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Settling in

Settling in Zurich

Zurich welcomes you well, as long as you respect the Swiss order of things: city registration within fourteen days, health insurance for everyone within three months, the consular register, then housing, banking and transport. Here is what we would have liked to know before arriving, checked against official sources.

Verified on 31 October 2026

Arrival and first steps

No visa for a French family: free movement applies, but everything starts with an appointment at the Personenmeldeamt within fourteen days of moving in. The consulate general, a stone's throw from the lake, remains your town hall.

Good to know

  • EU citizens need no visa but a residence permit, which also serves as a work permit and which the canton issues on presentation of the contract: a contract of a year or more gives a B permit valid five years and renewable, a shorter contract an L permit limited to its duration. Source
  • Family reunification covers the spouse and children under 21 or dependent, whatever their nationality, and they have access to the labour market; a person without gainful activity must show sufficient means and health and accident insurance. Source
  • You must register with the city's Personenmeldeamt within fourteen days of moving in, in person and by appointment, the whole family present: passports, lease, employment contract, original marriage and birth certificates (with an official translation if they are neither in a national language nor in English). A fee is charged per adult, plus the permit fees. Source
  • Slots are scarce: book the first available one even beyond the fourteen days and request a deadline extension through the contact form. You cannot register before actually living in Zurich, and a single parent with a minor brings the other parent's written consent. Source
  • Every family member must take out basic health insurance (LAMal) within three months of arrival, with cover and premiums backdated to the move-in date; after that, the canton assigns you an insurer and a premium surcharge applies. Source
  • Registration with the French consular register is free, valid five years and done online on service-public.fr: French ID, recent photo, proof of residence in Switzerland. It lets you vote from abroad and lets the consulate reach your relatives in an emergency. Source
  • Week 1, in order: Personenmeldeamt appointment, health insurance for everyone, bank account, enrolment of the children at the Schulkreis public school or confirmation at the French lycée, then the consular register.

Addresses

  • Consulat général de France à Zurich

    Consulate

    Signaustrasse 1, 8008 Zurich

    In the Seefeld district, tram 4 or bus 31 to the Signaustrasse stop. By appointment only, Monday to Thursday 8:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, Friday until 15:30; one adult accompanies a minor. Covers all of German-speaking Switzerland, Ticino and Liechtenstein.

    Website Source

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Housing: neighbourhoods and renting

French-speaking families spread between the east of the city, towards the French lycée in Dübendorf, and the lakeside towns near the international schools. The market is tight, your file matters as much as your budget, and the Swiss lease has its own rules.

Good to know

  • The market is saturated and viewings move fast: have your ID, references from previous landlords, payslips, a recommendation letter if possible and a civil liability insurance certificate ready, often required before the keys are handed over. A very low price is a scam. Source
  • For families, lepetitjournal.com names Kreis 7, green and near the zoo, Kreis 11 (Oerlikon), the most populous, with its new developments and the MFO-Park, and Kreis 12 (Schwamendingen), with many gardens and schools; the most affordable areas are Albisrieden, Altstetten, Oerlikon and Affoltern. Source
  • The deposit cannot exceed three months' rent for a home and must be placed on a blocked account in your name, which the landlord cannot touch without your consent; a year after you leave, the bank returns it even without their signature if no proceedings have been started. Source
  • The legal notice period is at least three months, for the dates set by the lease or local custom, most often end of March, end of June and end of September, and the letter goes by registered mail. To leave outside those dates, you must present a solvent and acceptable replacement tenant. Source
  • The Lycée français international de Zurich is in Dübendorf, east of the city, with morning and evening shuttles for nursery and primary pupils: many families choose the eastern districts (Kreis 7, 8 and 12) or the neighbouring towns. Source
  • The big international schools are by the lake: Zurich International School in Wädenswil and Adliswil, the Inter-Community School in Zumikon. Families who choose them look at the left shore (Kilchberg, Adliswil) or the right shore (Zollikon, Küsnacht, Zumikon). Source

Addresses

  • Seefeld et Riesbach (Kreis 8)

    Neighbourhood

    The district of the consulate and the Opera, between the lake and the Zürichberg: lake baths, Zürichhorn park, tram 4 and Stadelhofen station. In high demand, among the highest rents.

