Au pair guide

Au pair permit in Switzerland: what to sort out before arrival

You have found your au pair, the suitcase is not packed yet - and now you are wondering whether she needs a permit. In short: EU/EFTA is simple (registration with the municipality), non-EU/EFTA is a real procedure with a placement organisation, a quota and an application before entry. Here is who does what, in which order.

Reading time: 7 min · Updated: August 2026

Passport and permit documents on a migration office counter

Answer in 30 seconds

Updated Updated: August 2026

Yes, your au pair needs a right of residence - but the route depends on the passport. EU/EFTA: no permit procedure on your side, just registration with the municipality, which becomes an L or B permit. Third country: the placement MUST go through a licensed organisation, the application goes to the canton before entry, your au pair is 18 to 25 and may stay at most twelve months (Art. 48 VZAE).

EU/EFTA: registration with the municipality of residence before the first workday, L or B permit. No quota, no application procedure.
Third country: licensed placement organisation is mandatory, quota, permit before entry, at most 12 months with no extension, own room.
After that the same applies to both: contract, AHV registration within one month of the first workday, accident insurance from day one.

This applies when

You are a host family in Switzerland and your au pair has not entered the country yet. Clino does not handle the permit itself - everything after it, yes.

Check your case

18-25

Age, third country (Art. 48 VZAE)

12 months

Maximum stay third country, no extension

120 hrs

Language course, guideline (e.g. SG, BS)

30 hrs

Work per week, maximum

Does my au pair need a permit - and what do I have to do?

Pick your au pair's passport. You instantly see the right route, step by step - including the part that comes after the permit.

Does my au pair need a permit?

Pick the passport, optionally your canton for third countries - you instantly see your steps.

Your au pair's passport

EU/EFTA: registration instead of an application

Au pairs from EU and EFTA states benefit from the free movement of persons. You do not apply for a work permit and there is no quota: your au pair registers with the municipality after arriving and receives an L permit (shorter stays) or B permit (longer ones). Many cantons work with 18 to 30 as the au pair age; Basel-Stadt for instance says 17 to 30 and allows up to two years.

Sign the au pair contract before arrival: hours, pocket money, board and lodging, language course. The municipality often wants to see a copy.

After arrival: registration with the residents' office of your municipality, before the first workday. This produces the L or B permit.

Sort out health insurance: your au pair takes out Swiss health insurance within three months of taking up residence (KVG Art. 3).

The municipal registration is not the AHV registration. That one comes separately, within one month of the first workday - more below.

All permit types (B, C, L, G, F, N, S) are explained in the big work permit guide

Third country: organisation, quota, application before entry

For au pairs from non-EU/EFTA states the route is set out in Art. 48 VZAE, and it is strict: the placement MUST go through an organisation licensed under the Employment Services Act. Arranging it privately, even if you already know each other, is not an option. The permit counts against the cantonal quotas, with a labour market pre-check - and there is no legal entitlement to it.

You as the host family submit the application through the placement organisation to the cantonal labour market authority. Only once the permit has been approved may your au pair enter the country, with a visa on top depending on the country of origin. Plan the procedure generously, weeks to months depending on the canton - the organisation knows your canton's pace.

Never let her enter on spec

Without an approved permit a third-country au pair may not enter and may not work - not even 'just helping out to get to know each other' in the household. Wait for the decision, then book the flight.

The requirements under Art. 48 VZAE

Age 18 to 25

Placement through a licensed organisation, no private arrangement

At most 12 months, no extension as an au pair

Lives with you, with her own room

Maximum 30 hours per week, at least one full free day (many cantons require 1.5)

Attends a language course in the local language; you as the host family bear the costs

What goes into the application

The exact list is cantonal. St. Gallen for example requires (info sheet of June 2024):

The canton's application form
Placement contract between organisation and host family
Employment contract signed by both sides
Passport copy and CV of the au pair
Motivation letter from the host family and details of the living situation (own room)
Proof of the parents' out-of-home work - one parent must be at home at least half of the working time
Booking and payment proof for a German course of at least 120 hours
Proof of health insurance

Cantons: not possible everywhere

Whether your canton grants third-country au pair permits at all is the first question - before any forms. Zurich for example states in the migration office directive of December 2021: 'At present no quota units are granted for au pair employees.'

