Your first 90 days in Switzerland
The admin with real legal deadlines, in the order you’ll meet it, with a source for every date and figure.
In short
Register with your commune within 14 days of arriving and before you start work (8 days in Vaud). Take out basic health insurance within 3 months; cover is then backdated to your arrival. Put any rental deposit in a bank account in your name, and expect tax at source on your payslip unless you hold a C permit.
What is the very first thing to do when you arrive in Switzerland?
Register in person at the residents’ office of the commune where you live, within 14 days and before your first working day. Registration starts your residence permit and puts you on the register the canton, tax office and Serafe use, so everything else follows from it.
Both legal deadlines start on the day you arrive, not when your permit card turns up (ch.ch, checked ).
EU/EFTA or not: what happens before you travel
EU/EFTA nationals can enter, find a flat and register once here. Jobs of up to three months a calendar year need only a notification by the employer (SEM, checked ).
Non-EU/EFTA nationals work the other way round: the employer applies for the permit, and you usually need a D visa before you travel. Registering completes the process, including fingerprints and a photo for a biometric card (SEM, checked ). See our guides for people moving from the UK or the USA.
Diagram: The admin journey after you arrive. A winding path with five stops. Step 1: register at the commune, within 14 days and before you start work. Step 2: the canton issues your residence permit card after you register. Step 3: take out basic health insurance within 3 months; cover is backdated to your arrival. Step 4: open a bank account for your salary, rent and rental deposit. Step 5: tax at source is deducted from your salary. Then you are settled in.
What to do when
-
Day 1–14
Register at the commune
In person, with passport, lease and job contract.
-
Weeks 2–4
Bank account and deposit
The deposit goes into an account in your name.
-
By month 3
Basic health insurance
Cover is backdated to your arrival.
-
Then
Payslips, Serafe and tax
Check your tax code; note 31 March.
How do you register with your commune, and how long do you have?
Most cantons give you 14 days from arrival, and you must register before you start work. Bring ID, your lease and your job contract to your commune’s residents’ office. Vaud allows only 8 days, Geneva registers newcomers at a cantonal office, and Zurich city requires an appointment.
Where to go in your canton
It is the Einwohnerkontrolle, contrôle des habitants or controllo abitanti, depending on the language region, and cantons organise it differently (ch.ch, checked ):
- Zurich city: arrivals from abroad register at the Personenmeldeamt, by appointment only (City of Zurich, checked ). See our Zurich page.
- Geneva: you register with the cantonal office (OCPM), not the commune, within 14 days and before starting work (ge.ch, checked ). See Genève.
- Vaud, including Lausanne: the commune’s contrôle des habitants must be told within 8 days (vd.ch, checked ). See Lausanne.
What to bring
- Passport or ID card for every family member, and any visa
- Your lease or a landlord’s confirmation
- Your employment contract or admission letter
- Marriage and birth certificates if family members move with you
Your commune’s website lists the exact documents (City of Zurich, checked ).
What happens next, and what it costs
The canton posts your permit card, often weeks later; until then the registration confirmation is your proof of address (ch.ch, checked ). Fees are set locally and vary by permit type. Already late? Go anyway. If you move commune later, deregister and register again (ch.ch, checked ).
-
Deadline
14 days
to register in most cantons, before starting work.
Source ch.ch (opens in a new tab) ↗
-
Vaud
8 days
in the canton of Vaud.
Source vd.ch (opens in a new tab) ↗
How do you open a bank account and pay a rental deposit?
Most banks want ID, a Swiss address and your permit or registration confirmation, so open the account once registered. A landlord may ask for at most three months’ rent as a deposit, held in a bank account in your name, not the landlord’s. A deposit guarantee is the main alternative.
Opening a Swiss bank account
Each bank sets its own rules under anti-money-laundering checks, and some open accounts before registration if your employer confirms the job. Ask two or three banks before you arrive and compare fees; banks and advisers in our directory work with newcomers.
