Visa and permit route, registration at the commune within 14 days, compulsory health insurance within 3 months, the rental deposit, the bank account, the radio and TV fee and the mistakes that cost a month.
In brief
As of 6 November 2026, the first month in Switzerland runs in this order. First the right to stay: a citizen of Russia needs a visa, and a stay of more than 90 days needs a national D visa applied for before you travel. Then registration at the commune within 14 days of arrival, with the residence permit application filed at the same office. Then compulsory basic health insurance within 3 months of arrival, and a bank account once you hold a permit or a municipal registration confirmation. Housing usually needs a deposit of up to 3 months' net rent in a blocked account, and the household radio and TV fee is CHF 335 a year in 2026. Most figures below come from secondary sources: confirm them with your commune and canton.
First decide which route you are on
Switzerland is not a country where you arrive as a tourist and sort out the status later. Citizens of Russia need a visa. For a stay of more than 90 days the route is a national D visa, filed at the Swiss embassy in Moscow after the responsible canton has agreed in principle. Sources conflict on whether the visa centre handles national applications and on the processing time: some say 2 to 6 weeks, others 6 to 12 weeks. Allow the longer figure and do not buy non-refundable tickets before the decision.
If you do not work in Switzerland, the official portal ch.ch says you need enough financial means not to depend on social welfare, plus adequate health and accident insurance, and that the application is made to the cantonal authorities before you arrive. A commercial summary says third-country nationals first receive a B permit valid for one year, renewed annually. One private-client firm says that without a job the realistic routes are the financially independent route for people over 55 and lump-sum taxation, while other sources describe the financial-independence route without an age limit. This conflict is not resolved here: ask the canton. No financial threshold was found, so none is named. A law-firm wiki adds that admission of third-country nationals without work is exceptional and needs a reason beyond wealth alone.
This checklist is for the common case: you already have the right to live in Switzerland through work, family or a cantonal approval, and you are now arriving. If you are looking at property, read these first and then come back:
- Prices and budgets: what can you buy in Switzerland for CHF 300,000 to 1,500,000
- Where to live: best areas to buy property in Switzerland
- The top end: the most expensive, smallest and unusual Swiss properties
- The general version of this checklist for any country: first 30 days after moving abroad
Days 1 to 3: documents and the address
Keep the passport, the visa, the entry record and several copies. Collect the paper that every later step asks for: the signed lease or a landlord's confirmation, the employment contract if you have one, passport photos, and proof of health insurance if you already bought it. At least one canton (Zurich) asks for proof of insurance at registration. Other communes may differ, so read your commune's information sheet before you go.
The lease comes first in practice, because nothing else can be registered without an address. A Swiss residential lease allows a deposit of at most 3 months' net rent (Article 257e of the Code of Obligations). The money goes into a blocked account in your name, and the bank releases it only when both sides agree or after the legal maximum period of 12 months after the lease ends. Some landlords accept a rental guarantee insurance instead; you then pay an annual premium and the total cost can exceed the blocked cash. Landlords often ask for a debt enforcement extract (Betreibungsauszug); one source gives about CHF 17 and a maximum age of 3 months. A newcomer has no history, so say so and offer a guarantee or a larger advance if the landlord hesitates.
Week 1: register at the commune
Register with the residents' office of your commune within 14 days of arrival. If you plan to stay longer than 3 months, you apply for the residence permit at the same office within the same 14 days, and before you start work. The permit type depends on the contract: an open-ended contract or one of at least 12 months usually leads to a B permit, a shorter contract to an L permit. Typical documents are the passport, the visa, the lease, passport photos and proof of insurance, but the list differs between communes.
Do not wait for the permit card to arrive before doing the other things: the commune normally confirms your registration on paper, and that confirmation is what some banks and insurers accept in the meantime.
Week 1 to 4: compulsory health insurance
Basic health insurance is compulsory. The federal health office says that people settling in Switzerland generally need to be insured within 3 months of taking up residence, with some exceptions. One source says that if you enrol within 90 days the cover is applied retroactively from your arrival date, while one guide counts the 3 months from registration. Treat the arrival date as the safe deadline and compare offers in the first two weeks. How to choose a policy, what the excess means and how doctors are reached is in our guide on health insurance after moving abroad.
