Registering as a cross-border worker in Basel
The order the Swiss and French sides expect, and which step blocks which. This guide covers the procedure only — it does not tell you what to declare or how you will be taxed.
1Step 1Have your employment contract before anything else
Every later step asks for it. The cross-border permit (permis G / Grenzgängerbewilligung) is applied for by your employer in the canton where you will work, not by you at a French office, so nothing can start until the contract exists.
2Step 2Let your employer apply for the G permit in the work canton
Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft each run their own migration office and their own forms. Confirm with your employer which canton is filing, because the two processes are not interchangeable and the addresses differ.
3Step 3Settle the health insurance question inside the deadline
As a France resident working in Switzerland you have a limited window to choose between the Swiss and French systems, and the choice is normally made once. It is a deadline, not a formality — see the health insurance guide for the procedure and the comparison page for the 2026 figures.
4Step 4Open the accounts you will actually be paid into
Salary is paid in CHF while most of your household costs are in EUR. Decide how you will hold and convert money before your first payslip rather than after it.
5Step 5Keep every confirmation
Permit decisions, insurance confirmations and registration receipts are asked for again later, often by the other country's administration. Keep them together from day one.