Conditions relevant to entering and residing in Switzerland

After entering Switzerland, you must apply for a residence permit at the registration office of the city of Bern (or from the authorities of your residential municipality). The International Office stocks the relevant form.

The fee for the residence permit: approx. CHF 90

Almost all nationals of non-EU/EFTA countries require a visa. Contact the embassy or the Swiss consulate in your own country for information on visa regulations and applying for a visa. Please note that it takes at least eight weeks for a visa to be issued. You cannot study in Switzerland on a tourist visa.

For your visa and/or residence permit, you must prove that you have CHF 1,500 per month at your disposal. Examples of this financial proof: recent bank statement, confirmation from a person who is supporting you financially (with a copy of that person's passport) and/or proof of a grant. 

Upon your arrival you must apply for a residence permit at the registration office of the city of Bern (or from the authorities of your residential municipality). The International Office stocks the relevant form.

If you are not going to live in the city of Bern, please contact the registration office of your residential municipality in Switzerland.

EU/EFTA nationals do not require a visa to study in Switzerland. 

Within two weeks of your arrival, you must register using the registration form. You must fill the registration form out and send it with all the necessary documents to the Registration office of the city of Bern. Registrations are no longer possible directly at the counter. The documents can also be sent via email, but only in PDF format and in good quality.

After the registration, the students will have to go personally to the address below for the acquisition of the biometric data (ID Card in credit card format). The fees are paid directly there:

Registration office of the city of Bern (if you are living in the city of Bern - ZIP codes 3000 - 3027):
Migration Office (Einwohnerdienste, Migration und Fremdenpolizei)
Predigergasse 5
Postfach
3000 Bern 7

After the registration the permit and the invoice will be sent by post to your home.

Please observe all information on the registration formalities of the city of Bern (website in German).

If you are not going to live in the city of Bern, please contact the registration office of your residential municipality in Switzerland.

Almost all nationals of non-EU/EFTA countries require a visa to study in Switzerland. Contact the diplomatic representation in your country of origin for information on visa regulations and applying for a visa. The visa application procedure usually takes at least eight weeks.

A student visa is mandatory for entering. As a general rule, you will not be given a residence permit and cannot study in Switzerland if you enter the country on a tourist visa. Even if you already have a residence permit of an EU/EFTA country, you still have to apply for a Schengen visa with the purpose of "studying in Switzerland" from the appropriate Swiss diplomatic representation. 

Within two weeks of your arrival, you must register using the registration form. You must fill the registration form out and send it with all the necessary documents to the Registration office of the city of Bern. Registrations are no longer possible directly at the counter. The documents can also be sent via email, but only in PDF format and in good quality.

After the registration, the students will have to go personally to the address below for the acquisition of the biometric data (ID Card in credit card format). The fees are paid directly there:

Registration office of the city of Bern (if you are living in the city of Bern - ZIP codes 3000 - 3027):
Migration Office (Einwohnerdienste, Migration und Fremdenpolizei)
Predigergasse 5
Postfach
3000 Bern 7

If you are not going to live in the city of Bern, please contact the registration office of your residential municipality in Switzerland.