Moving to Switzerland from UAE: employer guide

Moving to Switzerland from UAE is, in legal terms, a move from a third country. Your transferee holds no automatic right to live or work in Switzerland, whatever their length of service in the Gulf. The route runs through a work permit that your company requests, within a limited annual quota.

This page sets out what changes between Gulf employment and Swiss employment, what your policy should settle before departure, and what your employee meets on arrival. It is written for the HR or mobility manager who owns the file.

Why the UAE is treated as a third country

Switzerland applies free movement of persons only to nationals of the EU and EFTA. A UAE resident is assessed under the rules for third-country nationals, whatever their own passport. A British, Indian or Lebanese employee based in Dubai follows the same route as an Emirati one, unless they also hold an EU or EFTA passport.

That distinction drives everything else:

the permit is requested by the employer, not by the employee;
admission is subject to annual quotas;
the employer must show that the role needs a qualified worker or specialist;
family members follow a separate process with its own limits.

If your transferee holds an EU or EFTA nationality in addition to their Gulf residence, the route is different and usually lighter. Check the passport before you build the plan. Our guide to the EU/EFTA work permit explains that case.

The permit route and the quota

Quotas are published each year by the Federal Council. For 2026, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and the Federal Council set the third-country ceiling at no more than 8,500 qualified workers and specialists: 4,500 B permits (residence) and 4,000 L permits (short-term). These figures are unchanged from 2025 and took effect on 1 January 2026 (Federal Council press release of 19 November 2025). The cantons then distribute their share among applicants.

Two consequences matter for your planning.

First, the quota is shared by every employer in Switzerland that hires from outside the EU and EFTA. A request filed late in the year can meet a canton that has little left. Ask the cantonal migration office how its allocation stands before you commit to a start date.

Second, the quota covers the employee, not the family. Family members are handled separately, as explained below.

The quota figures for 2027 will be announced in November 2026. Treat the 2026 numbers as a reference, not a forecast.

Not sure which permit category fits the role? The permit finder gives a first orientation, and a specialist reviews the actual case after your request. Authorities decide on every permit. Nobody can promise an outcome in advance.

What changes between the Gulf and Switzerland

Employers who run Gulf assignments are used to a sponsor-led system. Switzerland works differently, and the gaps cause most delays.

Area	Typical Gulf assignment	Switzerland
Legal status	Employer sponsorship, visa tied to the job	Cantonal permit, requested by the employer under national quotas
Health cover	Employer-provided policy, often group-based	Individual compulsory insurance, chosen by each resident
Income tax	Generally no personal income tax on salary	Federal, cantonal and municipal income tax
Housing	Often furnished, short-term, employer-assisted	Unfurnished, long lease, deposit, strict handover
Administration	Largely handled by the employer or a PRO	Registration in person with the municipality

Do not let the table suggest a single answer on tax. Personal tax depends on the canton, the permit and the household. A tax adviser should review the real case. The point for HR is the contrast: your employee has probably never filed a personal income tax return, and Switzerland will ask for one.

Sequence the steps before departure

The order matters more than the speed. A wrong sequence is the usual cause of a late start.

Gulf-to-Switzerland transfer, in order

Some of these steps run in parallel. The permit cannot. Your employee should not resign, vacate the Gulf home or ship household goods until the entry route is clear.

Family: the rule that catches employers out

For third-country holders, family reunification is possible for the spouse and for unmarried children under 18. The request must be filed within 5 years, and within 12 months for children over 12 (art. 47 of the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act, LEI; State Secretariat for Migration, SEM). A late request needs serious family reasons.

For holders of a B permit, the law gives the authority discretion rather than a right (art. 44 LEI). The rights in articles 42 and 43 apply to family of Swiss citizens and of C permit holders. Conditions on housing and income also apply. The cantonal office applies them, and they differ from one canton to the next.

What this means for your policy:

file the family request together with the main one wherever the canton allows it;
do not promise a start date for the spouse or children;
plan for a period when the employee is alone in Switzerland;
tell the employee early, in writing, which family costs your policy covers.

Our page on family reunification covers the rules in more detail. For a household built on two nationalities, see binational couples.

Leaving the Gulf: what to prepare

Your employee holds the tasks on the Gulf side. Give them a written list and a named contact in your company.

Close or transfer the residence status through the local employer or sponsor.
Settle the end-of-service entitlements under the local contract.
Cancel the lease and arrange the handover, the utilities and the deposit.
Close or reorganise bank accounts, credit lines and standing orders.
Collect medical records, vaccination records and school reports for the children.
Obtain certified copies of civil documents (marriage, birth) with any translation or legalisation the Swiss office requests.

Ask the cantonal office which documents it wants and in what form. Requirements vary, and a missing legalisation can stop a file for weeks.

The relocation calendar turns this list into a timeline, and the personalised checklist adapts it to the household.

Health insurance: the first deadline after arrival

Switzerland has no employer-chosen group scheme at the base level. Every resident must take out basic health insurance (LAMal in French, KVG in German). The rule: the cover must be in place no later than three months after taking up residence. If the deadline is met, cover is retroactive to the date of arrival, and premiums are due from that date. If it is missed, cover starts at affiliation, the insurer may add a surcharge for an unexcused delay, and the cantonal authority can assign an insurer (FOPH, applying the LAMal and its ordinance).

