Service Providers from Switzerland Visa

If you work for a Swiss company and your skills are needed in the UK as part of a contract that was started and completed before December 31, 2020, you can apply for a visa as a Swiss service provider.

Regarding individuals who are native to Switzerland, there is an additional option to pursue self-employment as a service provider in Switzerland.

If you are employed, your employer is only permitted to send employees to the UK for a total of ninety days a year, including public holidays and weekends. It is the responsibility of your company to make sure that you and other workers in the UK don’t go over the ninety-day limit. On the other hand, if you work for yourself, you are the one who has to follow this restriction.

Who can apply

To apply to this route, you must provide evidence that you are:

  • employed by a company based in Switzerland (this applies to all nationalities) or
  • (if Swiss) self-employed and based in Switzerland
  • 18 years of age or older

How long your visa will last

Your visa will last for whichever period is shortest:

  • the end date of the contract to work in the UK
  • the end date of your work contract with your Swiss employer (if you are on a fixed-term contract)
  • the day before your right to live in Switzerland expires if you are a non-EEA citizen or a Croatian national
  • 31 December 2025

If your visa expires and you still need to provide services in the UK, you can re-apply for another Swiss Service Providers visa if you meet the criteria. You cannot re-apply if the work contract itself has expired.

Fees

There are no fees for your application under this route.

You do not need to pay the immigration health surcharge for this route.

What you can and cannot do

You can:

  • provide services in the UK for up to 90 days each calendar year (you must only work on the relevant contract or contracts)
  • enter and leave the UK multiple times during the visa period

You cannot:

  • bring any family members with you (‘dependants’)
  • work more than 90 days in a calendar year – you may have to work fewer if there is another employee also working on the same contract
  • work for any reason other than that for your visa (including self-employment and voluntary work)
  • study
  • get public funds
  • get medical treatment on the NHS (other than in an emergency)
  • marry or form a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership
  • live in the UK for extended periods of time or make the UK your main home
  • extend your stay
  • switch between visas whilst in the UK

For more information on our Service Providers for Switzerland Visas, please get in contact where we would love to discuss further on how we could help you.

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Documents you’ll need to apply

You will need to provide scanned copies of documents which show:

  • proof of identity
  • proof of your right to work in Switzerland
  • proof of your employment (or self-employed) status
  • that your employer is based in Switzerland
  • that the contract you will be working on was signed before 11pm on 31 December 2020
  • that work had begun on that contract before 11pm on 31 December 2020
  • that you need to travel to the UK to work on the contract
  • (if you are not an EEA or Swiss national) evidence you have been working legally in Switzerland for a minimum of 12 months before you apply to the route, such as payslips or a Swiss residence card.

Proof of identity

If you are a Swiss national, you must provide your passport or national identity card.

If you are any other nationality you must provide your passport.

Your right to work in Switzerland

If you are a Swiss or EEA national (except Croatian nationals), you do not need to provide any evidence of your right to work in Switzerland, although if you have a Swiss residence card you may submit a scanned copy.

If you are a Croatian national, you need to submit a scanned copy of your Swiss residence card or work permit.

If you’re not an EEA or Swiss national, you need to submit a scanned copy of your Swiss residence card or work permit.

Employment or self-employed status

If you are employed on a permanent or fixed-term contract, you need to submit a scanned copy of that contract.

If you are a Swiss national and self-employed, you must provide evidence that you are registered as self-employed with the appropriate tax authority in Switzerland (such as a tax return or other form of formal correspondence with the tax authority).

If you’re not an EEA or Swiss national, you must show evidence that you have been working in Switzerland for a minimum of 12 months before you apply. Accepted forms of evidence include payslips or evidence of holding a Swiss residence permit for that period of time.

Employer’s presence in Switzerland

Your employer must be based in Switzerland. You can show this using a scanned copy of any official correspondence between your employer and their canton.

Signing date of the contract to carry out work in the UK

You must provide a scanned copy of the contract that you intend to work on in the UK, which shows the date it was signed. This can also be an electronic copy.

Evidence that work on the contract started before 11pm 31 December 2020

You must show that you, or a co-worker, travelled to the UK at least once to work on the contract before 11pm on 31 December 2020, unless the work contract is clear that regular or frequent travel is not required.

The following are examples of evidence you can use as proof that work began before 11pm on 31 December 2020:

  • receipts of travel or accommodation used while in the UK
  • a Van der Elst visa or Swiss Posted Worker Certification held in the last 12 to 36 months (if it relates to the same contract in the UK)
  • evidence that a co-worker has held or holds a Service Provider from Switzerland visa

For contracts signed on or before 1 March 2020

You may not need to provide evidence that you or a co-worker travelled to the UK to work on a contract if your travel was cancelled due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

You should provide evidence if you were able to travel to the UK. You may also show evidence of cancelled travel tickets between Switzerland and the UK or bookings for accommodation in the UK during 2020.

For contracts signed between 2 March 2020 and 31 December 2020

You do not have to provide evidence that you or a colleague physically travelled to the UK to start work on the contract before 31 December 2020.

You may submit evidence such as:

  • proof of cancelled travel or accommodation bookings
  • written agreement (including email) for the contract to be worked on remotely as an interim solution, or for the contract to be temporarily paused (not cancelled).

Evidence that you need to travel to the UK

If you’re employed by a company:

You need a signed letter from your employer, written by someone with authority to prove why you need to work in the UK. The letter can be electronic. The minimum level of acceptable seniority includes a senior manager, Head of Human Resources, or the most senior staff member with responsibility for human resources.

The letter must show:

  • the letter writer’s title and role in the company
  • a copy of the contract to work in the UK
  • details of why you need to travel to the UK to work
  • that you have the necessary qualifications to work on the contract
  • that the company has not provided services in the UK for more than 90 days in the last calendar year

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Get in Touch

With years of experience working in UK immigration and Litigation law, our advisors can help you understand the process and take the right steps toward obtaining your goals. Get in touch today.