Applying for a residence permit

Regardless of whether you need an entry visa or not, you will in any case need a residence permit for your period of study in Switzerland.

You must apply for the permit in person within 14 days after moving to Switzerland at the Residents' Registration Office at your new place of residence.

Students from non-EU/EFTA countries who already live in another canton in Switzerland, apply for a change of canton 8-12 weeks before planned arrival in Zurich.

Documents:

• a valid identity card or passport
  
• your Download extended confirmation of matriculation (PDF, 161 KB), see explanation below
• your rental agreement
• approx. CHF 40.- for the registration confirmation
• approx. CHF 70.- (EU citizens) / CHF 142.- (non-EU citizens) for the permit fee
  
• proof of sufficient financial means:
  
  • if you entered Switzerland with a student visa: not required.
  • as a Non-EU/EFTA citizen if you entered Switzerland without a visa: statement from an bank account in your name at a European or bank of the external page FINMA list with at least CHF 21,000.
  • EU/EFTA citizen have 2 options:
    1. a European bank statement of an account in your own name if the balance is at least CHF 21,000
    or
    2. a letter from the parents confirming that they will support you with CHF 1750 per month. The parents' letter does not have to be in a specific format and ETH does not provide a template
  • Joint Master students, who only spend a semester at ETH Zurich: financial means for the time of your stay (7 months a CHF 1750 per month = CHF 12.250)
    
• non EU/EFTA student, who entered Switzerland without a visa, have to submit in addition the same documents as students with a visa obligation (without the cover sheet, visa application form and confirmation of tuition fee payment)
• non EU/EFTA students, who entered Switzerland with a valid Schengen permit or valid D visa, have to submit in addition the following documents
  

At the Residents’ Registration Office, you will be given an appointment at the Migration Office of the Canton of Zurich to submit your biometric data.

A few weeks after this appointment you will receive your residence permit by registered post mail.

The Migration Office of the Canton of Zurich requires the “extended confirmation of matriculation” of the upcoming semester when issuing your residence permit for the first time and when renewing it.

The “Download extended confirmation of matriculation (PDF, 161 KB)” can be downloaded in myStudies as soon as you have enrolled for the (new) semester.

Log in to myStudies > Functions > Download PDF > Download extended confirmation of matriculation (PDF, 161 KB). Please note that the "Standard" confirmation of matriculation is not accepted.

If you are not yet able to enroll, submitt the following documents:

• BSc students: "Anmeldebestätigung" (falls noch nicht vorhanden: "Verfügung betreffend Zulassung zum Bachelorstudium an der ETH Zürich")
• MSc students: “Confirmation of Registration” and “Matriculation Confirmation for the authorities"

The Migration Office will ask you by mail to submit the "extended confirmation of matriculation". You can submit this external page online (only available in English) together with the letter your received from the Migration Office.