Weeks 2 to 4: bank account and the radio and TV fee
Bank. Switzerland is easy for people with a residence permit and harder for people without one. PostFinance asks for a residence permit together with a foreign identity document. UBS accepts B, C, Ci and L permits for its online opening and may accept the municipality's registration confirmation while the permit card is on its way, according to a search summary of its page. Ask in writing before you travel to the branch.
For holders of Russian and Belarusian passports the picture is harder. Secondary news from August 2026 reports that Swissquote and Yuh closed accounts of Russian clients, and an earlier report mentions Permit C holders and Belarusians with permanent residence. Whether PostFinance is legally obliged to open an account for every legal resident is reported in contradictory ways in the Vekselberg cases. A March 2026 Supreme Court summary from one law-firm site says that foreign sanctions regimes may influence a bank's internal risk assessment but are not directly applicable in Switzerland. None of this was confirmed with the banks. In practice, bring documents on the source of your funds and your employment, and read the resident bank account guide and bank checks for Russian citizens in the EU.
Radio and TV fee. The Serafe fee is charged per household, not per person: CHF 335 a year in 2026. The residents' register tells Serafe about your move, so the first invoice usually arrives after registration. The fee is reported to fall to CHF 312 on 1 January 2027 and to CHF 300 from 2029. Households with someone receiving an old-age pension are among the exemptions reported.
What was not researched
Three things you will need in the first month are outside this check, and the article does not guess at them: the withholding tax at source (Quellensteuer) that many permit holders pay, registration for the AHV pension scheme, and registration of children at school. Ask the commune and your employer. For a driving licence and a car, read the driving licence guide. For tax residence in the first year, see tax residency when relocating.
What changes with a permit and what does not
- Visa only, no permit: you may stay for the permitted period, but long-term contracts, many bank products and the compulsory insurance rules do not work cleanly.
- With the permit: you register at the commune for good, take out the compulsory insurance, open the main bank accounts, and the periods of the later steps (renewal, family) begin to run.
- Owning property does not by itself give residence or tax residence: see residency versus citizenship.
The seven mistakes that cost a month
1. Arriving on a tourist entry and planning to apply for the permit later. 2. Signing a lease before checking what the commune needs from you. 3. Missing the 14-day registration window. 4. Buying health insurance on day 85 and finding that the cover is not retroactive in your case. 5. Going to a bank branch without the registration confirmation or the permit. 6. Counting on the deposit being returned quickly: the blocked account needs both sides to agree. 7. Assuming that the withholding tax and the pension registration happen automatically.
One-page checklist
- Before arrival: visa route and canton approval; documents copied; money for the deposit.
- Days 1 to 3: lease signed, passport copies, photos, insurance offers.
- Week 1: registration at the commune within 14 days; permit application at the same office.
- Weeks 1 to 4: compulsory health insurance in force; bank account; Serafe invoice expected.
- Month 2: withholding tax and AHV clarified; school and driving questions answered.
This guide is general information and not legal advice. Rules differ by canton and commune and change over time: check every step with the commune, the cantonal migration office and the federal migration authority.
FAQ
Do I need a visa to live in Switzerland if I hold a Russian passport? Yes. Citizens of Russia need a visa, and a stay of more than 90 days needs a national D visa filed at the embassy in Moscow after the canton agrees. Processing times in sources range from 2 to 12 weeks, so plan for the longer end.
How fast must I register after arriving? Within 14 days at the residents' office of your commune. If you stay more than 3 months, the permit application is filed at the same office in the same 14 days and before you start work.
When must I have health insurance? Generally within 3 months of taking up residence. One source says enrolling within 90 days makes the cover retroactive to arrival, and one guide counts from registration, so use the arrival date as the safe deadline.
How big can a rental deposit be? At most 3 months' net rent under Article 257e of the Code of Obligations, held in a blocked account in your name. The legal maximum period for its release is 12 months after the lease ends.
Will a Swiss bank open an account for me? With a B, C, Ci or L permit it is normally possible. Holders of Russian and Belarusian passports have reported closures in 2026, so ask the bank in writing which documents it needs and prepare proof of the source of your funds.