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I have a blue card that has been issued in Germany. It will expire in one year.

I am planning to move to Switzerland for work. But, I don't want to lose my blue card too. My questions are:

  1. Will it be possible to renew the blue card from Switzerland?
  2. Is there is alternative to the blue card in Switzerland? (i.e. other than Schengen visa for non-EU to allow you to travel and work anywhere in EU without a visa)
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    There is no such thing as a visa that allows you to travel and work anywhere in the EU. Employment authorization is entirely a matter of national law. A work permit issued by Germany allows you to work in Germany only. To work in Switzerland (which, it must be noted, is not in the EU nor the EEA), you need a work permit issued by Switzerland.
    – phoog
    Mar 9, 2022 at 23:24
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    How would you renew your blue card when you can't provide a german work contract that shows that the conditions for a blue card are fulfilled?
    – Mark Johnson
    Mar 10, 2022 at 15:16
  • Blue Card is a resident permit issued under EU law and Switzerland is not EU, so you probably cannot benefit from having it there, other than for travelling within Shengen.
    – Andrey Sapegin
    May 23, 2022 at 7:32

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Will it be possible to renew the blue card from Switzerland?

No. It's not possible to reside or work in Switzerland using the German Blue card either.

Is there is alternative to the blue card in Switzerland?

Switzerland does issue residence permits for work purposes to third-country (non-EU) citizens. I don't recall the details of the rules but I think they are quite restrictive.

Anyhow, there is no alternative: To work in Switerland, you need a Swiss work and residence permit (L, B, or C permit). If you want to move there for work, you need to secure one and any (prospective) employer would be aware of it too.

(i.e. other than Schengen visa for non-EU to allow you to travel and work anywhere in EU without a visa)

That part is very confusing. There is no visa that allow you to work anywhere in the EU. What's most properly called a “Schengen visa” is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C or “uniform visa”). It's valid in all Schengen countries but it does not in and of itself give you the permission to work anywhere, not even in the country that issued it.

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  • The EU permanent residence permit (Daueraufenthalt-EU) does allow to work in many (but still not all) EU countries, but usually no longer than 3 months
    – Andrey Sapegin
    May 23, 2022 at 7:35
  • @AndreySapegin This is very restrictive and mainly intended as a way to transition from residence in one country to residence in another country (and some other edge cases like cross-border or seasonal work). It gives you a bit of leeway to start working before getting the permit but the principle is the same, to work in a country, you have to apply for a permit from that specific country. The English name for this status is “long-term resident” (in EU law, “permanent residence“ (German Ständiger Wohnsitz) is a status reserved for EU nationals and their family.
    – Relaxed
    May 23, 2022 at 18:09

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