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

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.

1. 1Sign the au pair contract before arrival: hours, pocket money, board and lodging, language course. The municipality often wants to see a copy. A template for the au pair contract covers these points.
2. 2After arrival: registration with the residents' office of your municipality, before the first workday. This produces the L or B permit. The AHV registration of your au pair is a separate step.
3. 3Sort out health insurance: your au pair takes out Swiss health insurance within three months of taking up residence (KVG Art. 3).

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, so you first need to find an au pair agency that holds this licence. 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.

The costs differ too: according to Pro Filia, for an au pair from a third country the family pays, besides CHF 600 to 700 net pocket money, the travel, health insurance, social contributions, source tax and language course. What that means gross is worked out in the post on au pair pocket money.

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.

Frequently asked questions