The rental deposit: what the law says
Deposits are regulated by Art. 257e of the Code of Obligations (OR Art. 257e, checked ):
- For a home, the deposit is at most three months’ rent (ch.ch, checked ).
- It goes into a savings or deposit account in the tenant’s name at a bank, not into the landlord’s account.
- The bank releases it only if both sides agree, or on a final court or enforcement order.
- If the landlord makes no legal claim within one year of the lease ending, you can ask the bank for it yourself.
Deposit guarantees instead of cash
With a rent deposit guarantee you pay an insurer a yearly premium instead. It is not refunded, and if the landlord claims for damage, the insurer pays and recovers it from you. Many landlords also ask for private liability insurance; insurance advisers can explain both.
Rental deposit at a glance
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Maximum | Three months’ rent for a home |
| Where it’s held | A bank account in the tenant’s name |
| Release | Both parties agree, or a final court or enforcement order |
| No claim | One year after the lease ends, you can ask the bank for it |
| Alternative | Deposit guarantee: yearly premium, not refunded |
| Legal basis | Code of Obligations, Art. 257e |
When do you need Swiss health insurance, and what does it cover?
Everyone who lives in Switzerland must have basic health insurance (KVG/LAMal) within three months of arriving. Join in time and cover is backdated to your arrival; join late and it starts only when you sign up, usually with a surcharge. Basic cover is identical at every insurer, so compare premiums, deductibles and models.
The three-month deadline and backdating
Insurance is compulsory for every resident, whatever their nationality (KVG Art. 3–6, checked ) (FOPH, checked ). Join within three months and cover (and premiums) run from your arrival. Join later without a valid reason and cover starts only when you join, with a surcharge of 30–50% of the premium for twice the delay, up to five years (KVV, checked ). The canton assigns an insurer to anyone who stays uninsured (KVG Art. 3–6, checked ).
What it covers, and how to compare
Basic cover pays for illness, maternity and, without other cover, accidents; routine dental care and private rooms need supplementary insurance, which can refuse you. Compare three things:
- Premium: varies by insurer and region and is announced each autumn; compare on the federal site priminfo.admin.ch (opens in a new tab) (FOPH priminfo, checked ).
- Deductible (franchise): adults choose CHF 300, 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 or 2,500 a year; children CHF 0 to 600. After it you pay 10% of costs, up to CHF 700 a year (CHF 350 for children) (KVV, checked ).
- Model: family-doctor, HMO and telemedicine models cost less than free choice of doctor.
Accident cover, exemptions and switching
Working at least eight hours a week for one employer? Its accident insurance covers you off the job too, so exclude accident cover (UVV Art. 13, checked ). Some people insured abroad can ask the canton for an exemption (KVV, checked ); cross-border commuters have their own rules (FOPH, checked ). To switch insurer, notice must arrive by the end of November (ch.ch, checked ); see how to switch health insurance.
-
Deadline
3 months
to join a basic insurer; cover then starts on arrival.
-
Late surcharge
30–50%
of the premium, for twice the delay, up to five years.
-
Deductible
CHF 300–2,500
a year for adults; CHF 0–600 for children.
Insurance advisers
BIG Insurance Brokers Health
Health insurance advice · LuganoLugano-based broker arranging international private medical insurance for individuals, families and groups, with multilingual advisors.
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Is this your business?Deloris
Pension & pillar 3a · ZürichZurich tax and financial advisory firm offering fee-based retirement and pension planning, tax optimisation and estate planning for expatriates.
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Is this your business?Expat Assure
Health insurance adviceUK-based broker brand advising individuals, families and organisations on international private medical insurance, including plan comparisons and renewal reviews.
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Is this your business?How are you taxed in your first year, and what is the Serafe bill?
Without a C permit, and unless married to a Swiss citizen or C-permit holder, you pay tax at source, deducted from each salary. From CHF 120,000 a year you must also file a return; below that you may request one by 31 March. Serafe bills every household CHF 335 a year.
