Check your nationality's Schengen visa requirements before travelling and carry a valid travel document. Visa-free entry generally permits up to 90 days in any 180-day period and does not permit employment. A person who plans to stay for more than three months or take up residence or employment generally needs a residence permit. People who need a visa must obtain a Schengen visa before entering Liechtenstein. Access for European Economic Area (EEA) nationals is subject to quotas: at least 56 permits for employed people and 16 for non-employed people are available each year, with half allocated by lottery and half by the government. Swiss nationals have annual minimum figures of 12 permits for employed people and 5 for non-employed people. Access for nationals of other countries is assessed case by case. Tourist status does not authorize employment. The Ausländer- und Passamt (APA) is Liechtenstein's immigration and passport authority. A residence permit application goes to the APA, while the government decides the application. Foreign nationals who hold an assurance or visa for a permit with residence rights must register in person with the Einwohnerkontrolle, the residents' registration office of the municipality where they live, within eight days. They must then report to the APA. A move to another address or municipality also has to be reported within eight days. Keep the residence permit and a valid travel document available for these procedures. Permit fees depend on the permit and case; for example, a B permit without employment requires an CHF 80 advance payment and costs CHF 1,060 in total after a positive decision. Taking up residence or employment triggers compulsory health-care insurance. Register individually with a state-approved insurer within three months. Recognized insurers include CONCORDIA, SWICA and FKB. If no insurer is selected within the deadline, the Amt für Gesundheit assigns one. Cross-border cases follow the applicable EEA or Swiss social-insurance coordination rules. A valid residence permit is required for kindergarten and school access. For German-speaking children, contact the school leadership in the municipality for kindergarten and primary school; the Schulamt handles allocation questions for secondary school. The Schulamt also supports access for children who do not speak German. Newly arrived children can receive German as a second language through IK DaZ. Children under eight are integrated into kindergarten or the first grade, while those aged eight to eighteen generally attend a course lasting about six to twelve months. Liechtenstein's official language is German. The APA may subsidize approved German courses for certain residence statuses, including B, C and D permits and temporary admission, during the first five years after entry. Eligible courses can cover A1, A2 or B1, literacy and everyday German. The rules generally require at least 90 percent attendance and provide CHF 200 per course, with a maximum of four subsidized courses per language level. LIEmobil operates the national bus network, with connections to Sargans, Buchs, Sevelen and Feldkirch. Timetables and tickets are available through LIEmobil, SBB and FAIRTIQ. Since the 2025/26 school and training year, resident pupils and apprentices can use the annual Bildungsabo, which is issued anew each year and is valid from 1 August to 31 July. Emergency numbers are 112 for the European emergency service, 117 for police, 118 for fire and 144 for ambulance services. The optional eID.li digital identity requires one registration with the APA, either in person or through video identification. The app and a passport or identity card are required. Video identification is available from age 18, costs CHF 15 and usually becomes available on the following day, with exceptional processing taking up to five days. EU and EEA driving licences are recognized and usually do not need to be exchanged, although sending a copy to the Amt für Strassenverkehr is recommended. Swiss driving licences must be exchanged within 14 days after taking up residence; licences from other countries may require a control drive or theory test.
Arrival in Liechtenstein
Arrival in Liechtenstein requires the correct entry status, residence permission and local registration. After arrival, health insurance, schooling, transport, language access and essential digital services become relevant. No single office handles every arrival matter; responsibilities are shared between national authorities, the municipality and service providers.
Tip
Treat arrival in Liechtenstein as a sequence of deadlines rather than one appointment: confirm your entry and residence basis first, complete municipal registration within eight days, and arrange health insurance within three months. Keep your permit, travel document, municipality, APA contact and all follow-up dates together so that school, language, transport and digital arrangements do not delay the legally relevant steps.