How relocation services work in Switzerland

From your first call to the day you feel at home: what we handle, what you provide, and what to expect along the way.

Moving to Switzerland involves more than packing boxes. A work or residence permit application, a housing search in a tight rental market, school enrolment, and a string of local administrative steps all tend to land in the same few weeks, often while you are still working from your current country. Understanding how relocation services work in Switzerland helps you decide which parts to hand off and which to keep for yourself.

My Swiss Relocation coordinates these steps for individuals, families and the HR teams sending them. This page walks through who our service suits, what we take care of, how a typical mandate unfolds, and where mistakes commonly happen when people try to manage a Swiss move without local support.

Who this service is for

Our clients fall into a few recurring situations: an employee transferred to a Swiss subsidiary, a family relocating for a new role, an executive moving with a short lead time, or an HR or global mobility manager coordinating several assignees at once. Some arrive with an EU/EFTA passport and a straightforward path; others need a non-EU work permit and a longer runway.

What they share is limited time and limited familiarity with how Swiss administration, housing and schooling actually work in practice. A relocation consultant closes that gap by acting as a single point of contact across all of it, rather than leaving the family to deal separately with a commune, a letting agent, a school secretariat and an immigration office.

Employees on intra-company transfer or a new local contract
Families moving with children of school age
Executives with a compressed timeline before a start date
HR and global mobility managers coordinating one or several assignees
Non-EU nationals who need a work or residence permit before arrival

What exactly we handle

A relocation mandate is built from a set of distinct services, and clients typically combine several of them rather than taking the full list. The starting point is always a conversation about the assignment: destination canton, family situation, contract start date, and budget.

Immigration support for EU/EFTA and non-EU work and residence permits, including legitimation cards where applicable
Home finding: shortlisting rental properties that match budget, commute and family needs, and accompanying viewings
Schooling guidance: comparing public, private and international school options for the family's situation
Settling-in services: commune registration, insurance orientation, opening a bank account, utilities
Temporary housing for the period between arrival and moving into a permanent home
Intercultural training for employees and accompanying partners
Departure support when the assignment ends

If you are unsure which of these your situation actually needs, our consultants can scope it in a first call at no commitment and tell you plainly what applies and what does not.

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How the process unfolds, step by step

The sequence below is the typical shape of a mandate. The order can shift depending on whether the permit or the housing search is the tighter constraint, but the logic stays the same: understand the assignment, secure the legal basis to live and work in Switzerland, then build the practical life around it.

What you need to provide on your side

Relocation support reduces the administrative load, but it does not remove your part of it. Certain documents and decisions can only come from you, and providing them early is the single biggest factor in how smoothly the mandate runs.

Valid passports and, where relevant, existing visas for every family member
Employment contract or assignment letter with confirmed start date
Proof of qualifications or diplomas if requested by the permit authority
Budget range and non-negotiables for housing (canton, commute, number of rooms)
School preferences and children's current school reports if applying to private or international schools
Responsiveness during document collection and viewing scheduling, since Swiss housing and school places move quickly

Realistic timelines

Timelines vary by canton, nationality, permit category and season, so treat the ranges below as typical and indicative rather than a guarantee for any specific case. Permit processing in particular depends on the authority handling the file and on how complete the initial application is.

As a general pattern, immigration steps tend to run in parallel with the housing search once a start date is confirmed, because a rental application is much stronger with an employment contract and permit process already underway. Settling-in tasks such as commune registration and insurance follow arrival and are usually completed within the first weeks.

Typical phase durations (indicative, varies by canton and case)
Phase	Typical duration
Initial scoping call and mandate confirmation	Same week
Permit application preparation and submission	A few weeks, depending on canton and permit category
Home finding, from shortlist to signed lease	A few weeks, faster with flexible criteria
Settling-in after arrival (registration, insurance, bank)	First weeks after arrival
Schooling enrolment	Ideally started well before the school year begins

Common mistakes when relocating without local support

Most avoidable problems come from underestimating how sequential and paperwork-heavy a Swiss move is, or from starting one step before another is ready to support it.

