Important Information

Visa and Residence Permit ***

S HORT -T ERM S TU DENT V ISA - FOR STUDIES LASTING LESS THAN THREE
MONTHS IN S WITZERLAND - FOR PUPILS FROM NON -EU COUNTRIES -
OUTSIDE THE S CHENGEN ZONE .

Only concerns pupils from non-EU countries - outside the Schengen zone.

It takes approximately 3 weeks to obtain a short-term Study Visa; you must therefore
complete these formalities at least three weeks before the student's planned arrival
date.

The College shall send a letter of (Visa) invitation to the pupil who must take this letter, the
invoice from the school, the confirmation letter from the school and his or her passport to the
embassy/Swiss consulate in his or her home country in order to obtain a Short-Term Visa. Fees
may be charged by the embassy/Swiss consulate in the pupil's home country. This visa must be
collected from the Swiss embassy / consulate of his country student must go there in person
(mandatory).
NB. Pupils from certain countries outside the Schengen zone, such as Japan, Taiwan, South Korea,
the United States of America, Australia, Brazil, Canada and New Zealand do not require a visa for a
short stay in Switzerland lasting less than three months. On each occasion, please contact the
Swiss embassy in your home country for details of the requirements.
No need to complete the document Application for a Temporary Residence Permit for
Study Purposes in the Canton of Vaud, nor to apply for a residence permit for less than 3
months Switzerland.

S TUDY V ISA - FOR STUDIES LASTING LONGER THAN THREE MO NTHS IN

S WITZERLAND - FO R PUPILS FROM OUTSIDE THE S CHENGEN ZONE - NON -
EU COUNTRIES :

It takes approximately 3 months to obtain a Study Visa; you must therefore complete
these formalities at least three months before the pupil's planned arrival date. This
study visa allows travelling in the Schengen area and is only valid 3 months.

Pupils from non-EU countries outside the Schengen zone wishing to study for more
than three months in Switzerland must apply for a Study Visa with multiple entries.
This Study Visa, as its name implies, allows its holder to initially enter and study in
Switzerland and allow for free movement within the Schengen zone and allow its
holder to leave Switzerland and then return after the holidays only for 3 months (if
multiple entries!). After 3 months, study visa does not allow to leave the country and
come back for the holidays. This requires a permit valid for longer residence, see last
section license required residence. (please refer to the final section: Mandatory
Residence Permit).

Information, rules and Prices are subject to change at any time according to the authorities’ regulations
*** Situation as of December 2014 1/4
 The pupil must submit an application for a Study Visa with multiple entries to the Swiss
embassy/consulate in his or her own country and go there in person (mandatory). Additional Visa
fees may be charged by the Swiss embassy in the student's home country.

A simultaneous Study Visa application must be submitted by Ecole Lemania to the Foreigners'
Affairs Department (Service des étrangers) in Lausanne (cost of the procedure on the Swiss side:
CHF 450). The pupil must fill in the enclosed document: Application for a Temporary
Residence Permit for Study Purposes in the Canton de Vaud, sign it and return it to us
along with all of the documents numbered 3 to 9 on page 3. All of the signed documents must be
returned in scanned form or by post as soon as possible to the following address:
Ecole Lemania
(Visa dept)
Chemin de Préville 3, CP 550
1001 Lausanne, Switzerland
Fax: +41 21 312 67 00, E-Mail: schoolservices@lemania.ch

Once the application has been approved by the governmental Foreigners' Affairs department in
Lausanne (validation in three months’ time approximatively), this department will inform the Swiss
embassy to which the student has submitted his or her visa of study’s application. The Swiss
embassy / consulate in the student's home country will give the final response to the pupil's
Student Visa application shortly afterwards.

Students must go to the Swiss embassy / consulate in his or her own country and go
there in person (mandatory) to collect the visa. The student visa will not be issued to
the student in Switzerland if he/she is already in Switzerland, the student must remain
in his/her country to collect it or return there!

L ONG OR S HORT -T ERM S TUDY V ISA

FOR PUPILS FROM THE E UROPEAN U N ION :

Pupils from the European Union do not require a visa to study in Switzerland, but must
imperatively apply for a Residence Permit when in Switzerland if they are staying in Switzerland for
more than three months (please refer to the Residence Permit last section).

No need to apply for a residence permit for less than 3 months in Switzerland for EU students.

