Skip to main content
MumExpat

Settling in

Settling in Geneva

In Geneva, language will never get in your way, but Swiss administration has its own rhythm: residence permits, health insurance within three months, rental deposit, tax at source. Taken in the right order, these steps are done in a few weeks. Here is what we would have liked to know before arriving, checked against the official websites of the canton, the city and the consulate.

Verified on 31 October 2026

Arrival and first steps

For a French family, no visa is needed: free movement between Switzerland and the European Union applies. Each family member does need a residence permit, however, and health insurance follows close behind.

Good to know

  • Anyone settling in Geneva registers their new residence with the cantonal population and migration office (OCPM). For Europeans, this is done through the residence or work permit application, to be filed before starting work. Source
  • The partner and children get their permits through family reunification, requested with or after the working parent's permit. The deadlines given by the canton vary (14 days on the OCPM page, three months for Europeans on the newcomers' page): apply in your first week. Source
  • Basic health insurance (LAMal) is compulsory for every family member, babies included. Cover must start within three months of taking up residence, even if the permit has not yet been issued; otherwise the canton enrols you automatically. Source
  • Registration with the French consular register is free, valid 5 years and done online on service-public.fr. It is not compulsory but strongly recommended: it simplifies passports, ID cards and proxy votes, and lets the consulate reach you in an emergency. Source
  • School is compulsory from age 4 reached by 31 July. If you arrive mid-year, enrolment is open all year round: you call the head of the school nearest your home directly. Source
  • Week 1, in order: permit application with the OCPM for the whole family, choice of a health insurer for each person, personal liability insurance (compulsory for tenants), bank account, then school enrolment and the consular register. Source

Addresses

  • Consulat général de France à Genève

    Consulate

    Cours des Bastions 2, 1205 Genève

    The consulate of the largest French community abroad, covering the six French-speaking cantons. All procedures by appointment only, including passport and ID card collection; buses 3, 5 and 7 to Athénée, trams 12, 14 and 16 to Plainpalais or Place Neuve.

    Website Source

Go further

Finding a home

Housing is the real Geneva challenge: the market is very tight, flats go quickly and letting agencies choose on file. Many families start in a temporary furnished flat while they visit, or settle in neighbouring France.

Good to know

  • Most homes are let through a régie (managing letting agency). Prepare a full file: IDs, residence permit or OCPM certificate, employment contract and payslips, and often an extract from the debt enforcement register; with no Swiss history yet, a letter from your employer reassures the agency.
  • Geneva law caps the rental deposit at three months' rent for a home. It is paid into a blocked account in the tenant's name, at a bank of your choice, and can only be withdrawn with both landlord's and tenant's signatures. Source
  • Personal liability insurance is compulsory for tenants in Geneva: take it out before you get the keys, often together with household contents insurance. Source
  • Rooms are counted differently in Geneva: the kitchen counts as a room, so a Geneva '4 pièces' usually means two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. Check the actual number of bedrooms before visiting.
  • Choose the neighbourhood around the school: public school places depend on your address, and international or French private schools are spread across the canton. Rush-hour car journeys are long. Source
  • Living in neighbouring France makes you cross-border workers: gentler rents and classic French schools, but a specific status for health insurance (choice between LAMal and the French system) and tax. The Groupement transfrontalier européen helps with these steps. Source

Addresses

  • Eaux-Vives, Champel et Florissant

    Neighbourhood

    Left bank, in town: the École primaire française de Genève (Eaux-Vives), Ecolint's La Grande Boissière campus nearby, La Grange and Eaux-Vives parks, the Léman Express. Mostly flats, among the highest rents.

    Source

  • Chêne-Bougeries, Conches, Cologny et Vandœuvres

    Neighbourhood

    Green residential communes on the left bank, with houses and gardens, close to La Grande Boissière (Ecolint) and the Grangettes clinic. Very family-oriented and sought after, high budget.

