Guide · Updated 15 November 2026 · 10 min read

2026 guide: finding an internship in Switzerland

Switzerland is not in the European Union, but free movement applies there: a European student needs no visa and no sponsor. On 14 June 2026, Swiss voters rejected by 54.8% the “No to 10 million Switzerland!” initiative, which could have called that agreement into question.

Internships there are some of the best paid in Europe, but health insurance and housing absorb a good part of the difference. This guide explains what changes compared with France, how to search, and the paperwork depending on the length of the internship and the country you live in.

Key points

Two factors decide everything. The length of the internship, more or less than three months, and the country you live in, Switzerland or France.

Pay is negotiated. No national minimum, and cantonal minimums often exclude internships.

Sort out health insurance before signing. Beyond three months, apply for an exemption or budget about CHF 339 a month.

See internships in Switzerland Find a contact for a listing

How much does an intern earn in Switzerland?

No national minimum applies. Frontaliers Grand Est gives a ballpark of CHF 2,000 to 2,500 a month, more in pharma, finance or tech. Conversely, many internships at international organisations in Geneva are poorly paid or unpaid: check that your budget allows it before applying. Source: Frontaliers Grand Est.

A few cantons set a minimum wage. It does not automatically protect interns.

Only five cantons set a minimum wage

Gross minimum wage in 2026, in Swiss francs per hour

Geneva

24,59

Basel-Stadt

22,20

Jura

21,40

Neuchâtel

21,35

Ticino

20.00 to 20.50

View the figures

Canton	CHF per hour, 2026
Geneva	24,59
Basel-Stadt	22,20
Jura	21,40
Neuchâtel	21,35
Ticino	20.00 to 20.50

Source: Frontaliers Grand Est. In Ticino, the amount depends on the sector. Other cantons, including Vaud and Zurich, have no cantonal minimum wage.

In Geneva, internships done as part of a course can be exempt from the minimum wage, under conditions set by the canton: recognition of the school and the qualification, and the conditions offered by the company. These conditions are checked. In 2026, the Geneva courts confirmed that an internship that did not meet them had to be paid the minimum wage. Source: State of Geneva.

In practice, pay is negotiated case by case. Weigh it against the cost of living: health insurance and housing take a large share.

What changes compared with an internship in France?

Topic	Switzerland	France
Right of entry	Employer notification up to three months, L or G permit beyond	Nothing to do for an EU citizen
Salary	No national minimum; often CHF 2,000 to 2,500 a month	At least €4.50 an hour beyond two months
Health insurance	Swiss insurance compulsory for a paid internship of more than three months, unless exempt	The intern stays in the French system
Language	French, German or Italian depending on the region; English in multinationals	French
Contract	Written internship contract, in addition to the school’s agreement	Three-party agreement under the Education Code

Words used in listings and paperwork

Stage, Praktikum: Internship, in French and German.
Notification procedure: Online declaration made by the employer for an internship of three months or less.
L permit: Short-term residence permit, for up to twelve months.
G permit: Cross-border permit, if you keep your home in France.
LAMal: Swiss compulsory health insurance, taken out with a private insurer.
AVS (old-age insurance): Old-age insurance, the first contribution deducted from your pay.
Withholding tax: Tax deducted directly from your pay.

How do I find the internship?

Allow about six months between starting your search and leaving, more for a large company or an international organisation.

Choose the region, six months ahead

Geneva draws international organisations, private banking and commodity trading, in French or English. Lausanne and the Lake Geneva region revolve around EPFL, start-ups and multinational headquarters. Zurich concentrates finance, insurance and big tech companies, in German or English. Basel is the city of pharma and chemicals, Zug that of company headquarters and trading.

If you live near the border, staying in France and commuting with a cross-border permit greatly reduces your housing budget.
Adapt your application, five to six months ahead

A Swiss application is more complete than in France: CV, cover letter and often copies of diplomas and transcripts. A photo is still common, except at very international companies. Write in the language of the offer; in German-speaking Switzerland, an English CV works in tech and finance, rarely elsewhere.
Look for offers, from five months to one month ahead

jobs.ch and jobup.ch, for French-speaking Switzerland, are the main Swiss job sites. LinkedIn and Indeed provide volume for international companies. Large groups and international organisations often have their own internship programmes, posted on their careers pages.
Write to someone at the company

A message to an alumnus of your school based in Switzerland, or to the team manager, shows the precision Swiss recruiters expect, and gives you a contact in an often slow process.

Screeningpass finds a person in the team linked to the offer and their work email, and drafts a message from your CV. It can also look for alumni of your school at the company. Why write to a person.
Get through the interviews

The process is often slower than in France: several rounds, sometimes several weeks between two stages. Punctuality and precision matter, right down to written exchanges.

Before signing, get the gross salary, canton of work, exact dates and weekly hours in writing. These decide your permit, your insurance and your taxes.

Which permit for your situation?