Tax at source on your payslip
Your employer withholds federal, cantonal and communal income tax from each salary (DBG Art. 83–89a, checked ) (ch.ch, checked ). The rate depends on canton, salary, marital status and children, shown as a tariff code on your payslip: A for single people, B or C for married couples, H for single parents (QStV, checked ). Check it: a wrong code means a wrong deduction.
The CHF 120,000 threshold and 31 March
From CHF 120,000 gross a year, an ordinary assessment is compulsory: you file a return and the tax withheld is credited (QStV, checked ) (DBG Art. 83–89a, checked ). Below that, you can request one by 31 March of the following year. Either way, you stay in ordinary assessment while taxed at source (DBG Art. 83–89a, checked ).
It often pays off with pillar 3a contributions, pension fund buy-ins or childcare costs, since the tariff allows only standard deductions. See our guide to Swiss taxes or ask a tax adviser.
The Serafe radio and TV fee
Every private household pays CHF 335 a year, TV or not, and Serafe gets your details from the residents’ register (OFCOM, checked ). It falls to CHF 312 in 2027 and to CHF 300 from 2029, as decided by the Federal Council (UVEK fact sheet, checked ) (Federal Council, checked ). Exemptions, such as for households receiving federal supplementary benefits, must be applied for (OFCOM, checked ).
Also note: a foreign driving licence must be exchanged within 12 months of taking up residence (ch.ch, checked ).
-
Threshold
CHF 120,000
gross a year: from this amount, a tax return is compulsory.
-
Deadline
31 March
to request an ordinary assessment for the previous year.
What changes if you move with a partner or children?
Every family member must be registered and insured within the same deadlines, babies included. Children’s deductibles start at CHF 0. Employees receive family allowances of at least CHF 215 a month per child through their employer, and your address decides your child’s state school.
Register everyone at one appointment, with the certificates that prove your relationship; each child needs their own insurance (KVG Art. 3–6, checked ). Family allowances come with the salary; since 1 January 2025 the federal minimums are CHF 215 a month per child up to 16 and CHF 268 for those in education up to 25, and many cantons pay more (FamZG Art. 5, checked ).
State schools are free, and daycare (Kita) places often have waiting lists; see schools and childcare.
Relatives of EU/EFTA nationals can generally join them and work (SEM, checked ). Non-EU/EFTA families must usually apply for family reunification within five years, or within 12 months for children over 12 (ch.ch, checked ); immigration lawyers can help.
What are the most common mistakes in the first 90 days?
Most are about timing: starting work before registering, waiting for the permit card before choosing health insurance, and paying the deposit into the landlord’s account. Others cost money quietly: paying twice for accident cover, missing the 31 March tax deadline, or never checking the tariff code on your payslip.
- Starting work before registering (ch.ch, checked ).
- Waiting for the permit card before arranging insurance; the deadline counts from arrival (FOPH, checked ).
- Paying the deposit to the landlord instead of into an account in your name (OR Art. 257e, checked ).
- Paying twice for accident cover (UVV Art. 13, checked ).
- Missing 31 March (DBG Art. 83–89a, checked ).
- Treating Serafe as optional; it is a legal fee (OFCOM, checked ).
- Forgetting to deregister when you move commune or leave (ch.ch, checked ).
What should be on your first-90-days checklist?
Nine tasks, in order: register at the commune with the right documents, keep the confirmation, open a bank account, pay the deposit into an account in your name, join a health insurer within three months, check your tax code, expect Serafe, and note 31 March.
For a week-by-week version, see our first 30 days checklist.
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How does the Swiss pension system work?
Switzerland has three pillars: the state pension (AHV/AVS), your employer’s pension fund (BVG/LPP) once you earn above a set threshold, and voluntary private saving. The first two come straight off your salary; pillar 3a contributions reduce your taxable income up to a yearly maximum.
For newcomers, check that your payslip shows both deductions, keep your pension fund certificate, and decide whether pillar 3a makes sense alongside the 31 March decision above (ch.ch, checked ). Our Swiss pension guide covers limits and withdrawals.