    Source

  • Hottingen, Hirslanden et Witikon (Kreis 7)

    Neighbourhood

    The green hill above the lake, with the zoo, the Alliance française in Hottingen and the Hirslanden clinic; from Witikon, the French lycée in Dübendorf is close by. Quiet and family-friendly.

    Source

  • Dübendorf et Stettbach

    Neighbourhood

    The town of the French lycée, linked to the centre by S-Bahn from Stettbach; families settle there to skip the shuttles and enjoy bigger homes.

    Source

  • Oerlikon et Seebach (Kreis 11)

    Neighbourhood

    The north in full renewal: new buildings, MFO-Park, Allenmoos pool, direct trains to the centre and the airport. More space for the same budget.

    Source

  • Schwamendingen (Kreis 12)

    Neighbourhood

    Gardens, schools and gentler rents, next to Stettbach station and the French lycée; a very international district.

    Source

  • Enge et Wollishofen (Kreis 2)

    Neighbourhood

    The left shore of the lake, from the Rieterpark to the Landiwiese: Seebad Enge, Mythenquai beach, Enge station towards Adliswil and ZIS. Residential and well connected.

    Source

  • Communes du lac : Zollikon, Küsnacht, Zumikon, Kilchberg

    Neighbourhood

    The Goldküste and left-shore villages where many international families live: ICS in Zumikon, ZIS in Adliswil, Zollikerberg hospital, direct S-Bahn to the centre. Houses and gardens, high prices.

    Source

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Phone and insurance

The SIM activates in minutes with ID. On insurance, two are compulsory for everyone: health and, if you drive, the vehicle; civil liability is not, but the landlord asks for it.

Good to know

  • A SIM card or eSIM activates in minutes with ID; contract plans require a Swiss address and sometimes the residence permit. France is an hour away: check your plan's roaming before trips back and forth.
  • Basic health insurance is compulsory and every insurer offers exactly the same benefits, without being able to refuse you; alternative models (family doctor, telemedicine, reference pharmacy) cost less but require a first point of contact before a specialist. Source
  • Compare premiums on the FOPH's official calculator: for the same benefits, they vary a lot between insurers, and every family member has their own policy, children included. Source
  • Private civil liability insurance is not compulsory, but almost all landlords require it before handing over the keys; household contents insurance (Hausrat) remains optional, and most families take both together. Source
  • The radio and television licence fee is due by every household, with or without a device: Serafe invoices it automatically from the data sent by the city, normally once a year, and can claim it retroactively. Source
  • For the car, the annual vignette is compulsory on Swiss motorways, as a sticker or electronically; vehicle civil liability insurance is compulsory to drive. Source

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Banking and money

The Swiss account opens quickly once you have registered with the city: salary, rent, rental deposit and insurance premiums all go through it, in francs.

Good to know

  • To open a personal account, you must be of age and resident in Switzerland: your identity is checked in a branch or online by video chat, and some banks open the account in minutes from their website. Keep your residence permit or the city registration confirmation at hand. 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

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Setting up your home

Zurich has two IKEA stores on the edge of the city, in Dietlikon and Spreitenbach. Swiss supermarkets cover the basics, the large shopping centres are a few tram or S-Bahn stops away, and second-hand is traded online or in charity flea shops.

Addresses

Getting around with children

Trams, buses, S-Bahn and even the lake boats: everything runs on a single zone-based ZVV ticket, little ones travel free and older children almost. A car is rarely useful in town, and the French licence must be exchanged within the year.

