Thinking of a move to Switzerland in 2025?

Happy New Year! Thinking about making a fresh start in 2025? If moving to Switzerland is on your list, you’re in for an exciting adventure! Known for its stunning Alpine landscapes, efficient public services, and exceptional quality of life, Switzerland offers an unparalleled living experience. In this guide, we’ll begin to cover what you’ll need to know—so you can plan your move with confidence.

Climate: Moderately Continental – Cold Winters, Warm Summers

Border Countries: Switzerland shares land borders with Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy And France

Lakes: There Are More Than 1500 Lakes in Switzerland providing approximately 6% of Europe’s Fresh Water Stocks. The Largest Of These Lakes Are Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), Lake Constance (Bodensee) And Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore).

Mountains: Part of the Alps run through Switzerland with over 208 mountains over 3’000m high and 24 over 4’000m. the highest mountain is Monte Rosa (4’634m), but Matterhorn (4,478m) and the Eiger (3’967m) are probably the most famous.

Population: 8.92 Million (2024)

Capital: Bern

Number Of Cantons: 26

Official Languages Spoken: French, German, Italian and Romansch

Main Cities: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano, Lucerne, Zug, Zürich

Dialing Code: +41

Currency: Swiss Franc (Chf)

Living In Switzerland

 Main International Airports:

·         Zürich International Airport

·         Geneva Airport

·         Basel Euroairport

·         Bern Airport

·         Lugano Airport

Public Holidays

Each Canton sets their public holidays independently with the exception of 1st of August, which is a National holiday.

Emergency Phone numbers

Police 117

Fire service 118

Ambulance 144

Poisoning 145

 Public transportation

All over Switzerland the same www.SBB.ch can be used for public transport by Train, tram, bus and ferry.  SBB also has an App you can download for timetables and to purchase tickets.

Punctuality is very important in Switzerland and this is also applicable to the public transport - trains and buses will rarely be late!

 Waste disposal

Each canton in Switzerland has its own rules on how to dispose of rubbish.

In switzerland generally waste disposal and recyling is an important task. The Swiss are very efficient and have a set of rules and regulations for disposing of various types of materials. It is important to get acquainted with the rules for the Canton you’ll be living in. Your relocation consultant will be happy to show you your local Recycling centre.

 The Swiss Property Rental market

The rental market in Switzerland is landlord-driven with a low vacancy rate, especially in urban areas.

For properties up to approximately 7’500 chf per month, there is no room for negotiation (the price advertised is the asking price). Rents that exceed the above mentioned amount can in some cases be negotiated but the margin remains small.

Verbal agreement is binding in Switzerland: once a verbal confirmation has been given to the landlord or agency, the lease contract will be established. In case the future tenant withdraws once the lease has been issued, the agency will usually invoice administration fees for the work done.

Important: upon reviewing the application, agencies/landlords will check that a future tenant earns at least 3 times the rent (gross salary).

Side costs and utilities: besides paying the monthly rent, the tenant should also be aware of utility costs. With apartments, the costs for the heating and hot water are usually mentioned separately in the lease. With houses, heating and water are paid directly to the provider. Other utility costs (such as electricity, tv, phone, internet, etc.), unless specifically included in the lease contract, are always paid directly to the provider by the tenant.

Parking space: In an apartment a parking space is generally charged as an extra. It will either be mentioned separately on the lease (like utility costs) or be the object of a separate lease contract (which may be linked to the property lease contract).

Type of properties: most apartments in Switzerland are rented unfurnished with a fully equipped kitchen. This means that there are cupboards in the kitchen as well as some electrical appliances such as an oven, fridge, dishwasher etc. Some apartment buildings will have a common laundry room with these appliances shared among the tenants.

Furnished apartments are usually rented out as a temporary accommodation. People would often rent these when they arrive in Switzerland and are looking for a permanent apartment.

Furnished apartments can be rented on a monthly basis.

Lease contracts: the standard lease contracts vary depending on the canton you live in. Leases typically start either on the 1st or 15th of a month. Most leases have a minimum duration of 1 year and renew automatically unless termination has been given with the appropriate notice. Commonly, the notice period is 3 months before the contractual termination dates (which can be the end of each month, or quarterly except 31 December).

Tenants have the possibility to find a suitable replacement tenant to take over the lease under the same conditions and then be immediately released from their contract.

Call or Email Alliance Relocation Switzerland for any further information or assistance with your move.

Email: info@alliance-relocation.ch 
Phone: +41 79 781 7880
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alliance-relocation-switzerland/