Moving to Switzerland is a chain of small, well-organised steps, and the hard part is knowing the order. You need an address to open a bank account, an account to rent a flat, a flat to register, and registration for almost everything else. This guide walks you through that sequence clearly and calmly.
Inside you will find a plain-language overview of the permit system and where to check the current rules, exactly what to bring to the commune office, and how to build an apartment dossier that wins viewings, including the debt enforcement extract every landlord asks for. You will learn how compulsory health insurance works, how to choose a deductible by comparing the true yearly cost, how banking, payslip deductions and taxes at source fit together, and which public transport pass suits your week.
Further chapters cover Swiss work culture, which language is spoken where, a complete budgeting framework, how schools and childcare work, and the recycling and house rules your neighbours care about. It ends with ready-to-use checklists for before you leave, your first week, first month, first three months and first year.
What you get:
• A clear map of permit types and who decides, with pointers to official sources
• What to bring to the commune office, plus counter scripts in German, French and Italian
• A winning apartment dossier and a cover letter template you can copy
• Health insurance explained: deductibles, models, accident cover and switching deadlines
• Banking, payslip deductions, the three pillars and taxes at source
• A budgeting framework covering every cost category newcomers forget
• Checklists for your first week, first month, first three months and first year
In the larger cities, finding an apartment is the hardest part of the move. Vacancy rates are low, good flats attract many applicants, and landlords and property managers choose the tenant who looks most reliable on paper. The good news: reliability on paper is something you can prepare.
Almost every Swiss landlord asks for an extract from the debt enforcement register: Betreibungsauszug in German, extrait du registre des poursuites in French, estratto del registro esecuzioni in Italian. It shows whether debt collection proceedings have been started against you. You order it from the debt enforcement office responsible for your address, or online through the official service, for a small fee.
The extract only covers the district where you have lived. If you have just arrived, it will either be empty or the office may not be able to issue one yet. In that case, explain this in your cover letter, include proof of your arrival date and, if possible, a credit reference or landlord reference from your previous country. Landlords understand that newcomers have a short history.
At a viewing, you may meet dozens of other applicants. Arrive with a complete dossier and you will stand out immediately: the completed application form, a copy of your passport and permit, your employment contract or payslips, the debt enforcement extract, proof of liability insurance, a short cover letter and references from previous landlords if you have them. Keep the letter short and factual, translate it into the local language if you can, and send your application the same day as the viewing.
Brojek Press publishes practical, carefully written guides and books for everyday life — clear, honest and made to be used.