Previous settlement for German and Austrian nationals under a bilateral agreement.
Last reviewed
03.06.2026
Statute as of
01.01.2024
Statute citations
11 linked
Reading time
25 min read
As of: 01.06.2026 · Snapshot
Settlement Agreement between Switzerland and Germany 1909 and Switzerland and Austria 1875 — historical bilateral agreements under the AFMP regime
Frequently asked
4 answers on this topic.
Concrete questions people ask about Germany · Austria — 5-year rule.
After 5 years of uninterrupted residence (instead of 10 years for other EU citizens), thanks to settlement agreements with Germany (1953) and Austria (1955). Requirements are the same as for ordinary C settlement permit: language level B1 oral/A2 written, gainful employment, no social welfare, no outstanding debts, no criminal record.
Statute citations
11 statute citations, each linked directly.
01Reviewed: Tier A · Info
Niederlassungsvertrag Schweiz–Deutschland 1909, SR 0.142.111.361 — VERIFY exact ELI URI
: 01.01.2024 — Current version: FZA SR 0.142.112.681, AIG SR 142.20, VZAE SR 142.201, as well as the historical settlement agreements SR 0.142.111.361 (Germany 1909) and SR 0.142.111.631 (Austria 1875).
Status
: AI draft, pending review by the supervising lawyer of record (CLR — Lawyer-of-Record).
1. Overview — two treaties from the 19th and early 20th centuries
The Swiss Confederation entered into agreements with its two large German-speaking neighbours at an early stage, establishing formalised privileges relating to settlement. These are two agreements that are materially related but differ in terms of timing and political context:
Swiss-German Settlement Agreement of 31 March 1909 (Systematic Collection SR 0.142.111.361, VERIFY exact ELI-URI in the Fedlex consolidation): The agreement was concluded on the eve of the First World War between the German Empire and Switzerland, and replaced the previous settlement agreement from 1876. It survived two world wars, the demise of the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the division of Germany and the reunification — and, in its material substance, is still formally applicable today. In practice, it was largely superseded by the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the EU (AFMP, SR 0.142.112.681) from 1 June 2002.
Settlement Agreement between Switzerland and Austria-Hungary of 7 December 1875 (Systematic Collection SR 0.142.111.631, VERIFY exact ELI-URI): The agreement was concluded with the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy and, after its dissolution in 1918, its rights and obligations were transferred to the Republic of Austria as its legal successor. It is therefore one of the oldest bilateral agreements still formally in force between Switzerland and a material-law predecessor of an agreement on the free movement of persons between the two Alpine states.
Both agreements contain, at their core, a national treatment clause for the respective nationals of the other contracting party – settlement, business activities, legal transactions and property rights should be available under the same conditions as for their own nationals. In the 20th century, this clause gave rise to the practice of the Swiss migration authorities of granting German and Austrian nationals a C settlement permit after five years of lawful residence instead of the usual ten years.
With the entry into force of the AFMP on 1 June 2002, this preferential treatment has structurally shifted: German and Austrian nationals are now primarily treated as AFMP-EU beneficiaries in migration practice – the historical agreements on the right of establishment have, in relation to the AFMP, become a general law in relation to a special law (AFMP), without having been formally repealed.
2. Relationship to the AFMP — from the bilateral agreement to the free movement of persons regime
The legal status of German and Austrian nationals in Switzerland has been primarily governed by the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the EU since 1 June 2002. Both states are EU member states – Germany as a founding member, and Austria since its accession to the EU on 1 January 1995 – and are therefore parties to the FZA with the EU as the contracting party.
Lex specialis relationship: The AFMP contains a complete system for the right of residence, employment and family reunification for EU citizens, which is designed to be more generous than the bilateral agreements of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Where the AFMP applies, it takes precedence over the historical agreements on the right of residence; however, the bilateral agreements remain relevant as a fallback system for cases in which the AFMP does not apply for personal or factual reasons.