For a citizen of the European Union, there is no visa and no sponsor: the process depends only on the length of the internship and the country you live in.

Situation	What you need	Who handles it
Internship of three months or less, i.e. 90 days per calendar year	No permit: an online notification, at the latest the day before the start	The employer
Internship of three to twelve months, living in Switzerland	L permit; register with the municipality within 14 days of arriving, with passport, contract and lease	You, with the employer’s contract
Internship of three to twelve months, living in France	G cross-border permit: return home every day or at least once a week	The employer, with the canton

Source: Frontaliers Grand Est.

What paperwork once you have accepted the offer?

The agreement and the contract

Your school’s three-party agreement is still needed to count the internship towards your degree. It comes in addition to the written internship contract required in Switzerland, without replacing it. This link to recognised training is also what can exempt the internship from the cantonal minimum wage, as in Geneva.

Health insurance, to settle before signing

It is the most expensive item and the least known. For an internship of three months or less, the European Health Insurance Card is usually enough.

For a paid internship of more than three months while living in Switzerland, Swiss insurance becomes compulsory in principle. Several cantons grant an exemption to interns in training who keep equivalent cover. Geneva provides for it for paid interns, to be requested within three months of arriving; after that, the canton enrols you automatically. Source: State of Geneva.

Without an exemption, budget about CHF 339 a month: that is the average premium for a young adult in 2027, according to the Federal Office of Public Health. It varies by canton, insurer and deductible. Source: FOPH.

With a G permit, you can in principle choose between Swiss insurance and French social security. This choice is final: find out before making it. In any case, request your European Health Insurance Card on Ameli and check with your school who covers workplace accidents.

Contributions and tax

As soon as a salary is paid, the employer enrols you in Swiss social insurance. AVS, AI and APG take 5.3% of gross pay, unemployment insurance 1.1%, and non-occupational accident insurance comes on top. Source: AVS/AI Information Centre.

If you live in Switzerland for more than 30 days, you are in principle taxed at source, like a resident. If you are a cross-border commuter, tax depends on the canton of the internship, under the 1983 Franco-Swiss agreement: Geneva taxes at source, while most other border cantons leave taxation to France.

Funding: Erasmus+ in 2027, if Parliament agrees

Switzerland does not currently take part in Erasmus+ and funds its own exchanges. An agreement signed on 10 November 2025 provides for its association with the programme in 2027, but it will only enter into force once the whole package of Swiss–EU agreements is ratified. The Council of States has voted the 2027 funding; the National Council still has to decide. Source: SERI.

For an internship in 2027, ask your school whether it will open Erasmus+ placements to Switzerland, or whether it offers other support, regional or its own.

Housing and banking

Housing is scarce and expensive in Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich: start looking as soon as you sign. Search on homegate.ch, immoscout24.ch and flatfox.ch, and on wgzimmer.ch for a flatshare in German-speaking Switzerland. Never pay a deposit before you or someone you trust has visited the place.

The employer can pay your salary into a French account, but a Swiss account avoids exchange fees; several Swiss online banks open in minutes.

What should I check before leaving?

Offer signed, with gross salary, canton, dates and hours in writing.
Swiss internship contract and school agreement signed.
Where you will live decided: Switzerland with an L permit, or France with a G permit.
Online notification filed by the employer, or permit application started.
European Health Insurance Card requested and workplace accident cover confirmed with the school.
Health insurance exemption requested from the canton, or insurer chosen, for an internship of more than three months.
Housing found, visited or checked.
Registration with the municipality within 14 days, if you live in Switzerland for more than three months.
Mobility support requested from the school, if available for your dates.

Your questions

Do I need a visa for an internship in Switzerland?

No. Switzerland is not in the European Union, but free movement applies there. For up to three months, the employer simply files an online notification. Beyond that, you need an L permit if you live in Switzerland, or a G permit if you go home to France.

How much is an internship in Switzerland paid?

There is no national minimum. Frontaliers Grand Est gives a ballpark of CHF 2,000 to 2,500 a month, more in pharma, finance or tech. Many internships at international organisations in Geneva are poorly paid or unpaid.

Does the cantonal minimum wage apply to interns?

Often not. In Geneva, internships done as part of a course can be exempt, under conditions the canton checks. If the internship does not meet them, the minimum wage applies.

Do I need Swiss health insurance?

For up to three months, the European Health Insurance Card is usually enough. For a longer paid internship, Swiss insurance becomes compulsory in principle, but several cantons grant an exemption to interns in training. In Geneva, you apply within three months of arriving.

Can I live in France and do my internship in Switzerland?

Yes, with a G cross-border permit, as long as you go home every day or at least once a week. Tax then depends on the canton of the internship, and you can choose between Swiss health insurance and French social security.

Where to start?

Choose the region and working language, then shortlist about ten companies there that take interns. The Screeningpass catalogue lists internship offers published in Switzerland, with the city and company for each one.