Moving to Switzerland: the checklist of key steps and deadlines

Before you move, work out which permit applies to you, gather certified documents and find a home. Once you arrive, register with your municipality within the cantonal deadline (often 14 days) and before you start work, then take out Swiss health insurance within three months. The rules of your canton always decide the exact deadlines, so check them with your cantonal migration office.

In short

• Before you leave: know your permit category, get documents certified and translated, apply for a visa if you are a third-country national, and find accommodation.
• On arrival: register with the residents' office of your municipality before you start work and within the cantonal deadline (Art. 12 FNIA).
• Within three months: join the compulsory basic health insurance. Cover applies back to the day you took up residence.
• Then: social insurance registration, bank account, driving licence conversion, school, language course.
• Over time: integration counts when your permit is renewed and when you apply for a C permit.

Before you leave

Work out your permit category

Switzerland has two admission systems:

• EU/EFTA nationals fall under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP, SR 0.142.112.681) and its implementing ordinance (OFMP). Registration involves relatively little paperwork.
• Third-country nationals are admitted under the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA, SR 142.20): Art. 18 for employees, Art. 19 for the self-employed, and Art. 21, under which your employer usually has to show that no suitable worker from Switzerland or the EU/EFTA was available.

Most newcomers get a B residence permit or an L short-term permit, which decides your rights to work, bring family (Art. 42 to 47 FNIA) and change canton (Art. 37 FNIA). See the overview of the permit types.

Gather and certify your documents

Apostilles and translations can take weeks. You will usually need:

• a valid passport, or an identity card for EU/EFTA nationals;
• biometric passport photos in the format your migration office or the issuing body requires;
• an employment contract or a binding letter of intent from a Swiss employer;
• diplomas and training certificates, with an apostille or legalisation if needed;
• civil-status certificates: birth certificate and, if relevant, marriage certificate;
• a criminal-record extract from your country of residence (the migration office sets how old it may be);
• proof of enough money if you will not be working (see for example Art. 27 FNIA for study and Art. 30 para. 1 let. b FNIA for hardship cases);
• certified translations into the official language of your canton, if required.

Documents from countries in the Hague Convention of 1961 need an apostille; others need legalisation through the Swiss representation. The Hague Conference on Private International Law lists the member states.

Apply for a visa (third-country nationals)

Apply for a national visa (type D) at the Swiss representation in your country of residence. At the same time, your Swiss employer applies to the cantonal labour-market authority. The visa is issued only once the canton has approved the permit. Quotas limit the number of third-country nationals admitted to work (Art. 20 FNIA and the Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment, OASA, SR 142.201, Art. 19 and following). Ask the migration office and the representation about quotas, fees and timing.

EU/EFTA nationals need no visa but must register on time after arriving.

Find somewhere to live

Housing is tight, especially in the cities, and you cannot register without an address. Landlords usually want proof of income, a debt-collection register extract, references and a copy of your employment contract, so prepare a complete file and respond to viewings quickly. Budget for the rental deposit: the law caps it and it is usually held in a blocked account (Art. 257e of the Code of Obligations, CO, SR 220).

The first 14 days

Register with your municipality

If you need a permit, you must register with the residents' office of your municipality (also called residents' services or contrôle des habitants) before your permit-free period ends and in any case before you start work. The duty comes from Art. 12 FNIA; the exact deadline, often 14 days from entry, is set by cantonal law. Check your canton's deadline before you travel. Registration is the legal basis of your stay.

Bring:

• your passport or identity card (EU/EFTA);
• your visa or permit approval (third-country nationals);
• your tenancy agreement or proof of residence;
• passport photos;
• civil-status certificates, if family members register with you;
• your employment contract.

Receive your permit

EU/EFTA nationals with an employment contract of one year or more usually get a B permit; with a shorter contract, an L permit. For third-country nationals, the cantonal migration office decides the permit type based on the visa approval. The office usually produces the permit card after registration and sends it by post. The card serves as your identity document within Switzerland; processing times vary by canton.

