Relocation to Bern

Finding housing for a relocation to Bern

Bern's rental market is generally described as less tight than Zurich's or Geneva's, though demand for well-located, family-sized apartments still exceeds supply and a competitive file remains an advantage. Listings move quickly for the most sought-after streets and floor plans, so being ready to view and apply promptly matters.

The city centre and the arcaded old town offer character apartments in historic buildings, often with limited modern comforts such as lifts or parking. Districts on the south bank of the Aare, close to the museums and diplomatic quarter, tend to be quieter and more residential, while areas north of the main station combine a livelier, more multicultural street life with a broader mix of building types and price points. Family-oriented communities on the city's edges offer more space and greenery at a short tram or bus ride from the centre.

A Swiss rental file typically includes proof of income or an employment contract, identification, and often a request for a debt-collection extract (Betreibungsauskunft) once you are registered locally. My Swiss Relocation prepares this file with you, shortlists properties that match your brief, arranges viewings and negotiates the lease so that you can commit to a home with confidence rather than under time pressure.

Schools and childcare in Bern

Families relocating to Bern choose between the public school system, taught in German, and a small number of private and international schools serving the expatriate and diplomatic community. Public schools are generally well regarded and free of charge, but a child arriving without German will need language support, which most Bernese schools organise for newcomers.

International options in and around Bern are more limited than in Zurich or Geneva, so places for popular grade levels can fill early; families who need an English- or French-medium curriculum should start the search as soon as a move is confirmed. Childcare for younger children, whether nurseries (Kitas) or registered childminders, also tends to have waiting lists in the more central and family-popular districts.

My Swiss Relocation researches the schooling options that fit your child's age, language profile and curriculum needs, arranges visits, and helps you register with the relevant school or canton in time for the intake you are targeting.

Permits and the cantonal migration office

Anyone relocating to Bern for more than a short stay needs to register with the commune of residence and, depending on nationality, obtain the appropriate residence or work permit through the canton's migration authority. EU/EFTA nationals follow a different registration path from non-EU nationals, and the required documents, timelines and employer obligations differ accordingly.

Because permit categories, quotas and procedures can change and depend on individual circumstances, this page describes the general framework only; our immigration specialists review your situation and coordinate with the relevant cantonal office to confirm what applies to you before any filing.

Once you are registered, a series of related steps follows: opening a bank account, arranging compulsory health insurance within the legal deadline, and registering with the local tax authority if applicable. Missing a deadline in this sequence can complicate later steps, which is why our consultants sequence them for you rather than leaving you to discover the order by trial and error.

Getting around Bern and beyond

Bern's public transport network, run by Bernmobil, covers the city with trams, trolleybuses and buses, and most central and residential districts are within a short ride of the main station. The city centre and the riverside paths along the Aare are well suited to walking and cycling, and bike-sharing is widely used.

Bern railway station is one of the busiest hubs on the Swiss rail network and sits at the country's geographic centre, giving direct or single-change connections to Zurich, Basel, Lucerne, the Bernese Oberland resorts and Geneva. Bern's own airport serves a limited number of routes, so most international travellers connect via Zurich or Geneva airport, both reachable by direct train.

Daily life and settling in as a newcomer

Bern has a reputation, among Swiss cities, for an unhurried pace of life, a strong sense of civic pride around its old town, and traditions such as swimming in the Aare on warm days. Compared with Zurich or Geneva, the international community is smaller and more concentrated around the federal administration and diplomatic missions, which shapes the social and professional networks available to newcomers.

Everyday interactions, from the bakery to the town hall, run in Swiss German, and standard German is used in writing and administration; English is understood in professional and diplomatic circles but far less so in daily errands than in Zurich or Geneva. Learning at least conversational German meaningfully speeds up integration, and language courses for newcomers are widely available in the canton.

Our settling-in service covers the practical steps that make a new city feel workable within the first weeks: registering with the commune, setting up utilities and telecommunications, opening bank accounts, and orienting you to the neighbourhood you have chosen.