2017 quotas
Border commuter permit
Notification
On December 16 2016 Switzerland ratified Protocol III, which extends the Agreement on Free Movement of Persons (signed by Switzerland and the European Union) to Croatia. Protocol III envisages a gradual transition of the free movement of persons to Croatia and entered into force on January 1 2017.
From January 1 2017 Croatian nationals will have restricted access to the Swiss labour market. Priority will be given to local workers, and the checking of work and salary conditions as well as quotas will apply up to December 31 2023. Quotas previewed for Croatian nationals in 2017 include 543 L-permits and 54 B-permits.
However, as of January 1 2017, Croatian nationals can apply for a border commuter permit (G-permit) in Switzerland, provided that the work location in Switzerland is within the Swiss border zone.
Croatian service providers (posted workers or self-employed service providers) who are based in Croatia and who provide services in Switzerland for up to 90 days in a calendar year can use the notification procedure. However, for technical reasons online notification is not yet possible. Notification must be provided by email to the competent authority and reach the competent authority at least eight days before employment commences in Switzerland. Online notification should be possible from March 2017.
For further information on this topic please contact Vera Lavvas or Adrian Howald at Suter Howald Attorneys at Law by telephone (+41 44 630 4811) or email ([email protected] or [email protected]). The Suter Howald Attorneys at Law website can be accessed at www.suterhowald.ch.