Specific consequences for German and Austrian nationals:
First-time stay is governed by the AFMP permit system: B EU/EFTA for employees with an indefinite or permanent employment contract of more than twelve months (Art. 6 AFMP, Annex I); L EU/EFTA for short-term employment of less than twelve months; G EU/EFTA for cross-border workers (see permits/permit_g_frontalier.md).
Non-working persons (pensioners, students, persons with sufficient financial resources) also receive a B EU/EFTA permit based on Art. 24 FZA Annex I — provided they have sufficient financial resources and health insurance.
A C settlement permit for EU/EFTA nationals is granted after five years of lawful residence – structurally based on the same time threshold as under the historical agreements on the free movement of persons, but materially based on the entitlement under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons.
VERIFY — current practice for DE/AT citizens: 2026: The SEM generally handles German and Austrian nationals under the AFMP procedure. The historical bilateral agreements are still cited, in particular where the authorities wish to document the depth of the privileged treatment under international law in their reasoning, or in rare cases where the AFMP is not directly applicable (for example, in the case of persons who fall outside the scope of the AFMP, which is practically never the case for DE/AT nationals).
A systematic overview of the AFMP regime and its types of permits can be found in framework/fw_fza_vfp_glossary.md. This document details, in particular, the requirements for AFMP permits, the categories of persons covered, the transitional provisions for EU-2/EU-8/EU-2 states, and the mechanism of the safeguard clause.
3. The 5-year route to a C permit for German and Austrian nationals
For Swiss migration practice in 2026, the central practical consequence is as follows: A German or Austrian national will receive the C settlement permit EU/EFTA after five years of lawful and uninterrupted residence in Switzerland — based on the combination of Art. 34 para. 2 AIG, the SEM’s practice regarding the scope of application of the FZA, and (subsidiarily) the historical settlement agreements of 1909 and 1875.
Legal basis in Swiss migration practice:
Source
Function
Art. 34 para. 2 lit. a LEI/LStrI/FNIA
ordinary C permit after 10 years — as a general comparative standard
Art. 34 para. 2 lit. b LEI/LStrI/FNIA in conjunction with SEM directives AFMP
C EU/EFTA permit after 5 years for AFMP beneficiaries from DE/AT
AFMP Annex I Art. 6 ff.
material basis for the right of residence for EU employees
SR 0.142.111.361 (Switzerland–Germany 1909)
historical contractual basis, still citable as a subsidiary source
SR 0.142.111.631 (Switzerland–Austria 1875)
historical contractual basis, still citable as a subsidiary source
Requirements (with a cross-link to permits/permit_c_settled.md for the full version):
5 years of uninterrupted lawful residence with a valid B EU/EFTA residence permit — short interruptions of less than six months are not detrimental (Fedlex·Art. 61 AIG); L periods count subject to strict conditions.
Successful integration according to Art. 58a AIG: Respect for the legal system and the values of the Federal Constitution, language skills, participation in economic life or in acquiring education, promotion of the integration of the family.
Language: Proof of knowledge of the language spoken in the canton of residence, at oral level B1 and written level A1 (Fedlex·Art. 60a VZAE). For German-speaking applicants, this proof is usually facilitated: in German-speaking cantons, confirmation of their native language or a school certificate obtained in Switzerland is sufficient; in French- or Italian-speaking cantons, knowledge of the language of the respective region must be demonstrated (French in Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura and the bilingual cantons of Fribourg, Valais and Bern; Italian in Ticino and the Italian-speaking municipalities of Graubünden).
Economic self-sufficiency without ongoing receipt of social welfare benefits (Art. 58a para. 1 lit. d LEI/LStrI/FNIA).
No significant criminal proceedings or grounds for revocation pursuant to Art. 62/63 LEI/LStrI/FNIA.
