Getting started

Your first 7 days in Switzerland

You've arrived. Before the boxes are unpacked, a few things need to happen fast, and some have legal deadlines. Work through them in roughly this order and you'll be set up properly instead of scrambling in month two.

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Do first: day 1 to 3

deadlines apply

Register at your commune (Einwohnerkontrolle) Legally required within 14 days of arrival, so do it early. Bring your passport or ID, rental contract, employment contract and passport photos. This is what triggers your residence permit, so nothing else really starts until it's done. Start basic health insurance (Grundversicherung) Mandatory for everyone. You have 3 months to sign up, but cover is back-dated to your arrival, so you pay from day one regardless. Compare providers early (see the links guide) rather than defaulting to the first offer. Get a Swiss mobile number A local number unblocks bank sign-ups, deliveries and appointments. Main networks are Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt; budget brands (Yallo, Wingo, Lidl Connect) run on the same masts for less.

Within the first week

Open a Swiss bank account Needed for salary and rent. Most banks want your registration confirmation or permit. PostFinance and cantonal banks are the traditional route; Neon, Yuh and Zak are quick app-based options for everyday use. Sort public transport (Halbtax or GA) Switzerland runs on trains. A Half-Fare travelcard (Halbtax) halves most fares and pays for itself quickly; a GA is worth it if you commute far. Install the SBB Mobile app for tickets and live times. Take out liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) Not legally required, but landlords often ask for it and it's cheap. Personal liability plus household contents (Hausrat) is the standard combined policy, and worth having before something breaks. Set up electricity (Strom) You don't get to choose your electricity provider in Switzerland; it's fixed by where you live, and the supply is connected automatically when you move in. It's billed on its own and is not part of the service charges (Nebenkosten) in your rent, so expect a separate bill every few months. Sort home internet First check what line your flat actually has: fibre (Glasfaser) or copper (Kupferkabel). That decides which providers and speeds you can get. If your mobile reception at home is strong, a mobile 5G plan can replace a fixed line entirely. Either way, compare a few offers on price (Swisscom, Sunrise, Salt, Init7) before you commit. Installation can take a couple of weeks, so order early.

Good to sort soon

Find a family doctor (Hausarzt) Good practices fill up, so register before you're ill. Depending on your insurance model (e.g. Telmed or HMO), your first point of contact may be a hotline or a specific centre, so check your policy. Learn the waste & recycling rules Many communes require official paid rubbish bags (e.g. Züri-Sack), and ordinary bin bags can be fined. Recycling is sorted by type and often has fixed collection days. Your commune's website has the local calendar. Know the everyday rules (Ruhezeiten & Sundays) Quiet hours (typically nights plus all of Sunday) are taken seriously: no laundry, drilling or loud noise. Most shops close Sundays. Your building's house rules (Hausordnung) spell out the specifics. Exchange your driving licence If you drive, you can normally use your foreign licence for your first 12 months. After that you have to swap it for a Swiss one at your cantonal road-traffic office (Strassenverkehrsamt). Depending on the country that issued yours, you may need an eye test or a short control drive, so start well before the 12 months are up. Save the emergency numbers 144 ambulance · 117 police · 118 fire · 1414 Rega (air rescue) · 112 works too. Add them to your phone now so you're not searching later.

Costs to expect

nothing to tick, just budget

Service charges (Nebenkosten) are only an estimate Most rents include Nebenkosten for heating, water and shared building costs, but the monthly figure is usually an Akonto: a provisional payment. Once a year the landlord settles it against the real costs, so if your Akonto fell short you'll get a top-up bill (and if it was too high, you get some back).

The Serafe radio/TV fee Every household pays this licence, around CHF 335 a year. You don't sign up: once you're registered at your commune, Serafe finds you and bills you automatically. Just budget for it.

Your first 7 days in Switzerland

Do first: day 1 to 3

Within the first week

Good to sort soon

Costs to expect

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