Registering in your commune within 14 days of arrival

When you move to Switzerland, or move to a new canton or municipality, you must register within 14 days with the office your canton designates, usually the residents' office of your new municipality. This applies to every foreign national with a permit-based residence, whatever the permit. It is not a mere formality: your registration is passed to the cantonal migration office, starts the clock for your years of residence, and marks the start of your health insurance obligation. If you will work, you need your permit before you start.

In short

• Deadline: 14 days from arrival or from moving in (Art. 12 FNIA; Art. 10 para. 1 and Art. 15 OASA). It cannot be extended by agreement.
• Where: in person at the residents' office of your new municipality. Some municipalities let you pre-register online.
• Work: you need a permit before you start working (Art. 11 FNIA), even within the 14 days.
• Health insurance: take it out within three months of arrival; cover applies back to your arrival date.
• Late registration: a fine is possible (Art. 120 FNIA), and gaps make it harder to prove your years of residence for a C permit or naturalisation.

Why registration matters

Many people see registration as a local formality linked only to the residents' register, health insurance and tax. That is wrong. Registering sets off three things:

1. Your data goes to the cantonal migration office, which opens your permit application or takes over your existing permit (Art. 12 para. 2 FNIA for a change of residence; Art. 17 OASA for the office the canton designates).
2. Your years of residence start counting for a C permit, naturalisation and any hardship application under Art. 30 FNIA. Registering late can shift your counted residence by weeks or months, which matters for a C permit (usually after ten years) and for ordinary naturalisation under Art. 9 SCA (Swiss Citizenship Act, SR 141.0; ten years with the crediting rules set there).
3. Your health insurance obligation under Art. 3 HIA (Health Insurance Act, SR 832.10). You must insure within three months of taking up residence, and registration documents when that was.

The problems from late or missing registration usually show up later: at your next renewal, your naturalisation application, a hardship application or a request for a premium reduction.

The legal rules

Art. 12 FNIA: the duty to register

Anyone who needs a short-stay, residence or settlement permit must register with the authority where they live before the permit-free stay ends or before starting work (Art. 12 para. 1 FNIA). The duty also applies when you move to a new canton or municipality (para. 2). The Federal Council sets the deadlines (para. 3), which is the basis for the 14 days in the ordinance.

Registration and a permit are different things:

• Registration (Art. 12 FNIA; Art. 10 or Art. 15 OASA) records your identity and address and passes them to the migration office.
• A permit (Art. 11 FNIA for work) is the migration office's decision on whether you may stay or work.

Registration opens or accompanies the permit procedure on arrival, or confirms your status when you move. It never replaces the permit.

Where the 14 days come from

• Art. 10 para. 1 OASA: if you enter for more than three months without working and hold an entry permit, you must register within 14 days of entry.
• Art. 15 OASA: if you move to another municipality or canton, you must register at the new place within 14 days, and deregister at the old place within the same period.
• Work: if you take up a job, you need the permit first (Art. 11 FNIA). That duty comes before the 14 days.

Art. 9 OASA is the opposite case: foreign nationals who do not work need neither a permit nor registration for stays of up to three months within six months.

Cantonal registration and register laws add detail. Cantons differ on online pre-registration, accepted identity documents and how they handle late registration.

Other related duties

• Deregistration (Art. 15 FNIA): if you give up your Swiss residence or change canton, you must deregister at your old place. If you move abroad, deregister at the latest 14 days before leaving (Art. 15 para. 2 OASA). Within Switzerland, deregistration and registration run in parallel, 14 days each.
• Landlords (Art. 16 FNIA): landlords must tell the authority, on request, about foreign nationals living in their property. Some cantons also require landlords to report new tenants. This never replaces your own registration.
• Waiting for a decision (Art. 17 FNIA): if you entered for a temporary stay and then apply for a permanent permit, you usually have to wait for the decision abroad. The canton may let you stay if the conditions are clearly met (para. 2).