Practical observation: As German is the majority language in Switzerland and, as a rule, the native language of nationals of Germany and Austria, the language barrier to obtaining a C permit has been largely overcome. This is one of the main reasons why the German and Austrian diaspora in Switzerland has an unusually high proportion of C permits compared with other AFMP cohorts of similar size.
VERIFY — current SEM guidelines 2026: The precise documentary requirements for proof of language proficiency for native German speakers vary by canton. In some cantons, a Swiss or Austrian secondary school leaving certificate is sufficient; in others, a Swiss fide language certificate is required. The current SEM guideline "Foreign Nationals" (Chapter III, Settlement) should be consulted before each consultation.
4. Economy and Migration — the German-speaking diasporas in figures
The German and Austrian diasporas in Switzerland are considerable in terms of size and economic importance. The following figures are based on the Federal Statistical Office’s survey of the foreign resident population; specific reference dates should be verified before being used in the FSO database.
German nationals in Switzerland: Approximately 280,000 to 320,000 people with permanent residence – making them the second largest foreign national group in Switzerland after Italian nationals. They are widely distributed across various sectors: industry (pharmaceuticals in Basel, mechanical engineering in Schaffhausen and eastern Switzerland), services (Zurich as a financial centre, insurance, consulting), research and higher education (ETH Zurich, EPFL, universities), healthcare (especially medical and nursing staff), and the hospitality and tourism sectors. Geographically, the German diaspora is primarily concentrated in the German-speaking economic centres of Zurich, Basel, Bern and Zug, with a significant presence also in the university cities of French-speaking Switzerland.
Austrian nationals in Switzerland: Approximately 40,000 to 45,000 people with permanent residence – a smaller, but traditionally present group compared to the German diaspora. They are often employed in the healthcare sector, in the hospitality and tourism industries (especially in the winter sports cantons), as well as in specialised industrial sectors and in the financial sector. Geographically, they are distributed throughout German-speaking Switzerland, with concentrations in the cantons bordering Austria: St. Gallen, Thurgau and Graubünden.
Cross-border commuters (G EU/EFTA):
Southern Germany → Northwest and Northeast Switzerland: approximately 60,000 to 65,000 German cross-border commuters cross the border daily into the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Aargau and Schaffhausen. Economically particularly relevant for the Basel pharmaceutical and chemical industry as well as the Hochrhein economic region.
Vorarlberg → St. Gallen and Thurgau: several thousand Austrian cross-border commuters travelling daily across the Rhine. Quantitatively smaller, but structurally similarly established as the German cross-border commuter movement in the north.
Both groups receive a G EU/EFTA permit under Art. 7 FZA Annex I, the requirements and practice of which are described in detail in permits/permit_g_frontalier.md. The G permit in particular requires weekly return to the place of residence in the home country and is not linked to the requirement of establishing permanent residence for the purposes of a residence permit.
5. Double Taxation Agreements between Switzerland and Germany and Austria — Brief Overview
The historical settlement agreements do not contain a comprehensive tax arrangement. The tax relationship between Switzerland and Germany or Austria is governed by separate double taxation agreements, which must be considered as completely separate from the settlement issue.
DBA Switzerland–Germany (SR 0.672.913.62 in its consolidated version of 1971, repeatedly amended – in particular by the revision protocols of 2010 and 2011): The agreement is complex and contains special provisions for cross-border commuters (taxation rights divided between the country of residence and the country of employment, with a maximum source tax rate of 4.5% in the country of employment), for senior employees with a Swiss employer, for senior positions in German subsidiaries, and for the treatment of German pensions and Swiss pension funds. The interpretation of individual provisions of the DBA is regularly the subject of decisions by the Federal Supreme Court and of consultations between the two tax authorities.
DBA Switzerland–Austria (SR 0.672.916.31, original version 1974, comprehensively revised 2010): The agreement follows the structure of the OECD model agreement, but contains specific provisions for the close economic and personal ties between the two states – in particular for commuters in the Lake Constance region, for Austrian pensioners residing in Switzerland, and for the treatment of royalties and directors’ fees.