The licensed placement agency Perfect Way lists six cantons that do not grant third-country au pair permits: Fribourg, Geneva, Obwalden, Solothurn, Vaud and Zurich. We have not verified each of these cantons individually - only the cantonal migration office or your placement organisation can tell you for sure.

The language course is cantonal too: St. Gallen and Basel-Stadt require at least 120 hours, other cantons may differ. Ask your cantonal office or the organisation before you book.

Suitcase of an arriving au pair at the host family's front door

The part after

You get the permit. Clino prepares the contract, AHV and payslips.

After the permit: now you become an employer

With the permit the migration part is done - and the employer part begins. An au pair is an employee of your household, subject to AHV from the first franc. Four things, in this order:

Au pair contract: hours, free day, pocket money, board and lodging as part of the wage, language course. For third countries you already have it from the application.

Accident insurance from the first workday. It is not retroactive - and if it is missing, the UVG substitute fund pays the benefits and bills you up to five years of premiums (Art. 95 UVG).

AHV registration with the compensation office of your canton of residence, within one month of the first workday - with pocket money plus board and lodging (wage in kind) as the wage.

A payslip every month, the wage declaration to the fund once a year.

What Clino does - and what it does not

Clino does not handle the residence permit, neither EU/EFTA nor third country. That is the job of the municipality, the canton and your placement organisation. Everything after it, Clino prepares: the contract with the au pair annex, the AHV registration, the UVG in the simplified procedure plus, the payslip every month. You sign and send yourself.

Permit sorted? Then the rest is already prepared.

Contract with au pair annex, board and lodging correctly in the AHV wage, the prepared registration with the compensation office, a payslip every month. All 26 cantons, CHF 19.90 per month, nothing is charged before day 30.

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Frequently asked questions

Does my au pair need a work permit?

A right of residence yes, but the route depends on the passport. EU/EFTA: no work permit on your side, your au pair registers with the municipality and receives an L or B permit. Third country: yes, a real permit procedure through a licensed placement organisation, with a quota and a decision before entry (Art. 48 VZAE).

Who files the application for a third-country au pair?

You as the host family, submitted through the licensed placement organisation to the cantonal labour market authority. The organisation is not a nice-to-have but a requirement under Art. 48 VZAE: without it the application is not approved, even if you already know each other.

How long may a third-country au pair stay?

At most twelve months, with no extension as an au pair (Art. 48 VZAE; the St. Gallen info sheet says it verbatim: 'a maximum of 12 months and cannot be extended'). For EU/EFTA au pairs it is more flexible, one to two years is common, regulated by the canton.

Is the language course mandatory - and how many hours?

Attending a course in the local language is a requirement under Art. 48 VZAE, and the host family bears the costs. The number of hours is set by the canton: St. Gallen and Basel-Stadt require at least 120 hours, and St. Gallen wants booking and payment proof in the application itself. For your canton: ask the office or your organisation.

My canton does not grant third-country au pair permits. Now what?

Then two routes remain: an au pair from the EU/EFTA (registration with the municipality, no quota) or a properly employed nanny if you need more care. The comparison au pair or nanny shows the legal difference.

Does Clino handle the permit for me?

No, and we would rather say it plainly: permit and visa run through the municipality, the canton and your placement organisation. Clino prepares everything after that - au pair contract, AHV registration, accident insurance, monthly payslip. You sign and send yourself. CHF 19.90 per month, all 26 cantons.

Sources

Art. 48 VZAE (SR 142.201): requirements and maximum duration for au pair employees from third countries - fedlex.admin.ch
Art. 30 para. 1 let. j AIG (SR 142.20): legal basis of au pair admission - fedlex.admin.ch
Info sheet 'Au-pair-Angestelltenverhältnisse Drittstaaten', Office for Economy and Labour St. Gallen, as of 30.06.2024 - sg.ch
Directive 'Aufenthalt mit Erwerbstätigkeit aus Drittstaaten', Migration Office Canton of Zurich, 15.12.2021 ('At present no quota units are granted for au pair employees.') - zh.ch
Canton Basel-Stadt: au pair (EU/EFTA 17-30, up to 2 years; third country 18-25, max. 1 year, German course of at least 120 hrs) - bs.ch
Perfect Way (licensed au pair agency): permits for au pairs from third countries; PRO FILIA: au pairs from third countries - perfectway.ch, profilia.ch

An overview, not legal advice. As of August 2026 - cantonal practice changes, your cantonal office has the final word.

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