    Source

  • Grand-Saconnex, Petit-Saconnex et Pregny-Chambésy

    Neighbourhood

    The international organisations district, near the airport and Ecolint's Campus des Nations. Handy for families of international Geneva, with a mix of blocks and villas.

    Source

  • Lancy et Onex

    Neighbourhood

    Communes on the western left bank, well served by tram and Léman Express, with Institut Florimont in Petit-Lancy. Somewhat more affordable than the eastern communes.

    Source

  • Versoix, Genthod et Bellevue

    Neighbourhood

    On the lake, on the right bank, a few minutes from Geneva by regional train. Collège du Léman is in Versoix; small-town feel, beaches and woods.

    Source

  • France voisine : Pays de Gex et Annemasse

    Neighbourhood

    Ferney-Voltaire, Saint-Genis-Pouilly or Divonne on the Ain side, Annemasse on the Haute-Savoie side, linked by the Léman Express. Bigger homes for the same budget and French schools, at the cost of cross-border status and border traffic jams.

    Source

Go further

Phone and insurance

You will soon be asked for a Swiss number, and the SIM activates in minutes. On insurance, Switzerland requires several that France does not.

Good to know

  • Health insurance is individual: one premium per person, children included, with reduced premiums for children. Basic benefits are identical from one insurer to another, only premiums differ: compare with the federal government's official calculator. Source
  • Personal liability insurance is compulsory for tenants and highly advisable for a family: it covers damage caused by the children at other people's homes. Household contents insurance is often sold with it. Source
  • Every household pays the radio and television licence fee, billed automatically by Serafe once you are registered with the OCPM, whether or not you own a TV. Source
  • Three major mobile operators share the market: Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt, with budget brands. A French plan is often expensive when roaming in Switzerland: get a Swiss SIM card in the first week, schools and letting agencies will ask for your number.
  • Your AVS number, the equivalent of a social security number, appears on your health insurance card: keep it with you, it is requested at the doctor's and the pharmacy. Source

Go further

Banking and money

A Swiss account is essential: rent, rental deposit, salary and insurance premiums all go through it, in francs. Your French account stays useful a stone's throw from the border.

Good to know

  • Opening a bank account is one of the five essential steps listed by the canton. Banks usually ask for ID, a Geneva address and the residence permit or proof of your application; PostFinance and the cantonal banks are the most used by newcomers. Source
  • Day to day, the debit card remains the most used payment method, ahead of cash, still widely accepted, then apps such as TWINT. TWINT, linked to your Swiss account, is also used to pay back friends or pay at the market. Source
  • Bills (health insurance, electricity, school) come with a QR-bill: you scan it in your banking app to pay, or switch on eBill to receive them directly in e-banking. Source
  • Switzerland is part of the SEPA area: a euro transfer from France reaches a Swiss account, but it is converted into francs, at a rate and with fees specific to each bank. Salary, rent and the rental deposit are paid in francs. Source
  • Shopping in France is common, but the VAT allowance when coming back, lowered in 2025, is 150 francs per person per day, children included: above it, Swiss VAT is due on the whole amount, to be declared for instance with the QuickZoll app. Source
  • Keep your French account, useful for taxes, insurance and holidays back home, but tell your bank you are moving to Switzerland: some adapt or close non-residents' accounts. If a bank refuses to open one, French citizens living abroad can apply for the right to an account through the Banque de France. Source

Addresses

Go further

Setting up your home

Geneva has its IKEA in Vernier, with a second store in Aubonne, on the road to Lausanne. Swiss supermarkets cover the basics, many families top up across the border in France, and second-hand is largely traded online.

Addresses

Getting around as a family

Trams, buses, lake shuttles and the Léman Express: in Geneva, many families live without a car or with just one. Children travel cheaply, or even for free.

