ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland and the United Kingdom have signed an agreement to help their citizens living in the respective countries keep their existing rights, including being able to move and change jobs, after the UK leaves the European Union.
“Both Swiss and British citizens will retain the rights obtained under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) between Switzerland and the EU after Brexit,” the Swiss government said in a statement on Monday.
The agreement will apply to Swiss citizens living in the UK — and vice versa — and the rights granted will be valid for life, the government said.
Switzerland and the UK have already signed agreements on trade, road transport, air transport and insurance to ensure continuity after the UK leaves the EU.
Switzerland has also created a temporary quota system that would allow 3,500 British citizens to come and work in Switzerland in the event of a disorderly Brexit.
