Grateful for clarification on the Permis C Six month Rule
Do I need to be in-country for 6 months, or can I not be outside for more then six months. The US Green Card is not more then six months abroad.
When does the six month rule start. Is it calendar year and start from 1 Jan, or the date I got my Permis C. On the card there is date de deliverance. Do I start counting from that date.
Thank you
Nayell
Itâs not clear what you are trying to do. Are you trying to figure out how to stay outside of Switzerland for 6 months and keep your C-permit or whether you need to spend a minimum of 6 months inside of Switzerland before travelling?
AFAIK six months is six months. You cannot be absent for more than 6 months without losing your C permit.
The C permit can be suspended temporarily if requested in advance.
I need to be outside for about 7 months.
However I dont know from which date I need to start counting. Is it as per the date de deliverance on the Permis.
Thanks
Like Bowlie says, 6 months is 6 months. Your best bet is to go to the authorities and ask them directly. I think there is some form or other that you can complete if you are going to over shoot on your time outside of CH.
As for when the clock starts ticking, thatâs from when you leave the country, not from when the permit is launched.
No. It is the date of you leaving until the date you return. For example if you leave on 28 January your permit will expire 6 months later on 27 July.
Thanks
My confusion is if my Permis was issue on 11 Nov 2024 - the six month in country has to be between 11 Nov 2024 and 11 Nov 2025
or
from 1 jan 2025 to 31 Dec 2025 (calendar year)
If it is from the date I was issued, I will make the six months
thanks
Itâs not strictly speaking six months in the country per year, itâs that you canât be outside the country for more than six months in one go.
If you leave tomorrow for example youâd have to be back in Switzerland by July 27th.
You donât need to be âin countryâ for any period of time. You cannot be out-country for more than six months at a time.
Thatâs interesting, I assumed itâs 6 months cumulative within a calendar year. If what you wrote is true, then itâs much easier to keep the residency than I thought, just come once every few months here for a weekend 
So you can leave for 6 months, come back for a week and then leave for another 6 months? I find that difficult to believe.
Of course itâs a lot more complex than what I said to the OP.
Leaving would mean giving up your residence and cancelling health and other insurances. If you donât then cancel your permit by de registration it will expire 6 months later. (Although I donât believe the insurance companies would cancel your policy without proof of de-registration).
Could you âleaveâ and just come back for some weekends? Perhaps, provided you maintain your residence, insurance and registration with your commune.
But have you really left?
What I meant was; Say you wanted to travel the world for a year and not lose your C-permit. With what you said you could do that and just come back for a week in the middle to stop your permit expiring. I do not think that is true.
I thought you couldnât be out of the country for more than 6 months in a rolling 12 month period (rolling like the Schengen 90 days works).
You have to be resident in Switzerland for a minimum of 180 days in a year and not be outside Switzerland for more than 6 months in one go.
If you were away for six months then came back for a couple of weeks and left for another month you wouldnât be fulfilling the 180 day criteria and your centre of interest would not be Switzerland.
I am not sure I follow:
Since when is âwhere your center of interest isâ relevant for Swiss authorizations of residence (permits) ?
As far as I know, one could do exactly that, travel the world and return for a weekend every 6 months without issue (continuing to rent-have a home and paying Swiss health insurance and annual AVS if not working).
Where one has to pay taxes (here or elsewhere or both) is a different question, and for this, yes, the center of life is relevant.
The clue is in the name. They are residence permits and you are not a Swiss resident if you are out of the country for more than six months of the year.
Sorry to persist⌠Could you provide a link or reference to this â6 months of the yearâ requirement for residence / maintaining a Swiss residence permit ?
A C permit is the equivalent of permanent residency in Switzerland. It allows the holder to work and live in the country indefinitely without any cantonal or employerâs restrictions. A C permit is obtained after 10 years of residency or after 5 years holding a B permit while being strongly integrated (art. 34 al. 4 LEI).
A C permit is granted on the condition that the person is living in Switzerland on a permanent basis and is participating to the economic and social Swiss life.
In some cases, a C permit can be maintained for 4 years maximum if the holder decides to move overseas for study or professional purposes. This derogation must be justified in written to cantonal authorities at least 30 days before the departure date (art. 61 al. 2 LEI).
If a C permit holder is relocated overseas by his employer for a period longer than 6 months, the C permit can be also put on hold for a period not exceeding 4 years or not exceeding the period the holder spent under the C permit in Switzerland. After reviewing the request, an authorization of absence is delivered by cantonal authorities, allowing the permit to be suspended during the period spent overseas (directives LEI 2021).
If the holder of a C permit leaves the country for more than 6 months without freezing his permit, the C permit expires after 6 months. After that, the holder is subject to the usual admission conditions regulated by the law on Foreigners and Integration (LEI), and must apply for a new permit when coming back.
In some cases, if the time spent overseas did not exceed 6 years and if the holder lived in Switzerland for at least 10 years with a C permit before his departure, authorities can deliver a C permit 2 years after the person returns (art. 61 OASA).
Children of migrants who have lived in Switzerland all their life and retirees holding a C permit have also the opportunity to freeze their C permit for 4 years if they plan to return to their home country to check if they wish to settle back (directives LEI 2019).
To conclude, if a C permit holder officially declares his departure to authorities without requesting the suspension of his permit, the C permit is automatically cancelled from the date of departure of Switzerland. Therefore, if you are a C permit holder and you plan to move overseas for work or study purposes for more than 6 months, you should ensure to proceed to the suspension of your C permit by obtaining an authorization of absence from cantonal authorities to have the opportunity to come back within 4 years and have your C permit returned.
The above from:
sure, but the above article leaves a lot of questions, tbh
If you donât âleaveâ Switzerland then you havenât left. But if the authorities become aware that you have left for more than six months they may ask questions.
Many with a C is eligible for Swiss nationality. Anyone wishing to leave for a long period would be better exploring that option.a
If you de register your C expires the day you leave Switzerland. You donât have 6 months to change your mind.