Canton St. Gallen to Require Criminal-Record Extracts from EU Citizens Seeking Residence

In a surprise move on 16 September 2026, the parliament of the eastern Swiss Canton of St. Gallen approved a motion obliging applicants from EU and EFTA member states to submit an up-to-date criminal-record extract when they apply for a Swiss residence (B) or cross-border commuter (G) permit. The vote (71 in favour, 43 against) mirrors long-standing practice in the neighbouring Canton of Ticino and marks the first time a German-speaking canton has introduced a systematic background-check requirement for EU citizens. Supporters from the Centre-EVP alliance and the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) argued that the new rule closes a security gap revealed earlier this year. In February, police in Graubünden arrested seven suspected members of a mafia-style organisation—four of whom held valid Swiss B-permits despite previous convictions. Advocates of tougher screening say St. Gallen must “level the playing field” with Ticino so that criminals rejected in one canton cannot simply move to another. Opponents in the Social Democrats, Greens, Liberal Greens and the Free Democrats countered that a blanket requirement violates both Switzerland’s nationwide Foreign Nationals and Integration Act and the 1999 EU-Switzerland Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons. Federal rules allow cantonal authorities to request police certificates only in individual cases where there is evidence of a security threat. Critics warn that St. Gallen’s approach could trigger infringement proceedings in Brussels and damage Switzerland’s delicate relationship with the EU at a time when wider institutional negotiations are under way. From a business-mobility perspective, the measure will add an administrative step and extra cost (CHF 30–40 per extract) for the roughly 8,000 EU nationals who relocate to St. Gallen each year, many of them employees of multinational manufacturing firms clustered around the canton’s technology parks. HR departments will need to build the added document into onboarding timelines; failure to do so could delay the start date of key specialists and project staff. Cross-border commuters—especially those living in Austria, Germany or Liechtenstein—will likewise need to plan ahead, as many foreign police authorities issue extracts only in person or by post. The St. Gallen cantonal government must now draft implementing regulations, which are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2027. Until Bern clarifies whether the rule conflicts with federal or bilateral law, other cantons will watch the rollout closely. If the policy survives potential legal challenges, companies operating across Switzerland could face a patchwork of divergent compliance obligations—a development global-mobility managers would be wise to monitor.