Updated August 2026
In Switzerland the question is not "are you a foreign national?" but "which permit do you hold, and what for?". A Portuguese national on a C permit buys exactly as a Swiss citizen does. The same person on an L permit is turned down. Here is how to read your own position.
C permit: the same rights as a Swiss citizen
The settlement permit erases the distinction. You buy what you want, where you want, to live in, to let or to invest. No authorisation, no quota, no cantonal restriction. The C permit follows five years of residence for EU/EFTA nationals, ten for others.
B permit: your main home, in your canton
On an annual residence permit you may buy a home to live in, provided it lies in the canton where you are resident. This is the rule that surprises most: a B permit holder domiciled in Geneva cannot buy their main home in Lausanne without moving their domicile there. Buying a second home or an income property remains subject to the Lex Koller.
L and G permits: the difficult cases
The short-term L permit does not, in principle, open a right to buy. Nor does the G permit held by cross-border workers: working in Switzerland is not enough, domicile is what counts. In both cases a purchase presupposes a change of status. Better to know that before making an offer.
Without a permit: the Lex Koller
The federal act on the acquisition of real estate by persons abroad: the Lex Koller, governs purchases by non-residents. Ordinary residential property is in principle closed to them. Two doors remain: second homes in designated tourist municipalities, subject to an annual cantonal quota, and commercial property, which falls outside the act. Each authorisation is examined case by case by the canton.
What changes between promise and deed
A Lex Koller authorisation is applied for before the notarial deed, not after. A deed signed without the required authorisation is void. In a file subject to authorisation, allow several weeks and write a condition precedent into the sale agreement: that clause is what protects you if the canton refuses.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a cross-border worker buy a flat in Switzerland?
- Not by virtue of a G permit. The right to buy residential property follows domicile, not place of work. A cross-border worker wishing to buy must either move their domicile to Switzerland and obtain a B permit, or go through the Lex Koller authorisation regime, which does not cover a main residence.
- Can I let the property I buy on a B permit?
- Not freely. A purchase authorised under a B permit is authorised as your main residence. Letting that home changes its use and falls outside the authorisation. A purchase made for yield comes under the Lex Koller and requires a separate authorisation.
- How long does a Lex Koller authorisation take?
- Allow several weeks, sometimes longer depending on the canton and on how complete the file is. The timing also depends on the annual quota of the municipality concerned: once exhausted, the application waits for the following year.
A question about your own situation?
Every file is different. Tell us about yours and we will tell you what applies.
Get in touch