Are you thinking of moving to Switzerland? Maybe you are even planning on bringing your family? Congratulations! Soon you will be living in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Once you have organised the administrative tasks, you can start exploring Switzerland. This information and these links will help you plan your move.
The best Swiss property search websites
These are the most popular property search websites in Switzerland:
www.alle-immobilien.ch
www.homegate.ch
www.immostreet.ch
www.immoscout24.ch
The description of the number of rooms in Switzerland differs to other countries. For example a 3 bedroom flat in Switzerland has a living room and two separate bedrooms. If you are unsure of the number of rooms and there is no layout plan attached to the ad, then it is better to enquire about the number of rooms before a viewing.
Living in Switzerland – All the information you need for renting a flat
(Scroll down to open the English PDF)
Swiss Schools
If you're moving to Switzerland with your family, then you will want to find a school or day care for your children. Children under the age of 4-5 years can go to a day care, which the parents are obliged to pay for. After this they can go to a Swiss state kindergarten every morning and one afternoon during the week. Primary school in Switzerland starts when the children are 8-9 years old.
Some parishes offer integration classes for children who have just moved to Switzerland and don't speak the local language. In addition to this there are English or bilingual private schools.
Health Insurance
Everyone who lives in Switzerland is obliged to have a health insurance. Each person needs to organise their own health insurance within three months of arriving in Switzerland.
Here is a list of all health insurances in Switzerland.
Each Swiss health insurance offers the same basic insurance package. However, the cost of this basic insurance package is not the same with every health insurance. The costs and benefits of the supplementary insurances vary too. You can change your health insurance every year if you like. The website Comparis offers a tool, which helps you decide which health insurance would be best for you:
Link to Comparis – Health Insurance Comparison
Your employer covers your accident insurance, you don't need to worry about that if you are employed.
Swiss Bank Accounts
It's best to choose a bank, which has a branch near where you live. Some pharma companies have banks on their campus. In that case it would make sense to open a bank account at the same bank.
Here is a list of the Top 30 of the biggest banks in Switzerland
Taxes
Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons. Each canton has a different school system and the taxes differ from canton to canton. Tax at source is deducted from foreigners who have a B or L permit pay. Foreigners who are married to a Swiss or have a C permit are taxed in the same way as the Swiss. This means they need to fill out a tax form every year. Anyone who earns more than 120'000 Swiss Francs a year is taxed like the Swiss too. The tax which is deducted at source is taken into account. It is worth finding out how high the taxes are in the canton where you are house-hunting.
Use this tax calculator for municipal, cantonal and federal taxes in Switzerland.
More information
There is a lot more information in our blog category Living in Switzerland and on our website under Candidates Living in Switzerland, for anyone who is planning on moving to Switzerland.
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