Switzerland dependent visa
Switzerland does not run a standalone "dependent visa" in the way some countries do. Family members join a relative already in the country through family reunification, governed by the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA). In practice, an Indian applicant applies for a national long-stay visa (type D) marked for family reunification; once the sponsor's cantonal migration office authorises entry and you register after arrival, you receive a residence permit - usually a B permit - that is attached to your sponsor's status. There is no shortcut around the sponsor: your right to live in Switzerland flows from theirs, and the final decision rests with the cantonal authority, not with the embassy or a visa centre.
The mechanics are sponsor-led. Your family member in Switzerland must hold a qualifying permit - typically a B residence permit or a C settlement permit - and must satisfy the canton that the family will live together in adequate housing and can be supported without recourse to social assistance. Each family member files their own application. From India, you book an appointment and lodge the file in person at the Visa Section of the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi, which handles Swiss visa matters for the whole country; the complete file is then forwarded to the sponsor's canton for the decision. VFS Global's visa centres come in only at the end - once entry is authorised, the passport is submitted there for the visa to be affixed.
Who this visa is for
- ✓The spouse or registered (same-sex) partner of the sponsor living in Switzerland qualifies; unmarried children under 18 of the sponsor or spouse can be included in the reunification.
- ✓The sponsor must hold a qualifying permit. A C settlement permit gives an entitlement to reunification (Art. 43 FNIA), while a B residence permit is decided at the canton's discretion (Art. 44 FNIA).
- ✓If the sponsor is an EU/EFTA national working in Switzerland, broader free-movement rules apply - children up to 21 and dependent parents or grandparents can also qualify.
- ✓The family must live together in accommodation considered adequate by Swiss standards and must not depend on social assistance; the sponsor is expected to show sufficient, stable income.
- ✓Applications are time-bound: broadly within five years of the sponsor gaining their permit or the relationship forming, and within 12 months for children older than 12 (Art. 47 FNIA).
- ✓A non-EU spouse is usually expected to show some knowledge of the local language or to enrol in a language course; this condition does not apply to minor children.
Visa options for Switzerland
Family member of a settled resident (C permit)
Where the sponsor holds a C settlement permit, the spouse and unmarried children under 18 have an entitlement to reunification under Article 43 FNIA, provided the housing, cohabitation, language and support conditions are met.
Family member of a resident worker (B permit)
Where the sponsor holds a B residence permit - for example an Indian professional on a work permit - reunification is granted at the canton's discretion under Article 44 FNIA, subject to housing, income, language and cohabitation conditions.
Family member of an EU/EFTA national
If your sponsor is an EU/EFTA citizen living in Switzerland, more generous free-movement rules apply: spouse, children up to 21 and dependent parents or grandparents can qualify, and the entry visa is issued free of charge.
Family member of a Swiss citizen
Spouses, registered partners and minor children of a Swiss citizen can be reunited under Article 42 FNIA; the entry visa is free of charge for the spouse of a Swiss national, and children under 12 receive a settlement permit.
Documents typically required
- ✓Valid passport issued within the last 10 years, with at least two blank pages and validity extending beyond the intended stay, plus copies of the bio-data and last pages.
- ✓Three completed and signed national (type D) visa application forms - the SEM form is free to download - with recent white-background, ICAO-standard photographs.
- ✓Copies of your sponsor's Swiss residence or work permit and of their passport (bio-data and last page).
- ✓A formal invitation letter from your sponsor in Switzerland stating full name, address, email and phone, together with your own personal cover letter.
- ✓Original marriage certificate issued by the Registrar of Marriages, legalised by the competent State Home Department and then by the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi (for spouses/partners); a marriage deed alone is not accepted.
- ✓Original birth certificate for each accompanying child, similarly legalised by the State Home Department and the Ministry of External Affairs.
- ✓Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) from the police station nearest your residence or from the concerned passport office.
- ✓Evidence of adequate accommodation in Switzerland and of sufficient income so the family will not depend on social assistance (provided by the sponsor).
- ✓For a minor not travelling with both parents, custody or guardianship papers, and where relevant divorce or death certificates.
Your exact checklist depends on your profile — we confirm it during your case analysis. Every visa decision rests with the embassy or consulate.
From India, family-reunification applications are lodged in person at the Visa Section of the Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi, which handles Swiss visa matters for the whole of India - the Consulate General in Mumbai no longer processes visas, and the Consulate General in Bengaluru offers no visa services. You book an appointment and submit three application forms with two sets of documents in the required order; the Embassy checks the file but does not decide the case. The complete file is forwarded to your sponsor's cantonal migration office in Switzerland, and only once that office issues an authorisation to enter is the visa granted - at that final stage the passport and authorisation are handed in to VFS Global, without a further appointment, for the visa to be affixed. After you arrive, you must declare your arrival at your commune's Residents' Registration Office within 14 days, and your residence permit is issued there.
Frequently asked questions
Do you guarantee the visa?
No. The decision rests solely with the relevant immigration authority, and no one can honestly guarantee a visa. What we can promise is a frank reading of your case and the strongest, best-documented application we can build around it. Over the last 2-3 years, the applications we have handled have carried a 97% success rate.
Can my spouse work in Switzerland on this permit?
Yes, in most cases. Under Article 46 FNIA, the spouse and children of a B residence or C settlement permit holder may take up employment or self-employment anywhere in Switzerland without a separate work authorisation. If your sponsor holds only a short-stay L permit, a joining spouse's right to work is more limited and is dealt with separately.
Can our children attend school in Switzerland?
Yes. Schooling is compulsory for children of school age and the public school system is free, so children who join you are enrolled locally. Enrolment is treated as part of the family's integration rather than an obstacle.
Is there a fixed income or housing requirement?
There is no single publicly fixed income figure - each canton assesses it case by case. What the law requires is that the family lives together in accommodation considered adequate by Swiss standards and can be supported without depending on social assistance, so the sponsor should be ready to evidence stable income and suitable housing.
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