The Swiss authorities online
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Swiss customs
- Addresses and opening hours of customs and border crossing points
- Importing goods into Switzerland - private individuals
- Importing goods into Switzerland - companies
- Refund of foreign VAT
- Ordering goods from abroad
- Transiting through Switzerland with personal goods
- Importing liquid funds in Switzerland
- Entering Switzerland with a motor vehicle
- Moving to Switzerland - what you need to know
- Travelling to Switzerland with plants and animals
- Entry regulations for Switzerland
- Leaving Switzerland with personal goods and vehicles
- Importing weapons
- Entering or leaving Switzerland with minors
- Any other questions about customs?
- Customs App
Driving licence
- Cost of learning to drive
- How to get a provisional licence
- Accompanied driving practice
- Theory test
- Practical driving test
- Probationary driving licence
- Driving licence categories
- International driving licence
- Exchanging your old licence
- Loss or theft of your driving licence/provisional licence
- Disqualification from driving
The military – information for members of the armed forces
- Everything you need to know about completing basic military training (RS)
- Rescheduling military service
- When and where do you need to show up for military service?
- How long does military service last?
- Mandatory training – when and where you need to show up for mandatory firing practice
- Informing your head of section when moving home
- Sale of military equipment - not just to soldiers
- Other questions about military service
Compulsory schooling
- When will my child start school?
- Moving house: Changing schools
- School holidays in Switzerland
- Length of compulsory schooling in Switzerland
- Support at school for children from immigrant backgrounds
- A safe journey to school – on foot, by bike or by bus
- Apprenticeship or school? What happens after compulsory schooling?
- Disabled children at school
Civilian service – information for persons interested in performing civilian service
- Civilian service instead of military service – how can you apply?
- Rescheduling civilian defence training
- Civilian service – where can you perform civilian service?
- How long does civilian service last?
- Registering with the civilian service office and informing them of your departure if you move house
- Further information on civilian service
Debt enforcement, debt, bankruptcy
- Extract from the debt enforcement register
- Acknowledgment of debt
- How do I start debt enforcement proceedings?
- I have received a payment summons – what should I do?
- How do I go about getting a debt enforcement record deleted?
- I have debts – what effects does this have?
- Insolvency – advice and support
- Declaring personal insolvency
- Bankruptcy
Employment law
- Minimum and average wages in Switzerland
- Reference
- Entitlement to holidays / number of public holidays
- Absence from work
- Terminating the employment relationship
- Labour disputes - Who to contact
- What happens with work in the event of an accident?
- Inability to work due to illness / pregnancy – rights and obligations
Divorce
- Divorce procedure
- Financial consequences of marriage – the marital property regime
- Divorce and maintenance contributions
- Name changes after a divorce
- Applying for a passport or identity card
- Which courts handle divorce cases, and where can I get information?
- Foreign nationals‘ right to reside following divorce or death of a spouse
- Divorce and parental authority
Entry and stay in Switzerland
- Residence permits – Overview and renewal
- Entry requirements for short-term stays in Switzerland
- How do I obtain a visa to enter Switzerland?
- Letter of invitation and declaration of sponsorship
- Foreign nationals wishing to stay in Switzerland other than to work
- Applying for asylum
- Loss of residence permit – requesting a replacement
- Foreign nationals' right to reside following divorce or death of a spouse
How does the retirement provision system work?
- At what age can I retire in Switzerland?
- What do you need to do when you get near retirement?
- How much will my pension be worth when I retire?
- As an AHV/AI annuitant, am I entitled to receive supplementary benefits?
- What you need to do if you plan to retire abroad
- Can foreign nationals spend their retirement in Switzerland?
- Am I entitled to work during retirement?
- What taxes do I need to pay as a retiree?
- AHV pension tax certificate
- Managing your retirement provision?
- 3rd pillar – private old-age insurance
- What do you need to do to draw on your 2nd pillar pension ahead of time?
- Do students, persons who are self-employed or not in employment, or retirees still need to pay AHV contributions?
Rent
- Ordering an extract from the debt collection register
- Concluding a rental agreement
- Rent – Tenants‘ rights and obligations
- Noise disturbance and problems with neighbours
- Defects and shortcomings in the apartment
- Terminating a rental agreement by the tenants
- Termination of a rental agreement by the landlord
- Brochure "Living in Switzerland"
Birth
- How can I apply for family allowance? How much money will I receive?
- Assisted reproduction
- What will my child’s surname be?
- What should I do when my child is born?
- What should I do if my child is born abroad?
- When do I need to provide a birth certificate?
- Parental authority for unmarried parents
- When does a new-born child need its own health insurance?
- I am expecting a child: what does my health insurance cover?
Marriage
- Getting married - civil wedding ceremony
- Getting married abroad
- Time off work
- Choosing a new name when you get married or register your partnership
- Applying for a passport or identity card
- Getting married and citizenship
- Legal consequences of marriage
- Financial consequences of marriage - matrimonial property regimes
Death
- Checklist for everything you need to do in the event of a death in the family before the funeral (part 1)
- Checklist for everything you need to do in the event of a death in the family after the funeral (part 2)
- What funeral options are available in Switzerland?
- Pensions for the surviving spouse and children of the deceased
OASI
- Where can you obtain a (new) OASI card?
- Where can I obtain a new/my OASI number?
- Do students, self-employed persons, persons not in employment or retirees still need to pay OASI contributions?
- At what age do I receive an OASI pension?
- What do I need to do when nearing retirement age?
- How much will my pension be worth when I reach retirement?
- Gaps in OASI contributions
- As an OASI/IV annuitant, am I entitled to receive supplementary benefits?
- OASI for returnees
- Aids for pensioners and persons drawing incapacity benefit
Homeownership in Switzerland
- Homeownership checklist
- Financing the purchase of your own home
- What is the best form of homeownership for you?
- Homeownership: getting information
- Concluding a purchase contract for residential property
- Buying a second or holiday home
- How do you sell your apartment or house?
- Paying tax on real estate
- Planning application and building permit
Moving home
- Day off for moving
- Checklist for moving
- Notification of departure and registration
- Notifying new vehicle registration plates and address
- Changing school
- Waste disposal and recycling
- Bringing your belongings over the border
- De-registering and registering with the armed forces head of section, civil defence or civilian service
VAT
- How to pay tax and duty on personal goods purchased abroad
- Claiming back VAT paid abroad
- Leaving Switzerland with personal goods and vehicles
- Ordering goods abroad
- Need to pay VAT
- Registering for VAT
- VAT rate in Switzerland
- Accounting for VAT
- VAT forms
- VAT registration number and Business Identification Number
Cars and other vehicles
- Bringing your car to Switzerland
- Moving house: Driving licence and vehicle registration document
- Motorway sticker (‘vignette’)
- Registering your vehicle
- Lost vehicle registration document
- Deregistering your vehicle
- Lost or stolen number plates
- Temporarily taking your vehicle off the road
- Driving and insurance
- Vehicle taxes
- Periodic vehicle testing
- Swiss traffic information
- Vehicle index
Holidays abroad
- Taken ill abroad – What does health insurance cover?
- Leaving Switzerland with personal goods and vehicles
- Swiss customs: returning to Switzerland with animals, goods and vehicles
- Health travel information
- Electronic vaccination record
- Safety and security precautions abroad
- Traffic and travel news in Switzerland
- Traffic conditions in France
- Traffic conditions in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy
- Preparing your trip
- Air passenger rights
- Flight luggage
- Travelling abroad
- Travelling with pets
- Zika-Virus
- Documents for minors travelling alone or accompanied by persons other than their parents or who do not have custody