Family Reunification Checklist

For the spouse joining a C/B permit holder in the third-country branch, check A1 oral in the national language at the residence location or accepted course enrolment when competence is not yet proven; SEM describes A1 evidence one year after arrival. A generic integration agreement is not equivalent to language-course enrolment. Unmarried minor children are not subject to this family-reunification language condition. Do not extend it automatically to Swiss/EU/EFTA branches; accepted alternatives/exemptions require canton review.

Spouse joining third-country C/B holder only; minor unmarried children excluded. Swiss/EU/EFTA and F/asylum branches require separate review.

SEM FAQ residence/integration section 5, language and children

SEM residenceFAQ section 5: spouseofC/B/F courseenrolment and A1 afteroneyear; unmarriedminors notsubjecttolanguagecondition. CurrentpatchC/Bonly.

Suitable accommodation is required. For an EU/EFTA employee with a residence right under the free-movement agreement, family reunification is not contingent on the employee's financial situation. EU/EFTA self-employed or economically inactive sponsors need sufficient means; students have a narrower family category. Swiss and third-country permit branches have their own financial/social-assistance conditions. Verify the actual sponsor status with the canton; do not impose one universal income amount or financial test.

Suitable housing; finance conditions depend on sponsor status, EU/EFTA employee AFMP exception. Do not apply national blanket income threshold.

SEM EU/EFTA factsheetp 1, accommodation and sponsorfinancialstatus

SEM AFMP factsheet p 1: employee reunification notcontingentonfinancialsituation; selfemployed/inactive necessaryfinancialmeans; suitableaccommodation.

For ordinary Swiss/EU/EFTA/third-country permit branches, provide valid identity and official relationship evidence; dependency evidence when relevant. Child-only reunification requires parental-authority/custody evidence and any applicable consent. Geneva lists one M form per person for postal applications, translations as needed, housing evidence and branch-specific attachments. Confirm the competent canton/Swiss representation and whether a visa is required; a visa exemption does not itself approve reunification. F/refugee evidence procedures are separate.

Ordinary family applications; dependency, custody and consent evidence depend on the family case. F/asylum procedures are separate.

Geneva thirdcountry Piècesàjoindre/entry; Swiss/EUbranch evidence

For ordinary Swiss/EU/EFTA/third-country permit branches, provide valid identity and official relationship evidence; dependency evidence when relevant. Child-only reunification requires parental-authority/custody evidence and any applicable consent. Geneva lists one M form per person for postal applications, translations as needed, housing evidence and branch-specific attachments. Confirm the competent canton/Swiss representation and whether a visa is required; a visa exemption does not itself approve reunification. F/refugee evidence procedures are separate.

Geneva's employment page distinguishes sponsor branches. Spouses and children with valid family residence joining a Swiss citizen, B/C holder or EU/EFTA L holder may work without a separate employment step. A non-EU/EFTA spouse joining a non-EU/EFTA L holder on an L family permit needs employment authorisation and must wait for OCPM confirmation; qualification and employer conditions apply. Do not start on a pending family application or extend these spouse/child rules automatically to ascendants, other L cases or F/refugee procedures. Confirm the actual permit and applicable child labour rules.

Valid ordinary family residence; actual sponsor/recipient nationality and permit. Specific non-EU L spouse branch; not pending applications/F/refugee/ascendant extrapolation.

Pour qui and Conditions, updated 9 June 2026

Geneva's employment page distinguishes sponsor branches. Spouses and children with valid family residence joining a Swiss citizen, B/C holder or EU/EFTA L holder may work without a separate employment step. A non-EU/EFTA spouse joining a non-EU/EFTA L holder on an L family permit needs employment authorisation and must wait for OCPM confirmation; qualification and employer conditions apply. Do not start on a pending family application or extend these spouse/child rules automatically to ascendants, other L cases or F/refugee procedures. Confirm the actual permit and applicable child labour rules.