Good to know

  • Children travel free and without a ticket until the day before their 6th birthday; from 6 to 15, they pay the reduced fare. Keep the child's ID for age checks. Source
  • The inexpensive annual Junior card lets a child aged 6 to 15 travel free with a parent holding a valid ticket, across the ZVV and most Swiss networks; it is free from the third child. The Children's Co-Travelcard does the same for grandparents or a nanny. Source
  • ZVV tickets and travelcards are valid on the regular lake and Limmat boats: a mini-cruise from Bürkliplatz is paid with your usual zones, Junior card included. Source
  • Pushchair: modern low-floor trams and buses, lifts and ramps in S-Bahn stations, marked low-floor carriages on trains; at peak times, aim for the middle of the train and fold it if it is packed.
  • Your French licence must be exchanged for a Swiss one within twelve months of arrival, after which you may no longer drive in Switzerland until the exchange is done: form, original licence, residence permit, photo and eye test (valid two years), identity checked at the city counter or the Albisgüetli road traffic office; if no test drive is required, the Swiss licence arrives by post within ten to fourteen working days. Source
  • In town, a car is expensive and hard to park: most families do without, or keep just one for mountain weekends. On motorways, the annual vignette is compulsory. Source
  • For trips, the SBB Junior card follows the same logic nationwide: a child aged 6 to 15 travels free with a parent on trains, boats and PostBuses. Source

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Admin: AVS, taxes and the consulate

No French-style social security: health goes through compulsory insurance, retirement through AVS deducted from salary, and income tax is withheld at source as long as you do not hold a C permit. The consulate remains your town hall and prefecture.

Good to know

  • AVS, the compulsory first pillar of retirement, is deducted from salary together with occupational pension contributions; your AVS number, assigned on arrival through the employer and its compensation fund, follows you for life and appears on everyone's health insurance card. Source
  • As long as you do not hold a C permit, income tax is withheld at source by the employer and paid to the canton before the salary is even paid out; the rate depends on marital status, number of children and income, and varies from canton to canton. Source
  • A subsequent ordinary assessment (full tax return, with deductions) can be requested until 31 March of the following year from the cantonal tax office; it becomes compulsory above a certain income, so ask from the first year. Source
  • Family allowances (child allowance, then education allowance) are paid through the employer under federal law, with amounts set by the cantons; the self-employed contribute too. Source
  • What the consulate does: passports and ID cards by appointment, legalisations and certified copies, nationality, military registration of young French citizens, consular electoral roll, means-tested school grants for accredited schools, protection and assistance in case of arrest or death. Source
  • What it does not do: Swiss residence permits (that is the canton), legal advice (it publishes a list of French-speaking lawyers and translators, with no doctors), and it does not cover your health or repatriation costs. Source
  • The France Consulaire service answers general questions from the French in Switzerland by phone, Monday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00, excluding visas. Source

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Budget: what costs more, what costs less

Zurich ranks among the most expensive cities in the world, and a family budget feels it on three lines: housing, health insurance paid per head and childcare for little ones. On the other side, free public school, children's transport and nature on the doorstep lighten the bill. No precise figures, but here are the orders of magnitude.

Good to know

  • Housing: markedly more expensive than in France, especially by the lake and in the eastern districts; the market is saturated, and a big flat or a house in a sought-after area costs a great deal. The northern and western districts are more affordable. Source
  • Health: no salary contribution, but a monthly premium per person, children included, paid by you; premiums vary a lot between insurers, and a higher deductible or a family-doctor model lowers the bill. Source
  • Childcare for little ones: nurseries (Kita) and childminders are expensive at full price, but the city subsidises part of the places according to parents' income and assets, for residents who work, study or are job-seeking; the subsidised share is far below the full price. Source
  • School: public school is free, the all-day school (Tagesschule) serves a modestly priced lunch with a reduction for families in difficulty, and morning and afternoon care until 16:00 is free. The French lycée and the international schools charge fees, see our school fees page. Source
  • Transport: free up to age 6, then the Junior card for a few dozen francs a year; a car-free family saves insurance, parking and vignette, and the train goes everywhere. Source
  • Culture and leisure: the National Museum is free for under-16s, the university's natural history museum and the Langenberg wildlife park for everyone, river baths and hikes cost nothing; on the other hand, restaurants, cafés and groceries are dearer than in France, and many families do their big shop across the German border. Source

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A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Zurich 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 Zurich
  2. 2 Secrétariat d'État aux migrations, libre circulation des personnes (FAQ)
  3. 3 Ville de Zurich, s'annoncer en arrivant de l'étranger
  4. 4 OFSP, obligation de s'assurer
  5. 5 Association suisse des locataires, le dépôt de garantie
  6. 6 ZVV, réductions pour les familles
  7. 7 Canton de Zurich, échange du permis de conduire étranger
  8. 8 Banque nationale suisse, moyens de paiement 2025

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