Citizens of the following countries do not need a visa: Schengen area, EU, Canada, United States, Australia, UK.

For more details please consult: https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/publiservice/weisungen-kreisschreiben/visa/liste1_staatsangehoerigkeit.html

Work permits are linked to residence permits, therefore it will depend on nationality, type of employment contract, place where the job is on offer and the Swiss labour market demand.  Since the EU bilateral agreement of 2002 it is easier for EU nationals and citizens of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to get residency and work permits.

For non EU members, an employer has to prove that the job on offer could not be filled by a Swiss worker or an EU national. The employer has to send an offer of employment and then apply for a residence permit in the canton's local police section for foreigners.  If this is successful, the non-EU national will receive a pre-authorisation of residency. When the employee arrives in Switzerland to begin work, this must be shown at the local Cantonal Population Office (OCP) when application for a residence permit is made.  The whole process of obtaining a work permit can take many months and there is no guarantee that a work permit will be issued.

To obtain permits for film shooting is relatively easy in Switzerland and is, in most cases, simply a matter of formality. However, some arrangements need to be done in advance and it would, in most cases, require the assistance of a local co-ordinator with the necessary contacts. Municipal authorities in Switzerland are competent to grant the necessary authorisations to shoot in cities and other public places. Shooting on private properties requires the owner’s approval. Things are a bit more complicated for the shooting of action films where larger areas or even military equipment needs to be used. In this event, the involvement of the police or even the army would be required. However, the authorities are usually very co-operative. There might be different rules and regulations in different cities and cantons. It is, therefore, recommend that you contact the municipality where you intend to do shooting in advance to get the necessary information and permission to make your arrangements accordingly especially for parking permissions for the accompanying generator vans, coach, etc. In general terms, with every application, the following details should be furnished to the municipal authorities where the shooting takes place:

• Number of persons participating in the shoot- ing unit/cast.
• Date and time of the shooting.
• Request for possible availability of parking places.
• Request for possible temporary closure of roads/streets during the shooting.

The temporary import of cinematography material such as cameras, negative film rolls and other technical material falls under the international Customs Convention of 6 December 1961. Switzerland has adopted this Convention. The basic rules covered by the said Convention are that items imported under the scheme have to be re-exported within a given period of time. Duty-free temporary import of said material is granted upon presentation of a ATA Carnet, an internationally recognised customs document which is valid for one year from the date of issue.

Standard VAT rate in Switzerland is 8%. Special rate of 2.4% for accommodation services.Reduced 2.5% rate for: food, water, agricultural & medical products, newspapers, magazines, books and some cultural services. The following conditions should be fulfilled for a foreign business to recover VAT refunds in Switzerland: -the company is not liable to be VAT registered in Switzerland; -the VAT is concerned with the applicant’s business activities; -original invoices showing Swiss VAT can be provided.; -the company is in a country with whom Switzerland businesses have a reciprocal right of VAT recovery. Claims to recover VAT are submitted in the January to June window period following the year of claim e.g. 2010 dated invoices would be submitted for reclaim between January and June 2011.

Copyright protects works, i.e., intellectual creations of literature and art which have a unique character. This includes literature, music, pictures, sculptures, films, operas, ballets and pantomimes. Computer programs are also protected under copyright. The Copyright Act also regulates related rights (also referred to as neighbouring rights). They include: the rights of performing artists (musicians, actors) to their performances; the rights of producers of phonograms and videograms to their products (CD’s, DVD’s, etc.); the rights of broadcasters to their radio and television broadcasts. Ref: https://www.ige.ch/en/about-us.html

Pension and lnvalidity 10,1% (50% employee/50% employer) / Unemployement 2% / Other insurances possible

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