husband earns taxbale income of 100,000pa and wife earns same of 100,000pa, then they would each pay 14,335 pa tax each or 14.335%

(based on Zürich, no religion, no kids, no wealth)

Get married, same jobs, same income, and tax changes to:

income husband and wife, 200,000pa

Tax = 31,662pa or 15.832%

Conclusion: Tax increases when you get married! (due to the progressive tax system in Switzerland)

Best thing to reduce tax: have children :-)

However, immediate costs of having children are generally higher than the tax impact, but the long term benefits of offspring are immeasurably huge

12
Thx a lot!

But talking about the tax is still too far from me, I still haven't get married.

I would like to know if we do not earn enough, they will 'unaccept' our marriage or not.

13
Marriage cannot be revoked unless you get married illegally.

The amount of money you earn, or do not earn, cannot undo a marriage.

And that's because marriage is about love and commitment, not about money!

In Switzerland, once the checks prior to getting married are completed, and you get married, it cannot be undone by the state.

It can only be undone by you...

14
I believe the best thing is to tell your fiance to ask about it in the embassy. If he is a Swiss, he should not be having a hard time. Save yourself the worry, if you haven't tried inquiring yet. Besides, the embassy will be the one who will grant you the required visa for passage, so their answers count as the most reliable.

15
We had asked the embassy already but they told us to ask the l etat civil, and l etat civil do not know anything but just tell us to apply and later will have a interview, but they say is the commune who offer me the permit, and the commune could not give any information about my case........

So I am frustrated I do not find any expert on this subject, but people on this forum seems know better than those who are working !!

16
So why they check his income?

and some people saying that if he cannot support my life I will not be offered the permit B

17
That's interesting. It is certainly strongly implied that the Swiss partner be able to support the incoming spouse. Here in Vaud they do ask for salary slips or other means of incomve. Of course, I only know couples where there was a working partner. All of them had to show their salary slips.

As I said, it is implied that the permit won't be issued without means of support. But I don't know anyone who has been unemployed who has even tried to bring in a spouse.

So, I'll bow out of this thread then!

Good luck to you, cckkt.

18
Well, if it is easier in your country, then you can get married there. Then you present your marriage certificate to the Swiss authorities. That could be easier.

19
THANKS !!

In my case he cannot come to my country to live because he lacks of ability and qualification, so without probability to earn a living we have to give up this choice. I am not better than him if I live in Switzerland, but at least it is easier for me than him.

I have checked the marriage law on internet and there are no restriction on marriage regarding income matter. However the commune have the right to not issue my visa or permit as well.

But I don't think it make sense that someone get married but living without a resident permit.

So I really would like to know 'who' is controlling this or who have bigger power?

20
Marriage is not income nor job related in Switzerland.

I went through this process 3 years ago, your fiance should apply for marriage request with a foreigner in Bern, they will require some documents from you (Birth certificate, criminal record, passport) all officially translated in a Swiss national language (in your case it would be French as you intended to marry & live in Vaud or Geneva).

Following that, your fiance should get a marriage date at the commune then you'll be issued a tourist single entry visa valid for 3 months to be able to come & get married.

Once you get married, you will have to goto the office of population in your city & apply for a permit, within 2 to 3 months you'll be issued a permit B valid for 1 year, after 1 year you'll get 2 years followed by 2 years then you can apply for permit C + Swiss Passport in the same time (after 5 years of marriage), you'll be issued the permit C direct (which is a permanent residence), the passport should be issued within the following 2 years.

Hope this helps.