The Swiss Arrival Masterclass

Fourteen short lessons, one per day, covering exactly what to do in your first two weeks in Switzerland, registration, insurance, banking, transport, groceries, recycling, etiquette and taxes.

The 14 days

Day 1, Anmeldung: the paperwork clock starts now.
Day 2, Health insurance: the three-month deadline.
Day 3, Opening a Swiss bank account.
Day 4, Housing paperwork and the rental dossier.
Day 5, Getting a Swiss phone number.
Day 6, Public transport, SBB and the Halbtax.
Day 7, Groceries at Migros, Coop and Aldi.
Day 8, Recycling and waste rules.
Day 9, Swiss etiquette and unwritten rules.
Day 10, Language basics: German, French, Italian.
Day 11, Taxes and Quellensteuer.
Day 12, Making friends in Switzerland.
Day 13, Swiss work culture.
Day 14, One year in: what actually changes.

All fourteen lessons

Anmeldung, the paperwork clock starts now If you have moved to Switzerland in the last two weeks, this is the single most important thing you will do this month.
Health insurance, the three-month deadline nobody explains Basic health insurance is mandatory for every resident within three months of arrival. If you do not choose, the canton assigns one for you, usually the most expensive.
Opening a Swiss bank account without the pain You need a Swiss IBAN before you can pay rent, receive your salary in most cases, and set up direct debits for insurance and taxes.
The dossier that wins Swiss apartments Swiss landlords choose tenants from paper. If your dossier is complete and yours is the first to arrive, you win. If it is incomplete, you lose to someone with less money but a better file.
A Swiss phone number in one afternoon You will want a Swiss number for two-factor codes, delivery slips, and being treated as a resident.
Halbtax, GA, or nothing. The transport decision tree Swiss trains, trams, and buses are one system. The question is only how much you use them.
Migros, Coop, and the Swiss German you need for a checkout You have two main supermarkets. You need to know which is cheaper for what, and the three words the cashier will say to you.
The taxed rubbish bag, and why your neighbours notice Swiss recycling is a moral system. Learn it early.
Sunday quiet, laundry rotas, and the unwritten apartment rules The single biggest source of conflict in a Swiss apartment building is noise. The second is the laundry room. Get both right and you become invisible in the good way.
Which Swiss language to learn first Switzerland has four official languages. You do not need to speak all of them. You need to speak the one where you actually live, well enough to be polite.
Withholding vs declaration, the tax switch For most new arrivals, tax is withheld directly from your salary (Quellensteuer or impôt à la source). You do nothing. But two thresholds change that.
How Swiss friendships actually start Swiss people take a long time to open the door. Once open, the door stays open for decades. That is the deal.
Swiss work culture, in three words Punctual, precise, direct. The rest follows.
One year in, what to renew, review, and let go You have made it through the fortnight, and hopefully through your first months on the ground. Here is the annual maintenance list nobody hands you.