Published on 24/07/2026 · Sources last reviewed: 17/07/2026 · Our method

Your first 14 days in Switzerland, in order

Settling in Switzerland runs on LEGAL deadlines, not recommendations. Two matter more than all the others: 14 days to register with your commune, and three months for health insurance — backdated to the day you arrived, so waiting only piles up premiums you will owe anyway. Here is the sequence.

Day 0 to 14: the arrival registration

At your commune's residents' office

Within 14 days of your arrival, and before your first day of work: passport or ID card, employment contract, tenancy agreement, photographs, civil status. It is this registration that triggers your residence permit — a B permit for a permanent contract or one of twelve months or more, an L permit below that.

What the registration unlocks

Your residence certificate — needed for the bank, the insurers and the school — your liability to tax, and the clock on all your other deadlines.

Weeks 1 and 2: the rest of the sequence

Health insurance: sign up early — compulsory within three months, backdated to your arrival date, official comparison tool priminfo.admin.ch;
Swiss bank account: with your residence certificate and your contract — before the first salary;
Liability and household insurance: expected by the letting agency when the keys are handed over, in most cases;
Inventory of fixtures on entry: document EVERYTHING with dated photographs — the Swiss inventory is meticulous and your guarantee depends on it;
Transport passes: the half-fare card pays for itself quickly;
Vehicle: Swiss plates and driving licence to be converted within twelve months — not urgent, but a date to note.

Families: school enrolment often happens with the commune from the arrival registration onwards — and places in childcare are requested months in advance. That is THE point to anticipate before you move.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I miss the 14-day deadline? The 14 days are a legal deadline, not a recommendation, and it is the registration that triggers your residence permit. Registering late delays the permit and everything that depends on it — the residence certificate your bank, insurer and school will ask for. Communes handle late arrivals every day, so register as soon as you notice rather than waiting.

Can I wait before taking out health insurance? You can, but waiting costs you money. Cover is compulsory within three months and it is backdated to the day you arrived — so a delay does not save a single premium, it simply accumulates them until you sign. The official comparison tool priminfo.admin.ch lists every insurer for your commune.

B permit or L permit — which one will I get? It follows from your contract, not from a choice: a B permit for a permanent contract or one of twelve months or more, an L permit below that. You do not apply for it yourself either — it is your registration with the commune that starts the process.

Turn this sequence into a checklist that knows your case. Relokea's Swiss File and Rimu build it from your canton, your family and your status, with reminders at each deadline — and the Concierge can take the formalities off your hands.

Steer my move

Official sources

ch.ch — arriving in Switzerland, registering (accessed on 17/07/2026)
SEM — B and L permits for EU/EFTA citizens (accessed on 17/07/2026)
FOPH — priminfo, the official health insurance comparison tool (accessed on 17/07/2026)

Related guides: the hub · dossier locatif · permis g · installation