Moving to Switzerland: The Checklist Nobody Gives You
To move to Switzerland: secure a job offer, apply for the correct residence permit (B for EU/EFTA, work permit for non-EU), find housing, register at the commune within 14 days of arrival (Anmeldung), take out mandatory health insurance (LaMal) within 3 months, and open a Swiss bank account. Everything else follows from those six steps.
Most moving guides for Switzerland read like a legal document. This one is written the way a friend who has done it three times would explain it, in the order things actually happen.
Before you arrive
1. Sort your permit
If you are EU or EFTA, you can move first and apply for a B permit after arrival. If you are non-EU (US, UK, India, Canada, most other), your employer must apply for a work permit before you enter. Do not book flights until the permit is approved.
2. Get the paperwork stack ready
You will hand these documents to at least five different authorities in the first month. Digitise them now:
- Passport (all pages, colour scan)
- Birth certificate (Apostille if non-EU)
- Marriage certificate (if applicable, Apostille if non-EU)
- Employment contract
- University diploma
- CV in English or German
- Criminal record extract (for some permits)
- Kids' birth certificates and vaccination records
Week 1: Land and register
3. Find temporary housing first
Do not sign a permanent lease from abroad. Book an Airbnb or aparthotel for 4 to 8 weeks. You need a Swiss address to open a bank account, and you need to see neighborhoods in person.
4. Anmeldung within 14 days
Go to your local Gemeinde (German-speaking cantons) or Contrôle des habitants (French-speaking). Bring passport, rental contract or Airbnb confirmation, and permit paperwork. Cost: 20 to 100 CHF depending on canton. They give you a registration certificate. You will need it for everything.
Weeks 2-4: The infrastructure
5. Open a Swiss bank account
Most Swiss employers refuse to pay salary into foreign accounts. Options: PostFinance (easiest, accepted everywhere), UBS or Raiffeisen (traditional), Neon or Yuh (digital, cheap). You need the Anmeldung certificate to open any of them.
6. Take out LaMal health insurance
Within 3 months, no exceptions. Compare on Comparis or Priminfo. Pick a franchise (deductible): 300 CHF if you use healthcare often, 2,500 CHF if you rarely do. Coverage is retroactive to arrival, so do not skip and hope.
7. Sign your permanent lease
Prepare a dossier: last three payslips, employer confirmation, permit, ID copy, debt collection extract (Betreibungsauszug, once you have been here 3 months). Deposit is 2 to 3 months' rent in a blocked account. Read the apartment guide before you apply, competition is brutal.
8. Phone, internet, TV licence
Salt, Sunrise, and Swisscom are the three main mobile providers. Salt is cheapest, Swisscom most reliable. Internet arrives 2 to 4 weeks after ordering. And yes, there is a mandatory yearly TV/radio fee (Serafe), roughly 335 CHF per household, whether you own a TV or not.
Month 2 and beyond
9. Tax at source (Quellensteuer)
If you are on a B permit and earn under 120k CHF, your employer withholds tax from your salary. Above 120k, or if you own property, or your spouse works, you must file a full tax return. See the Quellensteuer guide for the retroactive filing threshold.
10. Convert your driver's licence
You have 12 months. After that, you sit the test. Do it in month 2 while your paperwork is warm.
11. Register kids for school or Kita
Public school is free, high quality, and starts at age 4 (Kindergarten). Register at the commune. For daycare (Kita), start looking before you arrive, waiting lists in Zurich and Geneva are 6 to 12 months long.
12. Join something
This is the step nobody puts on the checklist and it is the most important one for staying. A sports club, a language course, a Verein, a choir. Read why Switzerland works to understand why. Then grab the free settling-in guides.
Switzerland rewards preparation. Do the paperwork in the right order and the country opens up. Do it wrong and every week costs you a month.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to move to Switzerland?
From accepted job offer to arrival, plan 6 to 12 weeks. EU/EFTA citizens can move first and regularise later. Non-EU citizens need the work permit before entry, which typically takes 4 to 10 weeks depending on the canton.
Do I need a job before moving to Switzerland?
For non-EU citizens, effectively yes. Switzerland grants very few residence permits without an employer sponsoring the work permit. EU/EFTA citizens can move first and register as job-seekers for up to 3 months.
What is Anmeldung in Switzerland?
Anmeldung is your mandatory registration at the local commune, called Gemeinde in German cantons or Contrôle des habitants in French cantons. You must register within 14 days of arrival. Bring your passport, rental contract, marriage or birth certificates, and permit application confirmation.
When do I have to take Swiss health insurance?
Within 3 months of arrival. Coverage is retroactive to your entry date, so do not delay. Choose a provider, pick a franchise (deductible), and submit. If you miss the deadline, the canton assigns one to you at the standard rate.
Can I use my foreign driver's licence in Switzerland?
For 12 months after registering, yes. After that you must convert it. EU/EFTA and most Western licences convert without a test. US, UK, and Canadian licences convert with an eye test if you apply within the 12-month window.