Practical implications for DE/AT nationals in Switzerland:
Both DBAs follow the principle of residence — anyone who takes up residence in Switzerland is generally subject to unlimited tax liability in Switzerland and only to limited tax liability (source, assets, pensions) in the country of origin.
Unlike the USA, neither Germany nor Austria operates a citizenship-based taxation system — moving to Switzerland ends the unlimited tax liability in the country of origin (subject to the German exit taxation under Section 6 of the German Income Tax Act in the case of substantial shareholdings, which may be relevant in individual cases).
Swiss banks do not impose comparable FATCA obstacles on German and Austrian private clients as they do on US persons.
Anti-Scope: SwissImmigrationPro is not a tax advisory service. The above information is for guidance only. For any specific tax-related question – taxation of assets moved abroad, treatment of German life insurance policies or Austrian pension funds under the double taxation agreement, optimisation of withholding tax for cross-border workers, inheritance tax issues with connections to Germany/Austria – a specialist in international tax law should be consulted.
6. Family reunification for German and Austrian nationals — AFMP Annex I Art. 3
As German and Austrian nationals are EU citizens and therefore fall under the AFMP regime, their family reunification does not take place under the restrictive Third State AIG (Art. 43/44 AIG), but under the more generous AFMP regulation in Annex I, Art. 3.
Category of persons (AFMP Annex I, Art. 3 para. 2): Entitled to family reunification, regardless of nationality, are:
Spouse of EU nationals
Registered partner (under SR 211.231) — Swiss practice generally treats registered partnerships as equivalent to marriage.
Descendants in the direct line of the EU national and their spouse, who have not yet reached the age of 21 or to whom maintenance is provided.
Relatives in the direct ascending line of the EU citizen and their spouse, to whom maintenance is provided.
Compared to the AIG regime for third-country nationals, two extensions are particularly significant: the age limit for children is 21 instead of 18 years (and is completely waived if they are dependent), and the family reunification of dependent parents and grandparents is possible – both of which are practically excluded under the third-country nationals regime.
Family members of third-country nationals: Family members who join a German or Austrian national receive a B EU/EFTA permit with the endorsement "Family EU" – even if they do not themselves hold EU citizenship. As a result, they enjoy the full AFMP right of residence, which is derived from the right of the family member with the primary right, including the right to work without a separate permit procedure.
Requirements for family reunification under the FZA: suitable accommodation and (for non-working family members, in particular relatives in the ascending line) proof of sufficient financial resources and health insurance by the person with the right of residence.
No A1 language requirement: Unlike the third-country nationals regime (Art. 43/44 AIG, which requires an A1 language level for the initial grant), the FZA does not require a language requirement for the initial family reunification. This is one of the key advantages compared to the third-country nationals regime.
7. Naturalisation for German and Austrian nationals — no separate bilateral procedure.
The historical settlement agreements regulate exclusively the settlement, not the citizenship. A German or Austrian national who seeks Swiss citizenship goes through the complete ordinary naturalisation procedure according to the Federal Act on Swiss Citizenship (SCA, SR 141.0) and according to cantonal and municipal law. There is no bilateral facilitation for DE/AT citizens.
The standard requirements (Art. 9, 11, 12 SCA):
Federal residence requirement: ten years of lawful residence, including three years in the five years preceding the application; years between the ages of 8 and 18 count double (but a total of at least 6 actual years must be completed).
C settlement permit as a formal prerequisite for submitting the application (Art. 9 SCA) — the five-year AFMP-C waiting period also indirectly accelerates the naturalisation process.
Successful integration as defined in Art. 11 lit. a SCA, further specified in Art. 12 SCA: respect for safety and security, respect for the values of the Federal Constitution, participation in economic life or acquisition of education, promotion of the integration of the family, language skills: B1 oral + A2 written as defined in Art. 6 OASA.