Diagram: The Swiss three-pillar pension system. A building whose roof, 'Your retirement provision', rests on three columns. 1st pillar, AHV/IV, the state pension: covers basic living costs in old age; mandatory, paid from your salary. 2nd pillar, BVG, the occupational pension: tops up AHV to keep your usual standard of living; mandatory for most employees. 3rd pillar, 3a and 3b, private savings: voluntary; 3a is tax-deductible, 3b is flexible.
What is the difference between an L, B and C permit?
An L permit is for short stays of up to about a year, tied to a job. A B permit is the standard residence permit for longer stays. A C permit means settlement, with no time limit, usually after five or ten years. L and B holders are generally taxed at source.
EU/EFTA nationals with a contract of a year or more get a five-year B permit; shorter contracts lead to an L (SEM, checked ). Non-EU/EFTA nationals are admitted within quotas, mostly as qualified specialists, with a B usually renewed yearly (SEM, checked ). Our permits guide covers renewals and family members.
| Permit | What it is | How long | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| L | Short-term residence permit | Up to about a year, tied to the job | Tax at source |
| B | Residence permit | EU/EFTA: 5 years; others usually 1 year, renewable | Tax at source, generally |
| C | Settlement permit | No time limit; usually after 5 or 10 years | Ordinary tax return |
| G | Cross-border commuter permit | Tied to the job; you live abroad | Varies by country and canton |
Who can help you settle in?
A relocation agency can book your commune appointment, find a flat, explain the lease and set up the deposit account; insurance and tax advisers cover the rest. You don’t need one, but it saves time when your start date is close or you move with family.
Local help is listed for Zurich and Geneva, and our relocation agency comparison explains typical packages.
AGOODDAY relocation & real estate
Destination services · GenolierRelocation and real estate agency for the La Côte and Lake Geneva area, providing home search, settling-in, school selection and departure help.
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Is this your business?Anchor Relocation Services
Destination services · ZürichZurich relocation company with 20+ years' experience supporting individuals, families and companies in the Zurich and Zug region, plus residential letting.
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Is this your business?Auris Relocation
Full-service relocation · ZürichRelocation and global mobility provider with nine Swiss offices offering immigration, destination services, move management and cross-cultural training.
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Is this your business?What else do newcomers ask?
Can I start work before I register?
No. Register within 14 days of arriving (8 in Vaud) and before your first working day. EU/EFTA nationals working here up to three months a year only need an employer notification.
What happens if I take out health insurance late?
Cover starts only when you join, and without a valid reason you pay a 30–50% premium surcharge for twice the delay, up to five years. The canton can also assign you an insurer.
I have a B permit. Do I file a tax return?
Usually not: tax is deducted at source. From CHF 120,000 gross a year you must file a return; below that you can request an ordinary assessment by 31 March of the following year, for example to deduct pillar 3a.
Can my landlord ask for more than 3 months' rent as a deposit?
No. For a home, Art. 257e of the Code of Obligations caps the deposit at three months’ rent, paid into a bank account in your name, not the landlord’s.
Do I need a Swiss address before I can open a bank account?
Usually, in practice. No law requires it, but most banks want a Swiss address and your permit or registration confirmation; some open earlier if your employer confirms the job.
What is the Serafe bill, and can I avoid it?
It is the radio and TV fee, CHF 335 a year per household (CHF 312 from 2027, CHF 300 from 2029), billed automatically via the residents’ register. Having no TV does not exempt you; only documented cases, such as recipients of federal supplementary benefits, can.
What's the difference between a B and an L permit for someone just arriving?
An L permit covers a job of under a year and is tied to it. A B permit is for longer stays: five years for EU/EFTA nationals with a contract of a year or more, usually renewed yearly for others.
Can I get money back if I'm taxed at source?
Sometimes. Request an ordinary assessment by 31 March of the following year and the canton recalculates your tax with your actual deductions, such as pillar 3a or childcare, refunding any overpayment.
Sources
Last checked by the expat-services.ch editorial team
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