Swiss guides & documents

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What to prepare, which office to contact and where to find the official form. Practical guides for life and business in Switzerland, with downloadable checklists and Sven’s support when you need it.

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6 guides available

For individuals

Arriving in Switzerland: prepare your first steps

Know what to ask, what to bring and what to prepare before contacting your municipality.

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Your next steps

  1. Note your municipality, arrival date and reason for your stay: work, family, study or another reason. Distinguish arrival from abroad from moving within Switzerland.
  2. Find your municipality’s residents’ office (Einwohnerkontrolle). Confirm the procedure, deadline, appointment and attendance requirements for your nationality and circumstances.
  3. Prepare one complete file per document. Ask the office which originals or translations it requires.
  4. Keep the registration confirmation and record the next steps the office gives you. Check health insurance obligations and, if relevant, vehicle formalities separately.

What to prepare

  • A valid passport or identity card for each person.
  • Rental agreement or accommodation confirmation as required by the municipality.
  • Employment, family or study documents relevant to the reason for your stay.
  • Existing permit, migration correspondence and previous deregistration confirmation where available and required.

This list prepares your enquiry. The municipality and migration authority confirm your requirements. eUmzug is not available for every type of move. The Zurich source applies to the city only.

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For individuals

Tax return: collect your documents in one place

Organise what you have and identify missing documents before starting your Swiss tax return.

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Your next steps

  1. Confirm the tax year, canton and type of return. A 2026 form is not necessarily the right form for income earned in 2025.
  2. Create folders for income, accounts and assets, deductions and correspondence. Include your spouse’s information where relevant.
  3. Mark documents as available, requested or not applicable. Request missing certificates from banks, employers and insurers early.
  4. Check the deadline stated by the authority. If you need more time, check whether this particular procedure allows an extension and keep the confirmation.

What to prepare

  • Tax office letter and previous return or assessment, if available.
  • Salary certificates, pension statements and evidence of other income for the tax year.
  • Statements for accounts, securities, debts and property in Switzerland and abroad where relevant.
  • Evidence for potential deductions, such as pillar 3a, pension contributions, childcare, training and medical costs, depending on your circumstances.

This checklist does not determine deductible expenses. Your canton and circumstances determine what to declare and provide. Select the correct year on the official site; do not send us passwords or access codes.

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For individuals

Tax at source: understand what to check

A deduction on your payslip does not settle every tax question. Prepare the information needed to review your situation.

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Your next steps

  1. Find the Quellensteuer deduction on your payslips. Note the year, months, canton and stated tariff code.
  2. Collect relevant changes: marital status, children, address, employment, permit and other income or assets, including those abroad.
  3. Ask the competent authority whether your case concerns a calculation or tariff error, a mandatory subsequent ordinary assessment (NOV), or a voluntary application. These are different procedures.
  4. Check the applicable deadline before requesting a correction or NOV. Some application deadlines cannot be extended; asking for information does not pause them.

What to prepare

  • Payslips and salary certificate for the relevant year.
  • Tax correspondence and previous applications.
  • Dates of changes to address, employment, family circumstances or permit.
  • An overview of other income, assets and contributions you want reviewed.

A NOV may lead to a refund or additional tax and can affect later years. Do not apply solely because of a savings claim. Any recommendation requires a review of your complete circumstances.

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For individuals

A letter you do not understand: start here

Identify who is writing, what they need and the deadline before preparing a reply.

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Your next steps

  1. Keep all pages and the envelope. Note when the letter arrived and find the case reference.
  2. Identify whether it requests documents, demands payment, communicates a decision or sends a reminder. Mark the reply deadline and required channel.
  3. If in doubt, verify the sender through its official website. Do not pay or enter bank details through unverified links.
  4. List what you have already submitted and what is missing. If the letter mentions an objection, appeal, debt enforcement or an approaching deadline, promptly clarify the correct action with the office or an appropriate professional.

What to prepare

  • The complete letter, attachments and envelope.
  • Case reference and date received.
  • Earlier letters, replies and evidence relating to the same matter.
  • One sentence explaining your goal and the date stated in the letter.

There is no universal template for every letter. Priminfo templates concern specific health insurance matters, not general appeals. Contacting Sven does not preserve a deadline or replace a submission to the authority.

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For individuals

Housing: prepare an organised rental application

Submit the requested information in a clear, readable and complete application.

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Your next steps

  1. Read the listing and request the property manager’s document checklist. Note the rent, additional charges and application channel.
  2. Prepare a short overview of the occupants, intended move-in date and employment situation. Check that it matches the supporting documents.
  3. Collect only the requested evidence. If you are newly arrived and lack a Swiss document, ask which alternative the property manager accepts.
  4. Before sending, check the recipient, final version, complete files and contact details. Keep a copy and submission confirmation.

What to prepare

  • The property manager’s application form, if provided.
  • Requested income or employment evidence.
  • A debt enforcement register extract (Betreibungsregisterauszug), if requested; confirm how recent it must be.
  • Identity or permit documents only to the extent requested and necessary.

Preparing an application does not guarantee a rental offer. The landlord makes the selection. Do not publish your application or send personal information to unverified contacts.

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For businesses

Your business: organise your monthly records

Prepare a monthly handover of invoices, payments and outstanding items for your back office.

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Your next steps

  1. Create monthly folders for sales, purchases, banking and outstanding questions. Keep private and business transactions separate.
  2. Match each receipt or payment to its invoice or supporting document. Explain the business purpose where unclear and flag missing evidence.
  3. Include transactions without invoices: owner contributions or withdrawals, fees, refunds and internal transfers. Flag them for review without counting them twice.
  4. Make a short list of questions, unpaid customer invoices and upcoming deadlines. Agree when and how to hand over the complete month to your back office.

What to prepare

  • Sales and purchase invoices, receipts and credit notes.
  • Complete business bank and card statements.
  • Business details, financial year and VAT status; flag anything you do not yet know.
  • New contracts and, where payroll is part of the agreed service, personnel changes through the agreed channel.

Accounting requirements depend on the legal form and business. Records covered by Article 958f CO must be retained for ten years from the financial year’s end; special requirements may apply. A folder of photos alone is not a compliant accounting archive.

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