No receipt of social welfare benefits in the three years prior to the application (clarification of the Ordinance on Social Welfare).
Additional cantonal and municipal requirements apply (length of residence in the canton/municipality, integration interview, knowledge test in some cantons).
Facilitated naturalisation (Art. 21 SCA): Possible for the spouse of a Swiss national after 5 years of marriage + 3 years of residence in Switzerland (or, if residing abroad, after 6 years of marriage and close ties to Switzerland). This facilitation applies regardless of the nationality of the foreign spouse.
Language barrier virtually eliminated: For German and Austrian nationals, providing proof of language proficiency in the naturalisation process in German-speaking cantons is virtually unproblematic: school or professional certificates from Germany/Austria, a high school diploma, a vocational qualification or a German-language university degree are generally accepted as sufficient proof. In French- and Italian-speaking cantons, the language of the respective region must be demonstrated – even by applicants whose native language is German.
For detailed practical application, see permits/permit_naturalisation_paths.md and framework/fw_bug_2018_glossary.md.
8. Dual nationality — the different regimes in Germany and Austria
The issue of dual citizenship when acquiring Swiss citizenship is dealt with differently for German and Austrian nationals, because their countries of origin have different rules on multiple citizenship.
Switzerland: Switzerland allows dual citizenship without restriction (unconditionally since 1992). Acquiring Swiss citizenship does not require relinquishing previous citizenship. Swiss citizens with dual citizenship are fully entitled to the same political and legal rights as other Swiss citizens within Switzerland, and their dual citizenship does not entail any restrictions.
Germany: Multiple citizenship has been generally permitted since the reform of 27 June 2024. Before this reform, Germany only allowed the retention of German citizenship in narrowly defined exceptional cases when acquiring foreign citizenship (in particular, for EU member states and Switzerland under the retention proviso). With the reform of the Citizenship Act through the Citizenship Modernisation Act, multiple citizenship has been generally permitted. Specifically: Anyone who acquires Swiss citizenship from 27 June 2024 onwards while being a German citizen retains German citizenship without any further application. Anyone who completed the Swiss naturalisation process before 27 June 2024 and lost German citizenship under the old law may, under the conditions of Section 13 of the StAG (re-naturalisation), be able to apply for its restoration – the details of the practice in these transitional cases need to be verified.
Austria: continues to be restrictive. Austria adheres to the principle that Austrian citizenship is automatically lost upon acquiring foreign citizenship (§ 27 StbG), unless the person concerned obtains a retention permit from the Austrian authorities before acquiring the foreign citizenship. The permit is granted under certain conditions – in particular, in cases of professional, economic or family reasons that support the retention – and must be applied for before the Swiss naturalisation decision is made. An Austrian citizen who intends to be naturalised in Switzerland and wishes to retain Austrian citizenship must initiate the Austrian retention procedure before the Swiss naturalisation is granted.
VERIFY — current practice 2026: The German reform on multiple citizenship of 27 June 2024 raises a number of practical questions, in particular the treatment of transitional situations, the recognition of retention procedures carried out before the reform and the impact on persons who have already been naturalised. Austrian practice is divided between the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the competent regional governments; the practice of granting retention permits may vary depending on the federal state and the individual justification.
Anti-Scope: SwissImmigrationPro does not provide advice on matters of dual nationality. The information above is intended solely to provide guidance on the existence and general outline of the subject. For any individual question regarding the retention of German or Austrian nationality when acquiring Swiss citizenship through naturalisation, a law firm specialising in the relevant home country's nationality law should be consulted – in Germany, a law firm with a focus on nationality law (§ 25 StAG, § 13 StAG), and in Austria, a law firm with experience in the retention procedure under § 28 StbG.
