Information page of the International Office
Visa & Residence Permit Application
Depending on your nationality, a visa might be required to enter Switzerland. If you are not sure whether you need a visa or not, please consult the website of the State Secretariat for Migration SEM.
Students from the following countries are exempt from the visa requirement [1]:
- EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, please see section 4) If a Visa is not required (EU/EFTA passport holders).
- EFTA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, please see section 4) If a Visa is not required (EU/EFTA passport holders).
- Students from Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and United Kingdom, please see section 3) If a Visa is not required (visa exempt non-European passport holders).
- Non-European passport holders with a valid residence permit from a EU/EFTA-country can enter Switzerland without a visa if their residence permit is valid at the moment of entering Switzerland. Nonetheless, you have to submit some documents to the Migration Office to apply for a residence permit before you enter Switzerland. Please see section 3) If a Visa is not required (visa exempt non-European passport holders).
Students from all other countries must personally apply for a so-called “National Visa for a long stay (Visa D)” at the Embassy of Switzerland in their country of residence!
Note: Although Switzerland is party to the Schengen/Dublin Agreement, a Schengen visa (Visa C or tourist visa) from another country only entitles you to enter and transit the country, but not to take up residence. A national visa for a long stay (Visa D) is required for the latter.
Please also note that in some countries the application process (part one) can take up to four months. Therefore, it is recommended to start the process as soon as possible! You are only allowed to enter Switzerland with your approved visa and you need to wait in your country until you have received it. Entry with a tourist visa and later conversion into a regular visa is not possible.
It is in your responsibility to get a visa. Application steps, fees and the required documents for the visa application differ a lot depending on your home country/nationality. To start the process, please consult the Swiss Embassy in your country of residence and seek information about the exact procedure. You need to apply for a Visa at the Swiss Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence before you enter Switzerland to take up your studies. Find important documents and checklists below.
Documents required might include:
- Visa application form, duly completed, to be submitted with the nearest Swiss Embassy or Consulate General in your country of residence
- A confirmation or enrollment letter from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts containing the exact name of the chosen degree programme and its expected duration (expressed in semesters)
- CV in tabular form
- Language certificate
- Copies of prior education certificates (including certified translations into German)
- Motivation letter detailing post-graduation plans
- Written pledge to leave Switzerland upon graduation
- Evidence of sufficient financial means (required minimum balance: CHF 21,000 for a whole academic year or for exchange students: CHF 10'500 per semester)
After you've handed in the visa application at the Swiss Embassy or Consulate you can prepare the residence permit process. For a stay in Switzerland exceeding a period of three months, a residence permit is required from the Migration Office - regardless of your visa requirements. To start the process there are different ways according to the Canton you will be living in. Below you will find the process for the Canton of Lucerne and Zug.
Note that every Canton in Switzerland has different processes and documents regarding the residence permit application. The information below only cover the situation in Lucerne and Zug.
If you live in the Canton of Lucerne:
- After your application for a visa at the Swiss Embassy or Consulate General in your contry of residence, we will support your visa application by handing in an additional form (only needed if you live in the Canton Luzern). In order for us to do so, you must provide us with the necessary documents. Below you will find a checklist of the documents. Please send all of the following documents ideally before 31 May (study start in fall) or 31 October (study start in spring) for timely processing to the responsible person at your school.
The Migration Office Lucerne may contact you by email if they need any further documents or information, so please check your emails regularly.
If you live in the Canton of Zug:
- You need to apply for a visa at the Swiss Embassy or Consulate General in your country of residence. You do not need to send any documents to the HSLU to apply for the visa. The Migration Office Zug will contact you by email if they need any further documents or information, so please check your emails regularly.
