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.
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
- The internship must be a compulsory part of the study course and this must be confirmed by an official letter from the university
- The student must remain enrolled throughout the period of the placement (graduates are not eligible)
- Only one mandatory internship shall be granted per study level (bachelor’s/master’s degree)
- It is not possible to extend the original duration of the internship
- The internship must be paid, usually minimum 2000 CHF per month
- 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) to IAESTE
- The visa authorisation or promise of a residence permit is sent to the future employee in writing from IAESTE.
- 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 requires 6 - 8 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
EU/EFTA countries
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland
Note
As of 1 January 2022, Croatia is a EU-27 country (without transitional provisions). Since 2021, UK nationals are subject to the same entry requirements as third-?country nationals.
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.