A Gulf employer policy does not replace this. Your employee needs an individual choice of insurer, model and deductible. Review the deductible options and the cost drivers with them, and add the topic to the welcome pack.

Housing and schooling from abroad

Few Gulf assignees have rented through a Swiss landlord. Tell them in advance:

agencies and landlords ask for a full file, including proof of income and a debt-enforcement extract;
the lease is unfurnished and usually long;
a rent deposit is requested, and the handover inspection is formal.

A remote search is hard. A local professional can run it on your behalf: see the home search service. The rental file checker shows what to assemble before the first viewing.

For families, schooling shapes the choice of town. Gulf assignees often use international schools, and they expect the same in Switzerland. Places vary by canton and by language of instruction. The school choice guide helps your employee frame the options, and the city comparator puts the towns side by side.

The first weeks on the ground

After arrival, your employee registers with the municipality, usually within a short period set locally. The municipality records the address and passes the file on to the cantonal office, which issues the permit card. The employee then chooses health insurance, opens a bank account and arranges school places.

Plan a settling-in phase. A settling-in service can walk the household through registration, the bank, the telecom contracts and the local routines. Culture matters as much as paperwork: quiet hours, waste sorting and punctuality surprise newcomers, and they are enforced in rented buildings.

Choose a delivery model for your policy

Your company can run the transfer in three ways.

Lump sum. The employee organises the move and receives a fixed allowance. This suits experienced, mobile staff. It leaves the permit and family file with the employer.
Managed service. A relocation provider handles permits, housing and settling-in under your policy.
Hybrid. The employer buys specific services (immigration, home search) and leaves the rest to the employee.

For permit work, an immigration support service is the usual starting point. For the whole package, see relocation services in Switzerland. If the transferee is a senior executive, the page on the executive transferee adds the points specific to that profile.

Submit the request at the bottom of this page and a specialist reviews your case and puts you in touch with a relocation company that fits it.

Frequently asked questions

Can an employee from the UAE move to Switzerland without a job?

Not in the usual case. For a third-country national, admission normally rests on an employer's request, so a job offer comes first. Other routes (family, study, retirement) exist, but each follows its own rules and the authorities decide case by case.

Does the employee's nationality matter more than living in the UAE?

Yes. Residence in the Gulf does not create a right of entry. What counts is the passport. A holder of an EU or EFTA nationality follows the free-movement route, and everyone else follows the third-country route.

Who files the work permit request?

The Swiss employer. The employee cannot apply on their own account for a work permit. The employer submits the request to the cantonal migration office, which examines it before any federal confirmation.

What is the quota for third-country workers in 2026?

The ceiling is no more than 8,500 qualified workers and specialists, split into 4,500 B permits and 4,000 L permits (SEM and Federal Council, valid from 1 January 2026). Cantons share it out. Your canton's remaining balance matters more than the national figure.

Will the 2027 quota be the same?

Nobody knows yet. The Federal Council announces the figures in November 2026. Check them before you set the start dates of late-year transfers.

Can the spouse and children come at the same time?

Possibly, but not by right. The spouse and unmarried children under 18 can be included in a family request. For B permit holders the authority has discretion (art. 44 LEI). Timing depends on the canton and the documents.

Is there a deadline for family reunification?

Yes. The request is due within 5 years, and within 12 months for children over 12 (art. 47 LEI; SEM). After that, serious family reasons are required. Write these dates into your policy so that nobody misses them.

Is the Gulf employer's health policy valid in Switzerland?

It does not replace Swiss basic insurance. Each resident must take out individual cover under the LAMal/KVG, in principle within three months of taking up residence (FOPH). Supplementary or international cover may sit on top.

What happens if the employee misses the insurance deadline?

Cover then starts at affiliation rather than at arrival. A surcharge can apply if the delay is not excused, and the cantonal authority may assign an insurer (FOPH). Treat the deadline as a fixed item in the arrival checklist.

Will my employee pay income tax in Switzerland?

Generally yes, as a resident. The amount and the method depend on the canton, the permit and the household. Ask a tax adviser to review the actual case, because this page cannot do so.

Can the employee keep a home in the UAE?

Nothing in the permit process prohibits it, but it affects tax residence, social security and the Gulf visa status. Have each reviewed by a qualified adviser before the employee decides.

How early should we start?

As soon as the role is confirmed. The permit, the family file, housing and school places all take time and depend on one another. A late start is the most common reason a transfer slips.

Can we manage the transfer without a relocation provider?

You can, if your team knows the cantonal practice. Most HR teams use a provider for immigration and housing, because a missed step costs a start date. A specialist can match your case with a suitable company.

Should a lump sum cover the permit and family process?

The lump sum usually covers the move itself. The permit request is made by the employer and cannot be handed over to the employee. Decide in your policy who bears the costs of the family process.

Transferring employees from the UAE and the Gulf to Switzerland