I'm an EU-citizen on a B-permit in Zurich, eligible for permit C, which I might apply for soon. My fiancée is non-EU and working remotely for an international organization in Geneva with a never-ending sequence of short-term contracts and Cartes de Légitimation (CDL).
While visiting the district office (Kreisbüro) here in Zürich today, I asked them about the implications of getting married in our situation, which is actually what we are planning to do next month. I was told that I (permit B/C) would convert to the spouse-version of the CDL (supposedly Ci), hence also "enjoying the immunity that comes with the CDL".
I find this hard to believe, since this would mean that my permit would get downgraded. Also, I would avoid this at all cost, since a stay under anything but B/C would not count towards my potential future application for Swiss citizenship. I would rather expect our two permits to stay separate with the option of applying for a family reunion permit, should the need arise.
Has anyone experience with this kind of situation? Would my B/C-permit be affected by marriage? Any input would be highly appreciated!
We need a bit more info. What does "we are planning" mean please? Have things been booked, payments made, and so on with next month in mind, or are you wanting to do it, would like to do it next month, but can easily wait for a while?
Thanks for asking. "We are planning" means that the paperwork has been filed and approved. Everything is ready to sign the papers at the counter of the civil registry office on a short notice. Apart from that, we have not made any commitments, so things could easily be postponed as well.
That thread points to the document GUIDELINES regarding the issuance of legitimation cards of the Federal Department of foreign affairs (FDFA) to staff members of quasi-governmental international organisations and other international bodies
Entry into force on 1st January 2016 Amended on 10 March 2021
I'm no lawyer but it looks possible to get a B while married to a CDL holder.
I understood as EU and already an existing permit holder, you have the option to stay as such or be dependent through a Ci. Given that the new spouse is on short-term contracts with little guarantee of continuation, it would seem prudent to keep your permit. Futhermore, the Ci comes with certain requirements like living in same place, not sure if that would be the case if its Zch and Gva. May also require you to become resident in Gva if that is the canton of employment too.
Nothing will happen automatically. You'll only switch to a dependent CDL/Ci permit if you need to do it in order to be able to stay in CH which, as a EU citizen, you'll hardly ever need.
You can absolutely stay on independent permits if you want to. I went through this during my marriage too. I had a C permit, my fiancee had a non-EU B permit and they wanted to convert her to be my dependent by default but she refused (and got a C a year later herself).
@NichtsBesonders Thanks for sharing! Compared to your case, the chance of being forced into a dependent permit is probably even smaller if the EU citizen would be the dependent one...
I was about to link the German version of the guidelines but just found out they only exist in French and English. That might explain why someone at the Kreisburo does not understand them fully.
Well, good luck when you present your case once again to the Kreisburo and congratulations on the marriage