Who must register within 14 days

All foreign nationals living in Switzerland. The most common cases:

• First arrival for a B, C, L, Ci or G permit (third-country or EU/EFTA): register in your new municipality within 14 days, or before starting work if that comes first.
• Changing canton with an existing permit (B, C, L, Ci): register in the new municipality within 14 days.
  • C holders have a right to change canton unless there is a revocation ground under Art. 63 FNIA (Art. 37 para. 3 FNIA).
  • B holders need a permit from the new canton first (Art. 37 para. 1 FNIA). You have a right to it if you are not unemployed and there is no revocation ground under Art. 62 para. 1 FNIA (para. 2).
  • EU/EFTA nationals can choose where to live under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP, SR 0.142.112.681), Annex I. See changing canton (Art. 37 FNIA).
• Moving within your canton: deregister in the old municipality and register in the new one within 14 days. Your permit stays; the migration office updates your address.
• N permit (asylum seekers): register in the canton the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) assigned you. You cannot move without SEM approval (Asylum Act, AsylA, SR 142.31).
• F and S permits: assigned to a canton; changing canton generally needs SEM approval.
• G cross-border commuters: you do not live in Switzerland, but register at your place of work as your canton and the OASA require.
• Short stays of up to three months (Schengen visa or visa-free): no registration under Art. 9 OASA if you do not work and do not take up residence. If you work, the permit or notification rules apply.

See the FNIA and OASA glossary.

How to register, step by step

Details vary by canton and municipality; ask your residents' office or migration office.

1. Go in person to the office your canton designates (Art. 17 OASA), usually the residents' office. Adults in a family normally all attend; parents register minor children. Some municipalities offer online pre-registration followed by an appointment to check your identity. Fully online registration is not available everywhere.
2. Bring your documents (see the table below).
3. The municipality records you in the cantonal residents' register under the Register Harmonisation Act (RHA, SR 431.02) and usually gives you a registration confirmation. Health insurers, banks, phone providers and schools often ask for it. For third-country nationals, the permit application is prepared or opened at the same time, by the municipality or by you.
4. Your data goes to the migration office. On first arrival it opens your permit procedure. On a change of canton it takes over your permit or, for a B, opens an application (Art. 37 para. 1 and 2 FNIA). Within a canton it only updates your address; your card usually stays valid but may be reissued if the address on it is wrong.
5. You receive your permit card (B, C, L or Ci) after a positive decision, usually after several weeks; your migration office can tell you how long. A change of canton on a B takes similar time; for C holders and EU/EFTA nationals it is usually quicker. A provisional registration confirmation can serve as proof of residence meanwhile, but not as a permit card, so do not rely on it for binding commitments such as credit contracts that require your card.

Documents

This is a general list. Cantons and municipalities often ask for more or less.

* For EU/EFTA nationals the national identity card is enough.

Third-country nationals need a passport; EU/EFTA nationals can use their identity card, and job seekers show proof of job-seeking instead of a contract. Marriage and birth certificates from abroad may need an apostille and a certified translation; get these before you arrive if you can, because obtaining them later can delay things a lot. In some cantons (for example ZH, BS) the landlord also reports your move-in.

Cantons differ on accepting short-form marriage extracts, on apostille and translation rules, on the deadline for proof of health insurance and on language proof for family reunification. Ask your residents' office.

Health insurance

When you take up residence, you must have basic health insurance (Art. 3 HIA; Art. 1 and Art. 7 of the Health Insurance Ordinance, HIO, SR 832.102). You must insure within three months of arriving. If you do, cover starts from your arrival date (Art. 7 HIO).

If you miss the three months, the canton assigns you an insurer and you owe premiums back to your arrival date. Late registration can also make a premium reduction harder to claim for the current year. The details are set by cantonal law.

For official premium comparisons, use priminfo.admin.ch from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). For premium reductions, contact your cantonal social insurance office. Choosing an insurer is your own decision.

Tax at source

If you live in Switzerland, work as an employee and do not have a C permit, tax is usually deducted from your salary at source. The canton levies it (with shares for municipalities and the Confederation); your employer deducts it and pays it to the cantonal tax authority. You usually do not need to register separately for this. With a C permit, you move to ordinary assessment like Swiss taxpayers.

• Above CHF 120,000 gross a year: a subsequent ordinary assessment is compulsory. The threshold is the same throughout Switzerland.
• Below that: you can apply for one, usually by the end of March of the following year, which can help if you have large deductible costs.

Cantonal tax law sets the details. For advice, ask the cantonal tax administration, the Federal Tax Administration (FTA) or a tax adviser.