9. Practical DE/AT specific cases in Swiss migration
In practice, there are a number of recurring scenarios for German and Austrian nationals, which are outlined below for guidance:
Students at Swiss universities: The ETH Zurich, the EPFL Lausanne, and the universities of Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and Lausanne have a significant proportion of German and (smaller) Austrian students. Admission is based on the standard admission rules; the residence permit is issued as a B EU/EFTA permit for non-working persons in accordance with Art. 24 FZA Annex I, provided that financial resources and health insurance are demonstrated. Note: Numerus Clausus subjects (medicine): here, cantonal quotas and the EMS aptitude test apply, which make admission considerably more difficult.
Promotion and research staff: Doctoral students and postdocs at Swiss universities generally receive a B EU/EFTA permit based on their employment relationship with the university. Changes between universities and between scholarship/employment relationships are straightforward under the FZA regime. L EU/EFTA permits are issued for short-term research stays of less than twelve months.
Seasonal employment in tourism: Alpine winter season jobs in Graubünden, Valais, the Bernese Oberland and Ticino (catering, ski schools, hotels) attract workers from Germany and Austria. The type of permit depends on the duration: L EU/EFTA (under twelve months) or B EU/EFTA (from twelve months); the practice of seasonal extensions is less restrictive under the FZA regime than under the third-country regime.
Business managers and highly qualified professionals: The pharmaceutical industry based in Basel, the banks and insurance companies concentrated in Zurich, the consulting sector and the mechanical engineering companies in eastern Switzerland employ a significant proportion of German executives. The AFMP B permit is granted upon presentation of the employment contract; a more detailed assessment of the labour market (priority for nationals) does not take place – this is the key difference compared to the third-country regime.
Cross-border commuters: As shown in section 4, approximately 60,000 German and several thousand Austrian commuters travel to Switzerland daily. The G EU/EFTA permit is issued at the request of the Swiss employer; the condition is that they return to their place of residence in their home country weekly. Detailed practical guidance can be found in permits/permit_g_frontalier.md.
10. Comparison with the Brexit situation — DE/AT continue to benefit from the FZA, the UK remains under the transitional arrangements.
The comparison with the situation of British nationals after Brexit highlights the importance of the AFMP regime for German and Austrian nationals.
British nationals ceased to be covered by the AFMP on 1 January 2021 and are now subject to a two-tier system under Swiss migration law (see bilaterals/bi_uk_post_brexit_citizens_rights.md):
Protection of acquired rights under the Citizens' Rights Agreement between Switzerland and the UK (SR 0.142.113.672, Ci EU-WA permit) for UK nationals who were resident in Switzerland before 31.12.2020.
Third-country FNIA regime for post-Brexit arrivals — with priority for nationals, quotas, and requirements based on qualifications.
German and Austrian nationals remain unrestricted AFMP beneficiaries. German and Austrian EU membership is stable; neither a "Dexit" nor an "Austrian Exit" is foreseeable; the historical settlement agreements of 1909 and 1875 merely form the pre-AFMP anchor, which would hypothetically be reactivated in the event of the AFMP being abolished – a scenario that is neither to be expected nor practically relevant in the current geopolitical situation.
Hypothetical reactivation: If the AFMP were to cease to apply to Germany or Austria (for example, in the event of a hypothetical termination of the AFMP as a result of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons Initiative or another political shock), the historical settlement agreements – formally still in force – would serve as a material basis for fallback. However, the practical scope of protection would be significantly narrower than under the AFMP: no AFMP cross-border worker scheme, no AFMP family reunification with extended groups of people, and no automatic access to a uniform EU/EFTA labour market.
Anti-Scope: This page does not speculate on the likelihood of hypothetical AFMP cases. The political debate on the further development of Swiss-EU bilateral relations (Bilateral III, institutional agreement, safeguard mechanism) is not discussed here.
11. Note on Reform — Historical Agreements, Current AFMP Stability
Both historical settlement agreements are formally still in force and have not been the subject of bilateral revision negotiations between Switzerland and Germany or between Switzerland and Austria for decades. They remain in their current application as a pre-AFMP anchor, without either of the contracting parties actively pursuing their updating or termination.
