Schellenberg Wittmer

A full-service law firm with specialized immigration advice

Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd is a Swiss business law firm headquartered in Zurich with a second office in Geneva, plus an affiliate in Singapore. The firm employs more than 150 lawyers across its Swiss locations and serves an international client base spanning companies and entrepreneurs. While the firm covers 21 practice areas across sectors ranging from construction to pharmaceuticals, immigration work forms a distinct practice for anyone arriving to work or establish a business in Switzerland.

What arrivals get from Schellenberg Wittmer

The firm's immigration practice exists specifically for the arrival sequence: assisting with work permits, handling the broader immigration matters that accompany relocation, and guiding business setup for foreigners establishing Swiss operations. The site does not spell out a typical client journey, but the practice group's scope covers entry, permits and the legal groundwork a newcomer needs to land. For someone moving alone on a job offer, the firm handles the permit paperwork and employment contract review to ensure the arrangement aligns with Swiss labor law and maximizes visa prospects. For an entrepreneur starting a Swiss entity, the firm covers the immigration side alongside corporate formation, addressing the corporate structure, tax residence implications and employment contract structure that shape permit eligibility and tax efficiency.

The firm's emphasis on serving "Swiss and international companies and individuals" suggests equal ease whether the client is an incoming employee or a business founder. Someone arriving to lead a subsidiary or establish a startup can work with the same lawyers on immigration, incorporation and employment matters simultaneously, avoiding the fragmentation that comes from coordinating separate specialists across different law offices.

The firm's scale, offices and experience

Schellenberg Wittmer operates from two Swiss bases: Zurich at Löwenstrasse 19 and Geneva at rue des Alpes. The firm's website names more than 150 lawyers across these offices, though it does not break out how many specialize in immigration. The firm is selective about the matters it takes on, advertising expertise across 21 practice areas and 15 sectors, meaning immigration competes for attention alongside M&A, technology, real estate, labor law and compliance. The site's news section features recent work on acquisitions, regulations and corporate governance, reflecting a commercial focus that serves multinational groups as well as smaller ventures developing into international operations.

The Singapore office operates as a registered foreign law practice and extends the firm's reach into Asia. For arrivals with prior work in Asia or part of multinational groups with Asian operations, this subsidiary provides a continuity point. A company relocating a regional manager from Singapore to Zurich can use one legal team across both locations. The firm publishes no fee structure on the public-facing site and no detailed pricing for immigration consultations or business setup work, so cost remains a question for the first call. The breadth of practice areas means the firm can bundle immigration advice with employment contracts, tax structuring and corporate formation, a capability that simplifies life for complex arrivals.

How the firm works with arrivals and what the site details

The site describes the immigration practice as offering comprehensive advice and support in all matters related to immigration law, including entry requirements and visa regulations, immigration law and labor/employment law issues especially in an international context, social security and tax matters. This breadth means the firm does not limit itself to the permit application alone but connects immigration to tax implications and employment law, issues that often intertwine for someone relocating. A founder arriving to establish a company needs to understand both permit pathways and corporate tax residence; an employee arriving to work needs to know how employment contract structure affects permit eligibility.

The firm also represents companies and individuals in immigration law matters before immigration authorities and in appeal proceedings before the state courts, a capability for those facing a denial or needing to appeal a decision. The firm publishes selected insights on immigration topics, with recent publications including "US Nationals Traveling to and Working in Switzerland" and "Brexit, Immigration Update for Switzerland," suggesting the firm stays current on rule changes that affect arrivals from different origins. This forward-looking engagement with evolving regulations signals that the practice invests in maintaining expertise rather than resting on standard templates.

What remains unsettled on the firm's site

The site does not disclose typical timelines for permit processing or how quickly the firm can turn around an application, meaning an arrival facing a specific start date has no benchmark. It does not publish what the firm charges for immigration work, whether per-project fixed fees or hourly rates, and does not outline payment terms or retainer requirements. The website lists no immigration lawyers by name, which is unusual for a practice group and leaves unclear who would handle the work or what their individual track record includes.

The site does not detail which countries' nationals the firm finds easiest to place, whether the firm specializes in any visa category (like L permits for short-term postings versus B permits for longer stays), or what the approval rates typically look like. Someone with a specialized job or a complex family situation cannot evaluate the firm's track record from the public information. The site does not separate pricing or approach for different client types: an arriving employee, a founder establishing a company and a multinational relocating staff may face different complexities and costs, but the firm does not differentiate its services or pricing accordingly.

Who this suits, and who might look elsewhere

Schellenberg Wittmer suits someone with both time and budget to invest in legal support. The firm's positioning as a full-service commercial powerhouse means immigration is one lever in a broader engagement: if you are also setting up a subsidiary, navigating international tax structures or managing employment contracts across jurisdictions, you gain from continuity with one trusted legal team. Multinational groups relocating employees to Switzerland will recognize the firm's pedigree and may already have a relationship with other practice areas.

It is less ideal for a solo job-seeker looking for a straightforward consultation at a fixed price. The firm's scale and commercial focus suggest higher costs than a boutique immigration specialist. Someone without simultaneous business-formation needs would be outsourcing part of the firm's overhead just for permit help. For such arrivals, a smaller or specialized immigration practice may offer better value and faster turnaround.

The firm's defining arrival advantage is the integration of immigration law with employment law and corporate formation. Work permits in Switzerland are not a bureaucratic checkbox; they hinge on employment contracts, salary levels, skills shortages and corporate structure. A firm that fuses immigration advice with labor-law expertise and business formation catches complications that immigration-only practices might miss.