US citizen marrying Swiss resident question

Hi. I'm Siegfried...or Siggy.

I read your question about immigration to Switzerland. Did I understand it correctly: You are US-American and are planing to get married with a German, who has a permission C in Switzerland and you both intend to live after your marriage together in Switzerland.

I am on this expat website even that I'm not an expat in Switzerland. I am Swiss citizen and I'm living in Switzerland. The reason that I am on this website is that I'm married with a Canadian and she was an expat here. I joint her because of her being on this expat website even that I'm not an expat.

I maybe can help you concerning immigration in Switzerland because I had to do all of this immigration stuff here in Switzerland for my wife as she immigrated here. Maybe I can help you with my experiences in this matter and with getting information you need here locally.

I, Swiss citizen and my wife, Canadian citizen, got married in Canada in the city hall in Thunder Bay. First we lived in Canada together for about a year and then we moved to Switzerland for living here.

First maybe about your question to get married in the United States or in Switzerland for immigrating to here and living here. If you intend to immigrate in Switzerland and to live in Switzerland with your German husband then it is in my experience better to get married in Switzerland because otherwise, if you get married in the United States or in Germany you will need to go through 3 different processes until you can live and work in Switzerland with a residence permission B (for 5 years first and after 5 years you will get a permission C like your husband has one).

The first process would be that you will need to get your marriage approved from a Swiss Embassy in the country where you got married, for that your marriage will get considered as legally from Switzerland (this is the first process with forms and fees and who is time consuming).

The second process would be that that you will need to get your marriage registered with the Civil Registration Office (Zivilstandsamt) of the Canton in Switzerland where your husband is resident of, for that you can be the registered wife of your German husband in Switzerland (and this is the second process with forms and fees and who is time consuming).

The third process would be that you will need (or better your husband will need) to apply for a residence permission for you (permission B) with the Immigration Office (Migrationsamt) of the Canton where your husband is resident of (and this is the third process with forms, fees and who is time consuming). There is additionally the standard process for an immigration by marriage that you have to stay outside of Switzerland until all of these 3 steps are done and that you then will have to go personally to the next Swiss Embassy of where you life in the United States to get handed over the residence card personally from a agent in the Swiss Embassy. When all of this then finally will be done, then you can book a flight and to go to live in Switzerland together with your husband. One good information is maybe that the standard process that you will have to stay outside of Switzerland until the immigration process is done is a standard but that about this you can deal with the Immigration Office here in Switzerland.

All these three processes would be necessary for you if you get married outside of Switzerland for that after your marriage you can reside and living and working in Switzerland together with your husband and all three of them take a lot of time and effort and you will have to fill out many forms and papers for three different offices and all of them cost pretty much money for fees and every step takes a lot of time.

There are also, as far as I know, different requirements and different necessary processes for an immigration to Switzerland depending whether you got married in the United States or in Germany who is a country of the European Union from where it is easier that a marriage gets approved and registered in Switzerland and also the immigration process is easier from Germany than from the United States.

My recommendation for you is to get married in Switzerland because then step one and step two won't be necessary and you (that means your husband has to) can directly apply for residence in Switzerland. In my case I had to go through all three steps because I got married in Canada but at least the steps didn't take a lot of time in my case and after about 6 month my wife got the residence permission B for Switzerland...and also instead of to go to the Swiss Embassy in Canada to get the residence card handed over personally she could go here in Switzerland to the Immigration Office (Migrationsamt) in Basel to get it. I cannot say how much time the immigration process will need for you because your husband is German Citizen with a Residence Permission C but I don't think that it will take much longer than it took in my case. Step three, the immigration, took only about 6 weeks from the moment I sent the filled out application with all of the necessary papers until my wife could go to get the residence permission B for Switzerland at the local Immigration Office here in Switzerland. In Switzerland it is different from how it is in North-America concerning the immigration of a spouse in the way that in Switzerland the spouse who is resident here (your husband) has to apply for the immigration of his spouse (his wife) and not the spouse who is immigrating to Switzerland (you).

Important for a marriage in Switzerland is, if both spouses are not Swiss citizens, that at least one of the spouses has residence in Switzerland. Your partner is German with a Residence Permission C as you wrote. Are both of you residing in the United States or is your partner registered as resident in Switzerland with a registered residence address in Switzerland? If this is the case then this would be the village or city you would have to get married in and where your partner would have to ask at the local "Zivilstandsamt" (Civil Registry Office) where he has residence in (Zivilstandsamt  der Gemeinde "...?...") for the requirements for both of you and also where he has to apply then for getting married with a partner of another country. This would have been for me the case if I wouldn't have got married in Canada.

I am not sure but I think that in your case, because both of you are not Swiss citizen, it can be that for getting information and then for to be given permission to get married in Switzerland you will have to contact first the Immigration Office of the Canton (Kantonales Migrationsamt) here where your partner lives in and where he has his registered residence address and only after this to contact the local Civil Registry Office (Zivilstandsamt der Gemeinde "...?...") for planning the marriage here. But this I would have to verify because I think so but am really not sure about it. The immigration fee I had to pay for my wife was, I think, about 700 Swiss Francs but about this I am not sure neither. I would have to verify. It can good be that the fee was much lower. I just can remember that it was not high.

Your question about the financial requirements for the immigration of a spouse are here that the one who is living here, in your case your husband, has to provide enough income for both of you that you won't need to get social assistance in Switzerland at least until you will have found a job here. There is a specific amount of months as I know for witch he needs to provide enough income. But this information you wood need to get directly from the immigration office of the canton your partner is resident of. I think that there exist basic requirements but that they look in the immigration office for each case separately concerning the closer financial part.

Well, I hope I could help you a bit with these information. If I can help you more than you or your partner can feel free to write me an email. I know from my own experience that it is often helpful in such things when someone is local and can go personally to offices here or to call from Switzerland for getting information etc. My full name is Siegfried Helfrich if you can need my help.

With my best wishes to you both.

Siggy