Moving to Switzerland from France

Residence permit for EU/EFTA citizens moving from France

If you hold the nationality of an EU or EFTA member state, moving to Switzerland from France is governed by the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons. You do not need a work permit in the traditional sense: once you have a job offer, sufficient means, or are joining family already settled in Switzerland, you register with the commune of your new place of residence and are issued a residence permit that matches your situation.

The two permit categories you will meet most often are the short-term permit for contracts of under a year and the five-year B permit for longer employment or self-employment. Cross-border commuters who keep their home in France while working in Switzerland fall under a separate cross-border permit rather than one of these residence permits, since they do not relocate their tax residence.

If you are a French resident who is not an EU/EFTA national yourself, for example a third-country national living in France on a French residence card, the free movement agreement does not apply to you personally. Your move to Switzerland follows the ordinary non-EU procedure, including a labour-market and quota assessment tied to a specific employer, and it is worth planning for a longer and less predictable timeline.

• •L permit: short-term residence, generally tied to a contract of less than 12 months
• •B permit: initial residence permit for employment or self-employment, typically renewable for as long as the underlying activity continues
• •C permit: settlement permit, available after a number of years of continuous residence and good integration
• •G permit: cross-border commuter permit, for those who keep their principal residence in France

Registering with the commune and cantonal migration office

Wherever you settle in Switzerland, you must report your arrival to the commune of residence, generally within 14 days of moving in. The commune forwards your file to the cantonal migration office, which issues the residence permit itself; procedures and required documents vary somewhat from canton to canton, so it is worth checking the local commune's website before you arrive.

You will typically be asked for a valid passport or French identity card, proof of the lease or property purchase, a work contract or proof of sufficient financial means, and passport-style photographs. Family members joining you, such as a spouse or children, are registered through a separate family reunification step, which for EU/EFTA nationals is generally straightforward but still requires supporting documents on the relationship and, in some cantons, on housing suitability.

Customs, household goods and vehicles

Household goods brought into Switzerland in connection with a genuine change of residence can generally be imported free of customs duty and Swiss VAT, provided the move is declared correctly and the goods have been used by you beforehand. The Swiss Federal Office for Customs and Border Security sets out the declaration form and the conditions, and it is far easier to get this right before the removal lorry crosses the border than to correct it afterwards.

Bringing a French-registered car has its own rules on temporary use, import duty and the timeline for Swiss registration and technical inspection once you are resident. If you plan to keep driving a French-plated vehicle for any length of time after your move, check the current conditions with Swiss customs rather than assuming the rules mirror those for tourists.

Pets travelling with you from France also need to meet Swiss import requirements: microchipping, a valid rabies vaccination and, depending on the animal, additional health certification. Plan this well ahead of the move, since vaccination and waiting periods cannot be compressed at the last minute.

• •Household goods: customs declaration for a change of residence, generally duty-free when conditions are met
• •Vehicles: check import duty, Swiss registration and technical inspection requirements before relying on French plates long-term
• •Pets: microchip, rabies vaccination and any required certificates, arranged in advance

Driving licence exchange

A French driving licence can be used in Switzerland for a limited period after you take up residence, after which it must be exchanged for a Swiss one at the cantonal road traffic office. Because France and Switzerland recognise each other's licences, the exchange is normally an administrative formality rather than a new driving test, but it still requires an appointment, your original licence, proof of residence and, in some cantons, a vision test.

Do not let the exchange window lapse: driving on an unexchanged foreign licence beyond the permitted period can create complications with insurers in the event of an accident, quite apart from the administrative fine.

Compulsory health insurance

Switzerland requires everyone resident in the country, regardless of nationality, to take out basic health insurance (assurance-maladie de base / Grundversicherung) with a Swiss-licensed insurer within three months of arrival, with cover then applied retroactively to your first day of residence. This is separate from, and not replaced by, French carte Vitale cover or any private policy you held in France.

Basic cover is standardised by law across insurers, but premiums vary by canton, age bracket and the deductible (franchise) you choose, and insurers cannot refuse basic cover to a new resident. Cross-border commuters who keep their residence in France have a specific option to remain affiliated to the French social security system instead of Swiss basic insurance, under a choice that must generally be exercised within three months of starting cross-border work; this choice has long-term consequences and is worth discussing with a specialist before you decide.

Comparing insurers and deductible levels, and understanding how basic and complementary cover interact, is a decision our consultants coordinate with qualified specialists rather than make for you.

Housing, banking and settling in

Rental markets in the main cantons bordering France, notably Geneva and Vaud, are tight, and landlords typically ask for a dossier including proof of income, a reference from a previous landlord and, in many cases, a Swiss guarantee or a deposit held in a blocked bank account. Opening a Swiss bank account is usually a prerequisite for both the rental deposit and receiving a Swiss salary, and most banks will ask for your residence permit or at least proof that an application is under way.

Many arrivals from France choose to keep a French bank account active for a transition period, particularly if they are still receiving French income or repaying a French mortgage, but day-to-day banking, salary and rent are generally easier to manage through a Swiss account once you are settled.

Schooling for children

Switzerland's public schools are organised by canton and commune rather than nationally, and in French-speaking cantons the language of instruction is French, which eases the transition for many families moving from France. Enrolment is normally handled directly through the commune of residence, and the school year, holiday calendar and grading conventions differ from the French system, so it is worth reviewing them early, particularly for children moving mid-cycle.

Families who prefer continuity with the French curriculum, or who anticipate a later move onward from Switzerland, sometimes consider international or French-curriculum private schools, most of which are concentrated around Geneva and, to a lesser extent, Lausanne and Zurich. Places at the more established schools can be limited, so early enquiries matter.

Tax considerations when relocating from France

Moving your tax residence from France to Switzerland changes which country taxes your income and, generally, ends your liability to French income tax on income that has no French source, subject to the France-Switzerland double taxation treaty and to France's specific rules on French-source income and, for some taxpayers, wealth tax on French real estate. Swiss income tax itself is levied at federal, cantonal and communal level, with rates that vary meaningfully between cantons and even between communes in the same canton.

Many salaried foreign residents in Switzerland are taxed at source (impôt à la source) directly by their employer, with a subsequent ordinary or corrective tax filing depending on income level and permit type. Because the interaction between French exit rules, the tax treaty and Swiss withholding is genuinely technical, and because getting it wrong can mean paying tax twice or missing a French filing obligation, this is an area where you should involve a cross-border tax specialist before, not after, your move.

Cultural and practical adjustments

For French speakers settling in Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel or Jura, the language barrier is minimal, but Swiss French carries its own vocabulary, and administrative culture is noticeably more formal and process-driven than in France: appointments, written confirmations and complete document sets matter more than they might at a French guichet. Punctuality, advance notice for social invitations, and strict adherence to commune-level rules on matters like waste sorting or apartment quiet hours are small things that new arrivals from France consistently mention as an adjustment.

If your move takes you to a German-speaking canton such as Zurich, Zug or Basel-Landschaft, add the practical reality of Swiss German as the everyday spoken language, even though standard German is used in writing and at school; many cross-border families in these regions invest in language support during the first year.