Further steps: only when your visa application for student purposes has been approved and your visa stamped into your passport, you can enter Switzerland. After your arrival in Switzerland, you have to register either at the residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle) or directly with the Migration Office. For detailed information on the registration process, please see the section "Registration at the Migration Office and/or Residents' Registration Office". Here's a quick summary:
- If you're going to live in the Canton of Lucerne, you'll have to register at the residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle) within the first 14 days after your arrival. The Migration Office will then invite you to take a picture for your residence permit.
- If you're going to live in the Canton of Zug, you don't have to register at the residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle) but you'll have to fill in their online form (see manual in the Checklist and Recommendations section below) and hand in some additional documents to the Migration Office after your arrival in Switzerland. The Migration Office will then invite you to take a picture for your residence permit.
Find more information in the checklists below and please get in touch with the International Office / Student Services Coordinator / administration of your school if you have any questions.
Nationals of
- Japan,
- New Zealand,
- Australia,
- Malaysia,
- Singapore,
- Brunei, and
- United Kingdom
and non-European passport holders with a valid residence permit from a EU/EFTA-country (at the moment of entering Switzerland) do not require a visa to enter Switzerland [2]. However, to obtain a residence permit in Switzerland they must submit the same documents (except the visa application form) as students who are subject to a visa obligation. See "Checklist 2 VISA EXEMPT" below.
Note that every Canton in Switzerland has different processes and documents regarding residence permit. The information below only cover the situation in Lucerne and Zug.
If you live in the Canton of Lucerne:
- If you live in the Canton of Lucerne send the documents directly by email to the Migration Office Lucerne (migration@lu.ch) and to the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in order for us to support your residence permit process. Below you will find a checklist of the documents. Please send all of the following documents ideally before 31 May (study start in autumn) or 31 October (study start in spring) for timely processing by the Migration Office Lucerne.
The Migration Office Lucerne may contact you by email if they need any further documents or information, so please check your emails regularly.
If you live in the Canton of Zug:
- To obtain a residence permit you must fill in the Migration Office Zug's online form (see manual in the Checklist and Recommendations section below) and submit some documents via the online form to the Migration Office Zug before your arrival in Switzerland.
Find more information in the checklist below. The Migration Office Zug will check your online application and documents and if everything is fine, they will send you a pre-approval for your entry in Switzerland by email.
After your arrival in Switzerland, you'll have to register either at the residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle) or directly with the Migration Office. For detailed information on the registration process, please see the section "Registration at the Migration Office and/or Residents' Registration Office". Here's a quick summary:
- If you're going to live in the Canton of Lucerne, you'll have to register at the residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle) within the first 14 days after your arrival. The Migration Office will then invite you to take a picture for your residence permit.
- If you're going to live in the Canton of Zug, you don't have to register at the residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle) but you'll have to hand in some additional documents to the Migration Office after your arrival in Switzerland in addition to filling in the online form. The Migration Office will then invite you to take a picture for your residence permit.
Find more information in the checklists below and please get in touch with the International Office / Student Services Coordinator / administration of your school if you have any questions.
In order for you to study in Switzerland, you will need a residence permit issued by the Migration Office of your Canton of residence. After your arrival in Switzerland, you'll have to register either at the residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle) or directly with the Migration Office. For detailed information on the registration process, please see the section "Registration at the Migration Office and/or Residents' Registration Office". Here's a quick summary:
- If you're going to live in the Canton of Lucerne, you'll have to register at the residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle) within the first 14 days after your arrival and you'll have to submit some documents to the Migration Office Lucerne by email. The Migration Office will then issue your residence permit. For the registration process see the chapter "Registration at the Migration Office and/or Residents' Registration Office".
- If you're going to live in the Canton of Zug, you don't have to register at the residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle) but you'll have to fill in the online form. If you don't have all the required documents at the moment of filling in the online form, you may have to hand in some additional documents to the Migration Office by postal mail after your arrival in Switzerland. The Migration Office will then invite you to take a picture for your residence permit.
Find more information in the checklist below and please get in touch with the International Office / Student Services Coordinator / administration of your school if you have any questions.