Switzerland Removes Work Permit Quotas for Croatian Citizens

Switzerland has lifted work permit quotas for Croatian citizens, a move welcomed by Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

Croatians coming to work in Switzerland will no longer be subject to limits. On January 14, the Swiss Federal Council noted that the number of ‘L’ and ‘B’ permits issued to Croats in 2025 remained below the threshold that would have triggered a unilateral protection clause, the government said in a statement.

“Croatia now enjoys complete freedom of movement of persons,” the Federal Council added.

Switzerland first opened its labor market to Croatian workers at the start of 2022, granting them the same rights as other EU citizens. In 2023, it introduced transitional measures and quotas for Croatian work permits for one year. In November 2024, the Federal Council decided to abolish the quotas in 2025 but reserved the right to reintroduce them in 2026 if the inflow exceeded a certain threshold.

Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said it was pleased with the decision. Croatian workers accounted for two percent of total EU and EFTA immigration to Switzerland in 2025, and are mainly employed in the industrial, healthcare, trade, and construction sectors, the Swiss statement added.