Working in German canton, living in French canton

Hello everyone,

Is it possible to work in German speaking part of Switzerland (Basel) but live in French speaking one (Delémont, canton Jura)?

I know the question may sound absurd, but nevertheless I am wondering if there are some limitation in terms of this, related to German vs French speaking official language cantons.

I do not posses an EEA/EU passport, thus I can not for example live in Germany/France and commute daily to work in Basel. I have to reside within Switzerland in order to have the Swiss working visa. So my question starts from this point of view.

Any reply is welcomed. Thank you in advance.

Best regards,

George

Its fine George, as its all within Switzerland. Remember if its relevant that child benefit is derived from the place of work (i.e. canton zurich has lower child benefit than canton Vaud for example) but in terms of being allowed to, as long as you have a work permit here which is not tied to a single employer then you can work for whoever you like wherever you like in Switzerland I believe. The experts on the forum in these fields of which there are many, may correct me...

Afaik you MUST live in the Kanton that granted you the permit. Only if both Kantons agree you can live in another one as a non-EU person.

Thank you for the very fast reply Keyboardandmouse!

I think my first working permit will be exactly like this - I will be tied to a potential Basel employer for 2,3 years.

This is what I feared. Thank you roegner.

You MUST have permission from both cantons. Non-EU permits are in short supply and subject to quotas. The Canton issuing the permit may not be happy losing your tax payments. When I moved from GE to VD, my VD permit was annotated “employment in VD prohibited”.

Thank you bowlie.

What I don't understand is: if Basel canton approves the working permit, then how does that affect the Jura canton in terms of non-EU quotas?

I would just live in Jura, and “employment in Jura prohibited” would be fine for me.

If your permit is from Basel Land or from Basel Stadt, then that canton would like to have you work there, and live there, too, so that they can receive your tax. If you move away from them, then they lose your tax as part of their income.

If you move to Jura, then you benefit Jura by having to pay tax there. However, each canton has its own quotas of permits, so if they let you take up one of those slots, in Jura, they do get your money but they don't get your work/contribution to their economy.

Another factor is social security contributions and payments. If, for example, you were to become disabled or become unemployed, then your canton of residence would be the one that would have to bear those costs. Further: the costs of schooling for any children you may have, already or later. And so on.

There's a degree of [dis]advantage for each canton, so they weigh it up for your individual case, but also in terms of their quotas, etc. That's why, as others have said, you would need permission from both cantons (from Jura, and also from either Basel Land or Basel Stadt, depending upon where your employer is located).

Some personal experience: after I signed the contract, my initial BS employer asked me whether I wanted to live in BS or BL and to please let them know so they can apply for the permit. I was non-EU. It would have been fine either way, they had said.

I think as long you are in Switzerland there is no problem, but for sure they might ask you the reason. My husband was living in Zurich and working in Zug, and my dad was living in Zug and working in Zurich - which there was any problem. But also, it is more common places to commute because are cities and cantons not so far away from each other.

What I recommend you to do, if it is possible, is ask directly to the immigration office in Basel explaining your points. But, honestly, I think wouldn't have nay issue with that.

There is no problem with the language itself. Even if you go to the Italian part, it is not mandatory knowing Italian to live there, but recommendable to be integrated into the community.

Well, I think regarding that, better a double check because I think it is possible to live in some EU countries and have a cross-border permit. You can check in this website:

https://www.ch.ch/

OP is non EU , different story. For example you can get a cross border permit in Germany only if you have a residency permit in Germany.

All of this can be a problem for a non EU person. Totally different when you are from the EU.

Thank you for the replies everyone. I do not have the "Thank you" option below each reply, not sure why. Maybe because my post count is too low.

So I would first have to receive the working permit in Basel, and then check if I am allowed to reside in Jura. I can not check this possibility, before even applying for the working permit?

No, check with your employer first, tell them you would prefer to live in Jura. Is it possible? They would need to apply accordingly.

A valid residency permit in the neighbouring country is required. Not difficult to obtain for an EU national but it is required.