Hello,

I have searched the internet for some time but couldn't find a similar case as mine. So me and wife are both non-EU nationals, working in Geneva on B permits. Two years ago, we signed a "promesse de vente" (sale agreement) with a real estate developer to buy an off-plan apartment. This month, the construction is finally completed and the apartment is supposed to be delivered to us soon. Now we need to sign the formal contract to conclude the deal.

In the meantime, we have applied for C permits and we have yet to receive an answer from the immigration office. Now our B permits have expired, but the notary told us that we have to have a valid residence permit in order to sign the contract. It sounds like if we don't hold a residence permit, we don't have the right to buy a property. But we are just waiting to receive the permit. Even if our application for C permits is rejected, we should still get our B permits anyway. Does anyone know what to do in this case? Did any of you have a similar experience?

Many thanks in advance.