Occupational pension (2nd pillar)

If you are employed and earn above the BVG entry threshold, you must be in an occupational pension scheme under the Federal Act on Occupational Old Age, Survivors' and Invalidity Pension Provision (BVG, SR 831.40). Your employer enrols you; you do nothing yourself. The Federal Council adjusts the threshold from time to time; the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) publishes the current figure.

Changing canton

A change of canton is not just a change of address. Under Art. 37 FNIA it is a separate step at the migration office:

• C holders: a right to change canton unless there is a revocation ground under Art. 63 FNIA (Art. 37 para. 3 FNIA). Register in the new municipality within 14 days; the new office takes over your data and issues a new card.
• B holders: get a permit from the new canton first (Art. 37 para. 1 FNIA). You have a right to it if you are not unemployed and there is no revocation ground under Art. 62 para. 1 FNIA (para. 2). Register and apply at the new migration office.
• EU/EFTA nationals: free choice of residence under the AFMP, Annex I. Register in the new municipality; there is no separate examination.

See changing canton (Art. 37 FNIA).

Moving within your canton

A move within the same canton triggers no new permit check, but you must still register and deregister (Art. 15 para. 1 OASA):

• register in the new municipality within 14 days of moving in;
• deregister in the old municipality within the same period;
• your address is updated with the migration office;
• your card usually stays valid, but may be reissued if the address differs.

Larger cities often require an appointment; smaller municipalities may let you come during opening hours. You must register again every time you move, even for a few months. Living somewhere other than your registered address can cause immigration problems if your registered home is not the real centre of your life.

If you miss the deadline

Administrative consequences:

• a fine for breaching the registration, deregistration or notification duties (Art. 120 FNIA), set case by case;
• costs in the permit procedure;
• a note in your file that may be considered at renewal, for a C permit or for naturalisation.

Immigration consequences:

• Integration: repeated breaches of your reporting duties can count against you in the integration assessment (Art. 58a FNIA) and so affect renewal. A single missed registration does not on its own lead to refusal; the overall picture counts.
• Proving your residence: late or missing registration makes it harder to prove uninterrupted residence for a C permit (usually after ten years) or naturalisation (Art. 9 SCA). In hardship cases under Art. 30 FNIA, a complete record of residence is key evidence.
• Revocation: the revocation grounds in Art. 62 FNIA and Art. 63 are about serious matters such as deceiving the authorities, serious crime or threats to public order, not a missed deadline alone. It can matter if combined with other serious facts, such as giving false information. See revocation (Art. 62 and 63 FNIA) and the appeal path.

If you know you cannot meet the deadline, contact the office in advance and keep a record of why. A late registration with a clear reason is usually treated differently from one with no excuse.

School registration

Compulsory schooling usually starts with kindergarten. The start age and cut-off date are set by each canton and partly harmonised through the HarmoS agreement. Register your children with the school of your municipality, usually together with or right after your residents' registration.

• Deadline: varies by canton; usually before school starts or, when you move, straight after you arrive.
• Which school: assigned by where you live, not by choice. Changing school within a municipality is possible only for good reasons.
• Language support: many cantons offer or require it for children who do not speak German, French or Italian.

See birth of a child and your permit.

Online registration

• Online pre-registration with an in-person identity check afterwards exists in several larger cities. Check your municipality's website.
• Fully online registration is partly available through cantonal eRelocation platforms, but not everywhere.
• In person with original documents remains the norm in many places, especially for third-country nationals, whose passports are usually checked in person.

An online pre-registration may not count as meeting the deadline until your identity has been checked in person. Ask your municipality whether you can get an appointment within the 14 days. If not, go in person before the deadline.

Asylum seekers and protection status

• F permit (provisional admission): assigned to a canton; changing canton usually needs SEM approval, with some relaxation after a longer time on F.
• S permit (protection status, in particular people from Ukraine since March 2022): assigned to a canton; changes only in special cases.

Appeals against SEM asylum decisions go to the Federal Administrative Court and usually need specialised legal help. See the Asylum Act glossary and the appeal path.

Related pages

• AFMP glossary: free choice of residence for EU/EFTA nationals
• Marriage certificates and apostilles

For advice on your own case, contact a lawyer on the cantonal bar register (Federal Act on the Free Movement of Lawyers, LLCA, SR 935.61).