Documents you’ll need to apply

You will need to provide scanned copies of documents which show:

• proof of identity
• proof of your right to work in Switzerland
• proof of your employment (or self-employed) status
• that your employer is based in Switzerland
• that the contract you will be working on was signed before 11pm on 31 December 2020
• that work had begun on that contract before 11pm on 31 December 2020
• that you need to travel to the UK to work on the contract
• (if you are not an EEA or Swiss national) evidence you have been working legally in Switzerland for a minimum of 12 months before you apply to the route, such as payslips or a Swiss residence card.

Proof of identity

If you are a Swiss national, you must provide your passport or national identity card.

If you are any other nationality you must provide your passport.

Your right to work in Switzerland

If you are a Swiss or EEA national (except Croatian nationals), you do not need to provide any evidence of your right to work in Switzerland, although if you have a Swiss residence card you may submit a scanned copy.

If you are a Croatian national, you need to submit a scanned copy of your Swiss residence card or work permit.

If you’re not an EEA or Swiss national, you need to submit a scanned copy of your Swiss residence card or work permit.

Employment or self-employed status

If you are employed on a permanent or fixed-term contract, you need to submit a scanned copy of that contract.

If you are a Swiss national and self-employed, you must provide evidence that you are registered as self-employed with the appropriate tax authority in Switzerland (such as a tax return or other form of formal correspondence with the tax authority).

If you’re not an EEA or Swiss national, you must show evidence that you have been working in Switzerland for a minimum of 12 months before you apply. Accepted forms of evidence include payslips or evidence of holding a Swiss residence permit for that period of time.

Employer’s presence in Switzerland

Your employer must be based in Switzerland. You can show this using a scanned copy of any official correspondence between your employer and their canton.

Signing date of the contract to carry out work in the UK

You must provide a scanned copy of the contract that you intend to work on in the UK, which shows the date it was signed. This can also be an electronic copy.

Evidence that work on the contract started before 11pm 31 December 2020

You must show that you, or a co-worker, travelled to the UK at least once to work on the contract before 11pm on 31 December 2020, unless the work contract is clear that regular or frequent travel is not required.

The following are examples of evidence you can use as proof that work began before 11pm on 31 December 2020:

• receipts of travel or accommodation used while in the UK
• a Van der Elst visa or Swiss Posted Worker Certification held in the last 12 to 36 months (if it relates to the same contract in the UK)
• evidence that a co-worker has held or holds a Service Provider from Switzerland visa

For contracts signed on or before 1 March 2020

You may not need to provide evidence that you or a co-worker travelled to the UK to work on a contract if your travel was cancelled due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

You should provide evidence if you were able to travel to the UK. You may also show evidence of cancelled travel tickets between Switzerland and the UK or bookings for accommodation in the UK during 2020.

For contracts signed between 2 March 2020 and 31 December 2020

You do not have to provide evidence that you or a colleague physically travelled to the UK to start work on the contract before 31 December 2020.

You may submit evidence such as:

• proof of cancelled travel or accommodation bookings
• written agreement (including email) for the contract to be worked on remotely as an interim solution, or for the contract to be temporarily paused (not cancelled).

Evidence that you need to travel to the UK

If you’re employed by a company:

You need a signed letter from your employer, written by someone with authority to prove why you need to work in the UK. The letter can be electronic. The minimum level of acceptable seniority includes a senior manager, Head of Human Resources, or the most senior staff member with responsibility for human resources.

The letter must show:

• the letter writer’s title and role in the company
• a copy of the contract to work in the UK
• details of why you need to travel to the UK to work
• that you have the necessary qualifications to work on the contract
• that the company has not provided services in the UK for more than 90 days in the last calendar year