From a political and practical advisory perspective, what matters is not the stability of the historical treaties, but the stability of the AFMP itself and the ongoing negotiations on Bilateral III between Switzerland and the EU. These negotiations – in particular on the safeguard clause mechanism, dispute resolution and institutional aspects – will shape the framework conditions for the German and Austrian diaspora in Switzerland for the coming decade.
VERIFY — current state of negotiations 2026: At the time of writing this page, the Bilateral III agreements are in a politically sensitive phase. The author deliberately refrains from providing detailed forecasts and refers to the ongoing publications of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA), the Directorate-General for European Affairs (DEA), and the parliamentary reports in the Foreign Policy Committee (APK) of the National Council.
12. Anti-Scope — what this page is not
SwissImmigrationPro provides on this page a structured, legally sound overview of the historical settlement agreements between Switzerland and Germany in 1909 and Switzerland and Austria in 1875, as well as their practical effect on Swiss immigration law in 2026 under the prevailing AFMP regime. This page is not individual legal advice and not a strategy for optimising the acquisition of settlement rights.
In particular, we do not make statements on:
Personal eligibility: Whether the requirements for the C EU/EFTA permit after 5 years or for ordinary naturalisation after 10 years are met in individual cases depends on the specific integration assessment carried out by the competent cantonal authority. We do not predict the success of permit applications or naturalisation.
Optimisation advice: Whether a specific route to residence (B vs. C vs. ordinary naturalisation; primary residence in a German-speaking versus a French-speaking canton; retention procedure for citizens of Austria and Germany before or after acquiring Swiss citizenship) is "the best" for a specific case is a matter of legal strategy, not a matter of knowledge.
Tax advice: The double taxation agreements between Switzerland and Germany, and Switzerland and Austria, are complex (see point 5). For each specific tax-related question, a specialist in international tax law should be consulted – in particular, a law firm specialising in German-Swiss or Austrian-Swiss tax law.
Multiple citizenship / dual nationality: The German and Austrian practice regarding the retention of the nationality of the country of origin when acquiring Swiss citizenship (see point 8) is too complex and country-specific in its details for a Swiss migration platform to provide a definitive answer for individual cases. We expressly refer you to law firms specialising in the nationality law of the respective country of origin.
German or Austrian immigration law: This page deals exclusively with Swiss immigration law and the special treatment of German and Austrian nationals in Switzerland under the FZA. For questions regarding German immigration law (AufenthG, FreizügG/EU) or Austrian settlement and residence law (NAG), a law firm licensed in the respective country should be consulted.
For individual migration or citizenship-related questions, we refer you to CLR (Lawyer-of-Record) as well as to other specialists in immigration law registered in the Swiss Bar Association's register of lawyers specialising in immigration law.
13. Cross-references
framework/fw_fza_vfp_glossary.md — FZA regime: the relevant regime governing residence and stay for nationals of DE/AT since 2002
framework/fw_aig_vzae_glossary.md — AIG and OASA terminology (applicable subsidiarily)
permits/permit_c_settled.md — C settlement permit, full version with integration criteria and grounds for revocation
permits/permit_b_resident.md — B residence permit; comparison of AFMP-B and third-state B permits
permits/permit_g_frontalier.md — G cross-border permit: main channel for commuters from Germany (Southern Germany) and Austria (Vorarlberg):
permits/permit_naturalisation_paths.md — ordinary and facilitated naturalisation
bilaterals/bi_us_1850_settlement_treaty.md — Comparative case: settlement treaty for third-country nationals without AFMP overlay.
bilaterals/bi_uk_post_brexit_citizens_rights.md — Comparative case: former AFMP contracting state under transitional provisions following the termination of the AFMP
As of: 01.06.2026 · Snapshot
Reflects the cited law as of the snapshot — not a check of current force.
03Reviewed: Tier A · Info
FZA / Personenfreizügigkeitsabkommen SR 0.142.112.681