Good to know

  • Children under 6 travel free on the tpg network when accompanied by someone holding a valid ticket. Source
  • From 6 to 16, the Junior card (with a parent) or the Accompanied Child card (with a nanny or grandparent) lets children travel freely for a small yearly fee, in Geneva and anywhere in Switzerland where the half-fare card is valid. Source
  • Under certain conditions, the State of Geneva fully covers the annual unireso pass for young people up to 24: you apply online on tpg.shop, with a SwissPass card. Source
  • Pushchairs travel free on trams and buses, space permitting. Board through the second door, fitted with a blue button that stops it closing automatically. Source
  • Your French driving licence must be exchanged for a Swiss one within 12 months of settling: after that, you may no longer drive in Switzerland. The exchange is done without appointment at the cantonal vehicle office in Carouge, with a certificate from an approved optician. Source
  • The Léman Express links Geneva with Annemasse, Haute-Savoie and the canton of Vaud: invaluable for families living in neighbouring France or along the lake towards Lausanne. Source

Go further

Admin and tax

Geneva runs largely online, through the State's e-démarches account. Open it on arrival: it is used for health insurance, school, vaccinations and tax.

Good to know

  • Foreign employees without a C permit are in principle taxed at source: tax is deducted directly from salary by the employer, on a scale that reflects family situation. Above a certain income, or on request, a full tax return is filed (subsequent ordinary assessment). Source
  • The e-démarches account (Mon EDM) lets you track your health insurance enrolment, send in your children's vaccination record and handle many cantonal procedures. Source
  • Family allowances are paid by your employer's compensation fund: the claim is usually made through the employer, as soon as you arrive. They replace French allowances.
  • The consulate issues passports and ID cards, keeps the register, runs French elections and handles school grant applications for accredited French schools. For 2026/2027, applications are closed. Source
  • The consulate does not pay medical costs and does not intervene in your Swiss procedures (permits, tax, lease). In a genuine, absolute emergency, an on-call phone line runs outside opening hours. Source
  • French driving licences, certificates and diplomas are recognised, but some documents must be translated or legalised depending on the procedure: the consulate publishes a list of French-speaking translators and lawyers. Source

Go further

Budget: what changes

Salaries are high, but almost everything costs more than in France. Three items make the difference for a family: housing, health insurance and childcare for the youngest.

Good to know

  • Rent is by far the biggest item: expect clearly more than Paris for the same floor space, hence many families' choice of neighbouring France.
  • Health insurance is a new item: a monthly premium per person, children included, plus a share of costs (deductible and co-payment). Lower-income families can get a cantonal subsidy. Source
  • Childcare is expensive and subsidised places are scarce: join the waiting list as soon as you have an address, and also look at registered childminders and drop-in play groups. Source
  • Good news: public school is free and in French, and most museums and art venues are free up to age 18. Source
  • Groceries and eating out often cost double: many families do part of their shopping in neighbouring France. As Swiss residents, you can claim VAT refunds on purchases in France above 100 euros in the same store. Source
  • Public transport stays reasonable for a family: free under 6, a cheap annual card from 6 to 16 and a pass covered by the State for young people, under conditions. Source

Go further

A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Geneva will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Consulat général de France à Genève
  2. 2 État de Genève, arriver dans le canton
  3. 3 État de Genève, annonce d'arrivée des ressortissants UE-AELE
  4. 4 État de Genève, affiliation obligatoire à l'assurance maladie
  5. 5 Loi genevoise protégeant les garanties fournies par les locataires
  6. 6 tpg, cartes Junior et Enfant accompagné
  7. 7 État de Genève, échanger son permis de conduire étranger
  8. 8 Banque nationale suisse, moyens de paiement 2025

Get updates to the Geneva guide

Verified addresses, official sources, school-year dates: we write when the Geneva guide changes, never more than once a week.

Other sections of the Geneva guide

Report a change

A place has closed, a number has changed, something is no longer right? Please tell us: we check and fix the Geneva guide.

What is going on?