Crown World Mobility’s latest EMEA newsletter, released on 27 November, crystallises two developments that will shape assignment planning for years to come. First, it reiterates the 2026 Swiss quota figures signed off by the Federal Council—4,500 B-permits and 4,000 L-permits for third-country nationals, plus special envelopes for EU/EFTA service-providers and a separate 3,500-permit pool for UK citizens.
Second, and arguably more significant for short-term project work, the bulletin confirms that Bern and London have agreed a four-year extension of the post-Brexit Services Mobility Agreement (SMA). The accord, now valid until 31 December 2029, lets British professionals deliver services in Switzerland visa-free for up to 90 days per calendar year, with reciprocal rights for Swiss suppliers in the UK.
![Weekly Bulletin Confirms Swiss Quotas and Extends Swiss-UK Services Mobility Deal to 2029]()
The extension averts a looming cliff-edge that had threatened to complicate bids for 2026 projects in consulting, engineering and financial services. UK talent can continue to deploy to Swiss client sites on short notice without work-permit fees or labour-market tests, provided they remain within the 90-day allowance.
Mobility managers should nonetheless tighten compliance tracking: spontaneous trips, training days and customer visits all count toward the 90-day cap, and cantonal labour inspectors have increased audits. Stays beyond 90 days will still require a work permit and draw down on the newly confirmed 2026 quotas.
Strategically, the four-year breathing space buys negotiators time to fold labour-mobility provisions into the wider UK-Switzerland free-trade agreement. Businesses on both sides therefore gain medium-term certainty while the political process continues.
Second, and arguably more significant for short-term project work, the bulletin confirms that Bern and London have agreed a four-year extension of the post-Brexit Services Mobility Agreement (SMA). The accord, now valid until 31 December 2029, lets British professionals deliver services in Switzerland visa-free for up to 90 days per calendar year, with reciprocal rights for Swiss suppliers in the UK.
The extension averts a looming cliff-edge that had threatened to complicate bids for 2026 projects in consulting, engineering and financial services. UK talent can continue to deploy to Swiss client sites on short notice without work-permit fees or labour-market tests, provided they remain within the 90-day allowance.
Mobility managers should nonetheless tighten compliance tracking: spontaneous trips, training days and customer visits all count toward the 90-day cap, and cantonal labour inspectors have increased audits. Stays beyond 90 days will still require a work permit and draw down on the newly confirmed 2026 quotas.
Strategically, the four-year breathing space buys negotiators time to fold labour-mobility provisions into the wider UK-Switzerland free-trade agreement. Businesses on both sides therefore gain medium-term certainty while the political process continues.
