Travel to Switzerland

Area: 41,285 km²
Residents: 8,482,152 (December 31, 2017)
Population density: 205 E / km²
Form of Government: Federal Republic
System of Government: Directorate system
Neighboring countries: Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, France
Capital: Bern
National Languages: German, French, Italian, Romansh
religions:
41% Roman Catholic,
40% Evangelical Reformed,
0.22% Jehovah’s Witnesses
Currency: Swiss francs (CHF)
1 CHF = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
1 EUR = 1.097 CHF
1 CHF = 0.91 EUR
1 CHF = 0.78 GBP
1 CHF = 119.91 JPY
1 CHF = 1.08 USD
(rate from 01.07. 2021)
Telephone area code: +41
Time zone: UTC + 1 CET UTC + 2 CEST (March – October)
Mains voltage: 220V

A mixture of serenity and dynamism, cultural diversity and calming rural habits, paired with an impressive landscape and cities with a very high quality of life. That and the people who inhabit it distinguish them – Switzerland. This page gives an overview of the country and immigration. Visit themakeupexplorer for Switzerland Travel Guide.

In 2020, 14,638 Germans officially emigrated to Switzerland, and 9,726 came back. In the 10 years from 2010 to 2019, 191,235 Germans officially emigrated to Switzerland and 111,487 moved back. This put Switzerland in second place on the satisfaction list for all emigration destinations. It is also interesting, however, that around 30,000 Swiss people move abroad every year to live and work, study or retire there for a few years. In 2020 there were officially 307,387 Germans living in Switzerland.

The proportion of immigrants in Switzerland is now over 25 percent. Most of these are Italian and German immigrants, followed by Portuguese, French, Serbian, Kosovar, Spanish, Turkish, Macedonian and British citizens. The proportion of immigrants is above average in Leysin, Randogne, Paradiso, Kreuzlingen, Spreitenbach, Pregny-Chambésy, Geneva, Täsch and Lausanne, for example. Where else can you look out over lush meadows and enchanting mountain landscapes from your office? Going for a walk, swimming, cycling, hiking after work in the alpine pastures? Amusement parks tend to be superfluous in these regions. The pure experience is waiting on the doorstep!

The national languages are German, French, Italian and, in some cases, Romansh.

In the stable economic structure, industry-specific specialists are required accordingly. IT specialists, finance and gastronomy specialists have very good chances of finding a job. The food industry, the insurance and banking industries and the tourism sector play a particularly important role here. Medical positions are also often filled by foreign specialists, who are particularly in demand in medical care and research. More information on the work & taxes page.

Immigration

Switzerland is one of the most popular immigration countries. The reasons for this include the unique natural landscapes and the well-paid work opportunities. However, the latter have also decreased somewhat in Switzerland with the economic crisis. The cost of living is higher in some areas than in Germany. But Switzerland is a small tax haven. The value added tax is currently 7.7%, the reduced tax rate is 2.5%.

Compared to the predominant German hectic pace, the proverbial Swiss way of life, the cosiness of the people, is a welcome change. Of course there are local differences in mentality.

German citizens can stay in the country for a maximum of 90 days with their identity card or passport without a visa. If work is planned during this period, this must be reported. For longer stays, a residence permit must generally be applied for, which can easily be obtained with proof of a job or sufficient financial means. Whether or not to take up gainful employment requires a work permit depends on the length of the employment. More information about how immigration expires and what help can receive, can be found on the side of immigration rules.

Health insurance

With the move to Switzerland and a new job on site, some insurance relationships inevitably change. Before taking out new health insurance, it is worthwhile to compare the basic and supplementary insurance, because the benefits of basic insurance are limited in Switzerland. On Krankenkasse-Online-Vergleich.ch there are valuable tips as well as a health insurance premium calculator to compare both basic tariffs and costs for additional insurance in the field of complementary medicine, psychotherapy, trips abroad and dental treatment.

Payment transactions

When making cross-border payment transactions, emigrants have to pay attention to a few important points, because up to 90% of fees can be saved for international transfers to Switzerland and in the opposite direction with currency exchange in CHF or EUR. SEPA transfers in EUR without currency exchange are usually free of charge or the fee is already covered by the account management fee. You can find detailed information on payment transactions to Switzerland here.

Property

Foreigners from the EU can easily buy or rent real estate in Switzerland. There are advantages to using an experienced real estate agency.

General safety information

In general, Switzerland is not a country where danger lurks around every dark corner. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that there are almost no dark corners and the extremely low crime rate in the country. In cities, large events or at major tourist centers, it is of course always useful to keep an eye on your handbag. Before going on excursions into the mountainous landscapes, it is advisable to pay attention to the current weather information.