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EXPLAINED: What’s the best way to bring an elderly parent to Switzerland?

If you live in Switzerland but your elderly parents are still abroad, and you want them to join you, there are some rules you should know about.

Published: 18 September 2024 09:13 CEST

EXPLAINED: What's the best way to bring an elderly parent to Switzerland?

You can bring your parents to Switzerland under certain conditions. Photo: Pixabay

If you legally reside in Switzerland, you can bring over your spouse (or registered partner), as well as your children under the age of 18.

But family reunification rules for parents are a bit more complex.

Whether or not they can join you in Switzerland depends on a number of factors, the most decisive of which is your and their nationality.

Surprisingly, citizens of the EU and EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) states have more freedom in this regard than Swiss nationals.

This is how it works

European Union and EFTA nationals can reunite in Switzerland with their parents, regardless of whether they too come from EU/EFTA states or from third countries.

However, family members requiring a visa (that is, those from third countries) still need to apply for an entry permit to be able to come to Switzerland — read more about specific conditions and procedures below.

If, however, you are a Swiss — naturalised or a dual citizen — your rights are more restrictive in this regard.
While you are allowed to bring your spouse or registered partner, any children and grandchildren under the age of 18, as well as dependent parents and grandparents from any EU or EFTA nation, these rights don’t extend to parents living in third countries.

Unpredictable flow of new arrivals’

That’s because earlier in September, MPs in the Council of States decided that parents of Swiss nationals who live in third states, cannot benefit from the same family reunification rules as their EU / EFTA counterparts.

To justify this decision, MPs noted that the number of additional people who would arrive in Switzerland from third countries could not be estimated, nor could the costs that this would generate for the country’s social security scheme.

Deputies explained their decision not to discuss the matter further by saying that “it can’t be ruled out that this change in law could generate an unpredictable flow of new arrivals in Switzerland” — which is fuelling concerns in some quarters that Switzerland is on it is on its way, due to the influx of foreigners in recent years, to becoming a country of 10 million residents.

However, if your elderly parents live in the European Union or EFTA, then you can bring them over to Switzerland, under certain conditions.

The first and foremost is that the parents have sufficient financial means to live in Switzerland without resorting to social aid or seek employment — or that you will be responsible for meeting all the financial needs.

Specifically, “anyone wishing to bring his/her family to Switzerland must have suitable accommodation,” according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).

SEM defines accommodation as suitable “if it reflects typical living conditions of Swiss citizens.”

As for money matters, if you are employed, “then the right to family reunification is not contingent” upon your financial situation.

Self-employed persons or those not working, on the other hand, “may only apply for family reunification if they have the necessary financial means to support these family members,” SEM says.

You will also have to ensure that your parents purchase the obligatory Swiss health insurance within three months of their arrival.

This is what the family reunification process entails:

In order to obtain a residence permit, your parents must present the following documents:

A valid identity card or passport

A certificate issued by the authorities of the country of origin confirming that the person is a family member of a Swiss citizen or EU/EFTA citizen living in Switzerland

A certificate confirming that you have agreed to provide support for your parents

You can find out all the other requirements from your cantonal migration office.

Things to keep in mind

These family reunification rules are for people residing in Switzerland on a long-term permit. Asylum seekers are not allowed to bring their parents, or any other family members, to Switzerland.

Also, if your parents who live abroad are Swiss citizens (even if dual), they don’t need any special permission to move to Switzerland; they can do so at anytime.

In such a case, you don’t have to meet any of the conditions outlined above, such as ensuring proper accommodations or financial support.

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Under the pretext of dealing with “emergency” or “crisis” situations, the list of exemptions and deviations from the common rules defined by the European Union continues to grow.

All this flies in the face of the new EU migration pact, agreed only in May and coming into force in 2026.

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‘Climate on impunity’

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Even Meloni’s government has allowed the entry into Italy of 452,000 foreign workers for the period 2023-2025.

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