Bank account and phone number

Open a Swiss bank account for your salary and rent, usually with your passport, permit card or registration confirmation, and proof of address. Get a Swiss mobile number too, as banks and authorities use it for two-factor login.

Within three months

Health insurance

Everyone living in Switzerland must take out compulsory basic health insurance within three months of taking up residence (Health Insurance Act, KVG/LAMal, SR 832.10). Cover applies back to your arrival date. If you miss the deadline, the canton assigns you to an insurer. Insurers must accept you for basic insurance. For official premiums and models by canton, see https://www.priminfo.admin.ch.

Social insurance and pension

When you start a job, your employer registers you with the old-age and survivors' insurance (AHV/AVS) and, above the legal thresholds, with a pension fund. You receive a social security number in the format 756.XXXX.XXXX.XX, used with authorities and insurers. If you are self-employed, register yourself with the compensation fund.

Other first steps

• Utilities and waste: electricity and internet go through the municipality or local utility, and the radio and television fee is billed automatically after you register. Many municipalities charge for refuse sacks.
• Driving licence: a foreign licence is valid only for a limited period after you take up residence. After that you must convert it at the cantonal road traffic office. Licences from EU/EFTA and some recognised states are usually converted without a test; others may need a test drive. Check the deadline and list of recognised states with the office in good time.

Steps and deadlines at a glance

Settling in

Integration carries real weight in Swiss law. The integration criteria (Art. 58a FNIA) are considered when your B permit is renewed (Art. 33 FNIA) and when you apply for a C permit (Art. 34 para. 2 and para. 4 FNIA). The authority weighs them within its discretion, so no particular outcome is guaranteed.

Learn the local language

Your canton decides which national language you use with the authorities. In German-speaking areas people speak Swiss German, but write standard German. The FNIA counts proven language skills as an integration criterion (Art. 58a FNIA with Art. 77d OASA on recognised proofs). Ask your canton which level you need for renewal or a C permit. Many cantons offer language courses. See the C settlement permit.

School and childcare

Your municipality handles school enrolment. Public school is compulsory and free; day care costs money and often has waiting lists, so register early.

Tax

Tax is levied by the Confederation, the canton and the municipality. If you work without a C permit, usually on a B or L permit, your employer deducts tax at source from your salary and pays it to the cantonal tax authority. Above a certain income, or if you ask, you file a tax return for a subsequent ordinary assessment; with a C permit, you are assessed in the ordinary way. Ask the cantonal tax authority about the threshold and details.

Local life

Clubs, associations and municipal welcome events help you settle, and taking part in economic, social and cultural life is one of the legal integration criteria (Art. 58a FNIA).

Special situations

• Family reunification has its own conditions and deadlines (Art. 42 to 47 FNIA). Spouses of C permit holders fall under Art. 43 FNIA; if the family breaks up, Art. 50 FNIA may apply.
• Asylum-related permits (N, F, S) fall under the Asylum Act (AsylA, SR 142.31), including allocation to a canton (Art. 27 AsylA), and special FNIA rules.
• Changing canton is governed by Art. 37 FNIA.
• Losing a permit: lapse and revocation are in Art. 61, 62 and 63 FNIA, for example for serious breaches of public security and order. Debts or open debt-collection proceedings do not on their own lead to revocation, but they can count indirectly through the integration assessment.
• Naturalisation: the federal rules are in the Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA, SR 141.0): residence period (Art. 9 SCA), integration (Art. 12 SCA), exclusion on internal or external security grounds (Art. 11 let. c SCA) and facilitated naturalisation (Art. 20 and 21 SCA). The language requirement is in the Swiss Citizenship Ordinance (SCO, SR 141.01), Art. 6. Cantons and municipalities add their own criteria, including residence periods.

Before you close the boxes

Every move is different: your nationality, job, family and canton decide which steps apply and in what order. Beyond the steps above, remember to set up utilities, enrol children in school, start a language course and find out whether you are taxed at source. What your cantonal migration office tells you is what counts.