Life in Switzerland

Register with your commune within 14 days of arriving, and before your first day of work. Bring a valid passport or ID card and your employment contract or a confirmation of employment.12

As an EU/EFTA national, you need no permit for up to three months of work a year: your employer reports you online at least one day before you start.1

Ordinary naturalisation requires a C permit and ten years of residence in Switzerland; years between the ages of 8 and 18 count double.8

Language counts too: naturalisation requires level B1 spoken and A2 written in a national language. The fide system offers recognised courses and tests.811

Basic health insurance is compulsory for everyone who lives in Switzerland. Take it out within three months of arriving; cover then applies from the day you arrived.6

Basic cover is identical at every insurer, and every insurer must accept you, whatever your age or health. Only premiums and service differ: compare them on priminfo, the federal comparison site.612

You pay part of your costs yourself: the deductible you choose, from CHF 300 to CHF 2,500 for adults, then 10% of the remaining costs up to CHF 700 a year (CHF 350 for children).612

If your income is modest, your canton reduces your premiums. Whether you need to apply, and how, depends on the canton.6

To change insurer from 1 January, your notice must reach your current insurer by 30 November.6

A rental deposit may not exceed three months’ rent. It must be paid into a blocked account in your name, not to the landlord.7

The minimum notice for a flat is three months, to a locally customary moving date, unless your contract sets a longer period.7

Under certain conditions you can challenge your initial rent as abusive within 30 days of moving in. You apply to the conciliation authority, and the conciliation procedure is free of charge.713