Trainee / interns

You are coming to ETH Zurich as a trainee / intern.

Nationals of an EU-27 or EFTA country must register once they have arrived in Switzerland, either at the Residents' Registration Office at their place of residence (if not living in the city of Zurich) or with the Person Registration Office in Zurich. They must bring with them all required documents according to their residence status*. Registration must take place within 14 days of entering the country and before the beginning of your employment.

More information on registration in Switzerland (Staffnet)

*Note for Croatian nationals
Since 1 January 2023, permit quotas (maximum numbers per quarter) have applied to newly arriving Croatian workers. This concerns persons who wish to take up employment in Switzerland for more than three months. The application for the work and residence permit is submitted by the responsible HR administration. If the application is approved, you will receive a written confirmation of the residence permit. This entitles you to enter Switzerland and to register personally with your municipality of residence or with the Person Registration Office in the city of Zurich.

Members of non-EU/EFTA countries require a permit to enter the country, reside and work here, approved by the Swiss Labour Market Authority (visa authorisation for people requiring visas or confirmation of a residence permit for those not requiring visas, see also Visas for non-EU/EFTA nationals).

Conditions

You have to complete a compulsory internship which is an integral part of your degree course
You are, and will remain, enrolled at a foreign university and will be returning there after the compulsory internship
You already have an offer of a position as a trainee from an institute/professor of ETH or you are in contact with the exchange organisation external page IAESTE

Work and residence permit

The maximum residence period is 12 months.
The request is assessed by the exchange organisation external page IAESTE.

Procedure:

The application for the work and residence permit is submitted by the employer (ETH Zurich).
The visa authorisation or promise of a residence permit is sent to the future employee in writing.
He or she may not enter Switzerland until they have received confirmation from the authorities.

Please note: The permit cannot be extended in any circumstances. The permit is valid for the residence period for which you applied (number of months).

Processing period

Please note: the Office for Economy and Labour requires 4 - 6 weeks to process a request.

Documents

The institute or professor’s office will contact you with a request to submit the following documents:

Official request for immigration
CV
Copy of confirmation of enrolment at a foreign university
Confirmation of the internship requirement from the foreign university, with details of the nature and duration of the internship and explicit confirmation that it is an integral part of your course
If you are being funded by a scholarship, this must be confirmed in writing
Copy of your passport

Please note: The information on this page is meant for information purposes only. No responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information. The rules and regulations may have changed in the meantime. For legally binding information please contact the Vice-Presidency for Personnel Development and Leadership, which will clarify your particular situation in consultation with the Migration Office.