No need to complete the document Application for a Temporary Residence Permit for
Study Purposes in the Canton of Vaud in all cases (less than 3 months or more than 3 months
in Switzerland) for EU students.

Information, rules and Prices are subject to change at any time according to the authorities’ regulations
*** Situation as of December 2014 2/4
 M ANDATORY R ESIDENCE P ERMIT - APPLIES TO ALL PUPILS FROM THE
E UROPEAN U NION AND FROM NON -EU COUNTRIES ( THIRD COUNTRIES ),
WHO ARE STAYING FOR MORE THAN THREE MONT HS IN THE L EMANIA
B OARDING H OUSE , WITH A S WISS HOST FAMILY OR IN A PRIVATE
APARTMENT IN S WITZERLAND .

It takes approximately 4 months from registration to obtain a Residence Permit.

The Residence Permit for pupils from non-EU countries allows them to leave
Switzerland during the school holidays and return to Switzerland or travel within the
Schengen zone with their passport throughout the period of validity of this permit.
(Always keep this permit with your passport when travelling). The Study Visa itself is
not more valid after 3 months.

The Residence Permit is also mandatory for pupils from the European Union, even if
they don't necessarily need it to travel within Europe (nevertheless, please keep it
with your passport when travelling).

The Residence Permit must be obtained in Lausanne during the first week after the
student's arrival.

The authorities practically never issue permits for a longer period than a school year
because they do not know if the student will remain in Switzerland the following year
(because it depends on the success of tests validating the transition to the following
year, or for example the student may prematurely leave the country before the end of
the 3 years Baccalaureate programme).

The residence permit is valid only for a maximum of a school year then. If the studies
last only six months, it will be valid only for 6 months. If the student wish to extand
his/her education or want to study the following year next year, it will necessarily
make a request for an extension.

The procedure and list of documents to be provided for this permit shall be given to pupils by the
secretarial department on their day of arrival at the college. To save time and allow you to prepare
the documents required for the permit in advance, this complete procedure can be sent to you by
post upon receipt of a request sent to schoolservices@lemania.ch

All foreign students without exception, if studying at Lémania and residing in Switzerland (in the
boarding house, a host family, private apartment or studio in Switzerland) for longer than three
months, must imperatively register at the Resident Control Office (Bureau du contrôle des
habitants) for the municipality in which they are residing and apply for a Residence Permit.

Information, rules and Prices are subject to change at any time according to the authorities’ regulations
*** Situation as of December 2014 3/4
 Fees will be charged for this Residence Permit.

The pupil is responsible for paying all fees

 Registration fee - on arrival CHF 30*
 Residence Permit application fee:
CHF 160 * (non-European Union country - Third country) CHF 95* (European
country)
 Fingerprint and photograph fees CHF 30*
 Extension of the permit at the end of the studies’ period or at the end of the
year school CHF 100 * (additional municipality tax might apply, in addition
CHF 100*)

*Prices may vary from year to year and are set by the municipality and the canton.

Ecole Lémania accompanies boarding pupils on visits to the Resident Control Office in order to
apply for a Residence Permit. The pupil is responsible for paying all fees.

Day pupils (non-boarders) staying with host families or in private apartments must complete these
formalities on their own.

Important information for pupils from non-EU countries outside the Schengen zone:
 if the student visa 3 months has expired
 and if Permit of residence is not issued in time (average waiting time of four
months)
 and if pupils wish to leave Switzerland for the holidays
They may request a Return Visa at any time (waiting time of three days),
which will allow them to travel to their home country and return to
Switzerland afterwards. A Return Visa costs CHF 79*, to be paid by the pupil.

*The Price may vary from year to year and is set by the municipality and the canton.

Notes:
All costs of study visa, return visa and residence permits will be paid by
parents/students.

In any case, the school cannot approach the authorities to accelerate the process.
Durations are incompressible (3 months for the visa of study, and 4 months for the
residence permit), please wait.

Please take into account the delays, the school declines any responsibility: in case of
late arrival due to a visa problem, delays in obtaining visas, delays in obtaining
permits, and other documents necessary for the entry or for the exit of Switzerland.

Students from a non-European country have to be registered by parents at the

embassy of the country of origin in Switzerland.

Information, rules and Prices are subject to change at any time according to the authorities’ regulations
*** Situation as of December 2014 4/4