Moving to Switzerland
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Switzerland, in one place.
Western EuropeThinking about moving to Switzerland?
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
Switzerland at a glance
How long can you stay in Switzerland?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
UK passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- –
EU passport (German)- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- –
Canadian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Australian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Indian passport- Rule
- Visa needed
- Stay
- –
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Switzerland is in the Schengen area.
Days here count toward your 90 in any 180 across all of Schengen; count them with the Schengen calculator.
Citizenship in Switzerland
Naturalization takes about 10 years of residence.
Dual citizenship is allowed, so you can keep your passport.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in Switzerland
Switzerland taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 0%
- Top income tax rate – 63%
- Corporate tax – 18%
- VAT or sales tax – 8%
New residents can use Taxation based on expenditure (lump-sum tax).
See how it works in tax breaks for new residents.
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Setting up a company here?
See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in Switzerland
Everyday prices in Switzerland are about 112% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
It's close to US prices, or above them.
A night's stay in a whole place, by Inside Airbnb's median:
- Zurich – $242
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is Switzerland safe?
The US State Department rates Switzerland Level 1 ("Exercise normal precautions", updated 2026-08-14), the same level it gives Austria, Portugal, Japan and Australia. Level 1 is normal travel. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in Switzerland
In M-Lab's open speed tests across Switzerland over the last 12 months, half came in above 91 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 283 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (3,475,523 tests).
By place:
- Zurich – 83 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in Switzerland
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
Switzerland: the basics
| What | Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Capital | Bern |
| Currency | Swiss franc (CHF) |
| Languages | German, French, Italian |
| Population | about 8.5 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for Switzerland
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
Switzerland FAQs
Visa-free, for 90 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Not that I've found in official sources as of 2026-09-29.
The digital nomad visa finder lists every country that has one.
About 10 years of residence.
Yes.
Check that your own country allows it too.
Switzerland taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 112% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 1.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 91 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 283 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Zurich.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The Swiss franc (CHF).
The main languages are German, French and Italian.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Places to live in Switzerland
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