Heidi › Arriving in Switzerland
What do I need to do in my first 14 days in Switzerland?
You have 14 days to register with the residents' registration office in your commune, and 3 months to take out LAMal health insurance.
Registering with your commune sets everything else in motion: it starts your residence permit and it tells the cantonal health insurance office you have arrived.
Register with your commune
And before you start work. Cantonal deadline.
Take out LAMal cover
Federal deadline, the same across Switzerland.
What happens if you miss the deadline
| Step | Deadline | If you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Register with your commune | 14 days after arrival | You risk a fine, and your permit is delayed |
| LAMal health insurance | 3 months after taking up residence | The canton assigns you an insurer, often a dearer one, and you lose the choice |
The 14-day deadline is the rule in almost every canton, but it is set by cantonal law: check your commune's own page. The 3-month LAMal deadline is federal and the same everywhere.
The three steps, in order
-
Register with the residents' registration office
At the counter in the commune where you live, or online if it offers that. Bring:
- a valid identity card or passport, for every member of the family;
- your tenancy agreement or proof of accommodation;
- your employment contract, if you have one;
- a recent passport photo;
- a birth or marriage certificate, depending on your situation and your nationality;
- the departure certificate from your previous commune, if you have moved from elsewhere in Switzerland.
The exact list and the fees vary from commune to commune. Expect to pay between 50 and 150 francs for the permit itself.
-
The residence permit
There is no separate application to make: registering with your commune starts the request, which goes to the cantonal migration office.
Permit Who it is for L Short stays, usually under a year B Long-term stays — the most common case on arrival C Settled status, after 5 or 10 years depending on nationality G Cross-border worker: you work in Switzerland but live abroad Any foreign national staying in Switzerland for more than three months needs a permit. The conditions depend on your nationality and on how long you are staying and why.
-
Health insurance, within 3 months
Swiss basic health insurance (LAMal) is compulsory for everyone living in Switzerland. It has nothing to do with your employer: you pick your own insurer, and you pay for it yourself.
Three things newcomers find out too lateIt is backdated. Even if you sign up after two and a half months, your cover starts on the day you arrived — and you owe the premiums for the months in between.
The canton does not forget you. It writes to you shortly after you register, then assigns you an insurer if it has heard nothing by the deadline.
Premiums vary enormously. For exactly the same benefits, set by law, the gap between two insurers in the same canton is often more than 100 francs a month.
The health insurance from the country you are leaving does not replace LAMal. In a few specific cases an exemption is possible — you have to apply within three months, and once that deadline has passed, the decision is final.
The full list, in order
Registering with your commune, the permit and LAMal are the three obligations with a deadline. But moving to Switzerland involves about ten more, and some of them need doing before you arrive.
Before you even unpack
| What to do | Why |
|---|---|
| Report your departure in the country you are leaving | Your Swiss commune will ask for the certificate, and your old insurance has to stop |
| Put your rental application together | Letting agencies ask for a debt collection register extract, payslips or an employment contract, and ID |
| Draw up your removal inventory | Your personal effects clear customs duty-free, but only with a list and a form, on the day you cross |
During the first 14 days
| What to do | Why | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Register with the residents' registration office | Starts your permit and alerts the canton | 14 days |
| Start comparing health insurers | You have 3 months, but you pick your premium once for the whole year | Straight away |
| Enrol the children at school | State school is free, and you enrol through the commune | As soon as you arrive |
| Take out third-party liability cover | Not required by law, but nearly every letting agency writes it into the lease | When you collect the keys |
| Set up utilities and internet | Electricity, water and telecoms are never automatic | Before you move in |
| Give your details to your employer | Your employer registers you with the AVS and the pension fund — you do not | 1st day at work |
In the weeks that follow
| What to do | Why | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Open a Swiss bank account | Your employer will ask for one to pay your salary into | As soon as you have the permit |
| Finalise your LAMal cover | A federal obligation, backdated to the day you arrived | 3 months |
| Exchange your driving licence | A foreign licence stays valid for a year, then has to be exchanged | 12 months |
| Get a travel pass | Half-fare card or a zonal pass, depending on your journeys | Whenever you like |
| Wait for the Serafe bill | The radio and TV licence fee arrives on its own: the commune passes on your address, nobody asks you first | Automatic |
Your employer registers you with the AVS and the pension fund, and deducts tax at source if you do not yet have a C permit. There is nothing for you to do about any of those three.
Compare LAMal premiums before you sign, not after. The basic benefits are identical from one insurer to the next — the law fixes them. Only the price changes, and you will not be able to switch again until the following year.
The three most common mistakes
- Waiting for your permit before taking out LAMal cover. The two deadlines run side by side, not one after the other.
- Assuming your employer handles health insurance. It handles your pension and accident cover, never LAMal.
- Signing up with the first insurer you find. You can still switch, but only once a year, giving notice before the end of November.
Your own situation has its own deadlines, depending on your canton, your nationality and your family.
Heidi gives you a precise answer, free of charge.
Read next
- Retirement as a cross-border worker: AVS, the second pillar and the second right to choose
- Family allowances for cross-border workers: Switzerland or France?
- What happens to my second pillar when I leave my Swiss job?
- Unemployment as a cross-border worker: where to register, who pays and how much?
- G permit: conditions, going home and changing employer
- Quasi-resident status: who can apply, and by when?
- Who gets my taxes as a cross-border worker: France or Switzerland?
- How much do you take home in Switzerland as a cross-border worker?
- How many days of remote work can I do without losing my cross-border worker status?
- Do I have to file a tax return in my first year in Switzerland?
- Am I entitled to a premium subsidy for my health insurance?
- How does the Swiss three-pillar pension system work?
- Can I keep my French health insurance when I move to Switzerland?
- What does a month of living in Switzerland really cost?
- What documents does a letting agency ask for to rent a flat in Switzerland?
- B, L or C permit: which one applies to me and how do I get it?
- What does LAMal cover, and what does it not cover?
- How long do I have to join LAMal after arriving in Switzerland?
- Which deductible should I choose for my Swiss health insurance?
Sources
- ch.ch — Swiss residence permits: applying and renewing
- République et canton de Genève — Compulsory affiliation to a health insurance fund
- République et canton de Neuchâtel — Joining a health insurer (LAMal)
- ch.ch — Moving to Switzerland and duty-free allowances
Written by the Heidi team and updated on 7 November 2026. Communal deadlines and fees are a matter of cantonal law: check your commune's own page. This page is for information and does not replace a decision by the competent authority.