From January 1, 2025, Croatian nationals coming to work in Switzerland will benefit once again from full freedom of movement. At its meeting on November 27, 2024, the Federal Council adopted an amendment to the Ordinance on the Free Movement of Persons (FMPO) to this effect.
Background
Full freedom of movement for Croatian nationals was introduced in 2022. As a result of the sharp increase in the number of Croatian workers that year, the Federal Council decided to unilaterally activate the safeguard clause provided for in the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) and to reintroduce quotas in 2023 and 2024. During these two years, the number of short-term permits (EU/EFTA L permits) was limited to 1,053 per year and the number of residence permits (EU/EFTA B permits) to 1,204 per year. The quotas for 2024 have already been used up.
As the safeguard clause may only be applied for a maximum of two consecutive years, Croatian nationals will once more have full access to the Swiss labour market from January 1, 2025.
What to Expect
If the number of Croatian workers in Switzerland exceeds a certain threshold again in 2025, Switzerland may once more invoke the safeguard clause and limit the number of permits, but only for the year 2026. This is because Croatia is subject to a transitional period of ten years, until December 31, 2026, after which date Croatian nationals will definitively benefit from full free movement of persons, in the same way as nationals of the other EU member states.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
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