EU/EFTA reunification has no general five-year/one-year filing limit, but nondependent descendants must qualify before 21. Swiss sponsor relatives with durable EU/EFTA residence have a separate exception. Relevant Swiss outside-EU/EFTA and third-country B/C branches generally use five years and 12 months for children over 12; verify the permit/family-link start and birthday boundary. A shorter child deadline is not an extra year after five years. Late reunification needs major family reasons and authority assessment, not automatic extension. Filing and processing times differ.

Relevant Swiss/third-country B/C filing branches; EU/EFTA deadline exceptions. L, F and asylum timing require separate review.

GenevaSwiss Quand; Geneva thirdcountry Quand; SEMFAQsection 5

EU/EFTA reunification has no general five-year/one-year filing limit, but nondependent descendants must qualify before 21. Swiss sponsor relatives with durable EU/EFTA residence have a separate exception. Relevant Swiss outside-EU/EFTA and third-country B/C branches generally use five years and 12 months for children over 12; verify the permit/family-link start and birthday boundary. A shorter child deadline is not an extra year after five years. Late reunification needs major family reasons and authority assessment, not automatic extension. Filing and processing times differ.

For the ordinary Swiss and third-country permit branches, Geneva requires family members in principle to live with the sponsor in a shared household. Appropriate housing evidence alone does not prove this. Any exception or separate address needs competent-authority review; do not infer approval from a family relationship or automatically extend this condition to EU/EFTA free-movement, F or family-asylum branches.

Ordinary Swiss/third-country shared-household branches; authority reviews exceptions. EU/EFTA, F and asylum branches need separate review.

Conditions: ménage commun; Geneva Swiss Conditions

For the ordinary Swiss and third-country permit branches, Geneva requires family members in principle to live with the sponsor in a shared household. Appropriate housing evidence alone does not prove this. Any exception or separate address needs competent-authority review; do not infer approval from a family relationship or automatically extend this condition to EU/EFTA free-movement, F or family-asylum branches.

SEM handbook F7 distinguishes a three-year statutory wait from individualized assessment beginning 18 months after provisional admission, following proportionality jurisprudence. The 18-month point is not automatic approval or a guaranteed decision date. SEM assesses family circumstances and the child's interests; cantonal authorities must receive and forward applications, including before the three-year period expires. Distinguish provisional admission from recognized-refugee family asylum; have SEM determine the actual applicable procedure and timing.

ProvisionaladmissionFonly; informationaboutSEMhandbook2.3.1.1assessment, notindividualeligibilityorautomaticapproval. Recognizedrefugeefamilyasylumseparate.

SEM F7 section 2.3.1.1 pp 12-13; procedureDirectiveDecember 2025 section 3.2

SEM handbook F7 distinguishes a three-year statutory wait from individualized assessment beginning 18 months after provisional admission, following proportionality jurisprudence. The 18-month point is not automatic approval or a guaranteed decision date. SEM assesses family circumstances and the child's interests; cantonal authorities must receive and forward applications, including before the three-year period expires. Distinguish provisional admission from recognized-refugee family asylum; have SEM determine the actual applicable procedure and timing.

Confirm sponsor nationality, residence right and permit before choosing relatives. EU/EFTA branches cover spouse/recognized partner, descendants under 21 or dependent, and qualifying dependent ascendants; students are limited to spouse and dependent children. Third-country ordinary permit branches cover spouse and unmarried children under 18. For Swiss sponsors, relatives' durable EU/EFTA residence can change the category. C/B/L do not all confer the same entitlement. Verify recognition of the relationship, dependency and applicable branch with the canton.

Choose actualSwiss/EU/EFTA/thirdcountryordinarysponsorbranch; students/SwissrelativesdurableEUresidence exceptions; dependencyandage assessed, notautomatic.

GenevaSwiss Pourqui; ch.ch categories; SEM AFMPfactsheetp 1

Confirm sponsor nationality, residence right and permit before choosing relatives. EU/EFTA branches cover spouse/recognized partner, descendants under 21 or dependent, and qualifying dependent ascendants; students are limited to spouse and dependent children. Third-country ordinary permit branches cover spouse and unmarried children under 18. For Swiss sponsors, relatives' durable EU/EFTA residence can change the category. C/B/L do not all confer the same entitlement. Verify recognition of the relationship, dependency and applicable branch with the canton.