When to involve a relocation consultant

Some moves are simple enough to manage directly, particularly a single person with an EU/EFTA passport moving to a canton they already know. The calculation changes once a family, a tight start date, a non-EU permit, or several assignees at once are involved, since the coordination cost between administration, housing and schooling grows quickly.

HR and global mobility managers tend to bring us in earliest, because a consultant handling the practical steps in parallel lets the assignee focus on the handover at their current role rather than on chasing paperwork remotely.

The earlier a consultant is involved relative to the confirmed start date, the more the permit and housing steps can run in parallel instead of one blocking the other.

What's Included

A dedicated relocation consultant as single point of contact
Immigration guidance for EU/EFTA and non-EU permits
Home finding with shortlisted properties and accompanied viewings
Settling-in support: commune registration, insurance orientation, bank account
Schooling guidance across public, private and international options
Temporary housing arrangement where needed
Intercultural training for employees and accompanying family members

Steps and Timeline

Initial call and scoping

We discuss the assignment, destination canton, family situation and timeline, and confirm which services actually apply to your case, without commitment.

Immigration file preparation

Your consultant identifies the applicable permit category and helps assemble the documents the canton or federal authority requires, tracking the file through to a decision.

Home finding

Based on your budget and criteria, we shortlist properties, arrange viewings, and support the rental application, timed to align with the permit and start date.

Schooling and settling-in preparation

In parallel, we help compare school options if children are involved, and prepare the administrative steps that follow arrival, such as commune registration and insurance orientation.

Arrival and settling-in

On arrival, we support registration with the commune, opening a bank account, choosing insurance cover and connecting utilities, so daily life can start functioning quickly.

Follow-up

We remain a point of contact for questions that come up once you are settled, and can support a later departure or onward move when the assignment ends.

Common Mistakes

Signing a rental application before the employment contract or permit basis is confirmed, which weakens the application in a competitive market
Underestimating how quickly good rental properties and sought-after school places are taken
Assuming one canton's process, deadlines or required documents apply everywhere in Switzerland
Leaving health insurance and commune registration until after arrival with no plan for the transition period
Not confirming which documents need to be apostilled, translated or legalised before the move

Also Worth Reading

Service Relocation services in Switzerland, end to end Guide Contact relocation Switzerland: talk to a consultant Guide The Swiss Rental Market Explained

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a relocation service in Switzerland actually work day to day?

You are assigned a consultant who acts as a single point of contact across immigration, housing and settling-in. They prepare and track your permit file, shortlist and arrange viewings for housing, and coordinate the administrative steps around your arrival, so you deal with one person rather than several separate offices.

What does a relocation consultant do exactly?

A relocation consultant coordinates the practical and administrative side of a move: scoping which services you need, preparing immigration paperwork, shortlisting housing, liaising with schools, and guiding settling-in steps such as commune registration and insurance orientation. They do not replace legal, tax or insurance professionals but coordinate with them when needed.

Do I need a relocation service if I already have an EU passport?

An EU/EFTA passport removes the work permit hurdle in most cases, but housing, schooling and settling-in still take local knowledge and time. Many EU nationals use relocation support mainly for home finding and settling-in rather than immigration.

How early should I start the relocation process before my start date?

Starting as soon as your contract or assignment letter is confirmed gives the most room, since permit processing and housing searches can then run in parallel. Later starts are still workable but narrow the options, particularly for school enrolment and for permit categories that require additional documentation.

Can a relocation service help with my whole family, not just the employee?

Yes. Family relocation support typically covers accompanying partners and children, including schooling guidance, family-oriented home finding, and settling-in steps for every family member, not only the transferred employee.

What happens if my rental or permit application is rejected?

Your consultant reviews what caused the rejection and adjusts the approach, whether that means widening housing criteria, resubmitting documents, or clarifying the file with the relevant authority. Local familiarity with common rejection reasons helps most applications succeed on a second attempt.

Is the first consultation with My Swiss Relocation free?

Yes, the first contact is without commitment. We use it to understand your situation and tell you clearly which services would help and what the process would look like for your specific case.

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