Moving always costs money. But there are also ways to save:
Moving boxes play an important role when moving home. Because you transport your belongings from your old home to your new four walls in them. To ensure that your belongings arrive at their new destination undamaged, you should pay attention to the following properties when choosing a box:
Tips for a "sustainable" move: You don't necessarily have to buy new moving boxes. Plastic rental boxes offer an environmentally friendly alternative to the ordinary cardboard box. You can rent such boxes for your move and then return them afterward. Used cardboard boxes that are in good condition can be used again. So keep an eye out among friends and acquaintances for used moving boxes, before buying new ones.
There is no general answer to this question. This is because the premium amount for household contents insurance and personal liability insurance depends on various factors.
For example:
Use our premium calculator to calculate the premium for your individual living situation.
A discount is available in the following cases:
If you move home, you must report your new address to the following institutions and companies:
To ensure no one is forgotten, it's best to read our change of address checklist.
If your friends damage something while helping you to move, their liability will be limited as they were acting out of courtesy by helping you. In this case your friends' liability insurance will likely only cover a portion of the damages. If you make use of a removal company, you should look at their general terms and conditions (GT&Cs) before entering into an agreement. Take a look at the amount for which the removal company is liable, because they may limit their liability. Find out whether there are certain damages they cannot be held liable for. In any case, it is worth taking out special transport insurance.
You could combine your household contents and personal liability insurance and save money. The Relax Assistance travel insurance can also be shared so that you benefit from a lower premium.
Moving home can quickly become stressful. To ensure that everything runs smoothly and nothing important is forgotten, you can download a practical moving checklist as a PDF here.
For more tips on planning your move and information on which insurance will pay in the event of a claim, see our advice article
Moving boxes play an important role when moving home. Because you transport your belongings from your old home to your new four walls in such boxes. To ensure that your belongings arrive at their new destination undamaged, you should pay attention to the following properties when choosing a box:
Tips for a "sustainable" move: You don't always have to buy new moving boxes. Plastic rental boxes offer an environmentally friendly alternative to the ordinary cardboard box. You can rent such boxes for your move and then return them afterwards. You can also reuse old boxes that are in good condition. So keep an eye out among friends and acquaintances for used moving boxes before buying new ones.
At a minimum, you should take out household contents insurance and personal liability insurance. During your move, take the opportunity to check the sum insured for your household contents insurance. Does the sum insured still correspond to the value of your household contents? Always insure the replacement value. The replacement value is the value that you would have to pay today to purchase a specific replacement item brand new.
For example: you own a designer sofa for which you paid CHF 3,000 five years ago. Today you would have to pay CHF 5,000 to replace the sofa. You should increase your sum insured accordingly.
If you own any particularly valuable items, it is worth taking out insurance of valuables. This could be, for example, jewelry, camera equipment or expensive musical instruments.
It is possible, as a shared apartment, to take out joint personal liability cover and household contents insurance. However, this is inadvisable for two reasons:
We therefore recommend that each roommate takes out their own personal liability and household contents insurance.
Good to know: damages caused by roommates to one another are usually not covered by personal liability insurance.
The sum insured corresponds to the total value of your home contents. But can anybody tell you the value you of their home contents at the drop of a hat? This is why you shouldn't just blindly rely on the standard values given by the online calculator. Because the tool doesn't know that you have a valuable mountain bike, 2,000 books or an expensive sound system.
But be careful. If you set the sum too low, you run the risk that the insurance will only cover part of the damage if worst comes to worst. If you are unsure, we recommend that you go through the apartment with a notepad and compile all the values or use our inventory data sheet to determine the sum insured.
Governmental, occupational and private retirement schemes are regulated differently:
Governmental retirement provision
If you leave Switzerland, you will not receive any benefits from the old-age and survivors' insurance (OASI). As an employee, you have automatically paid into the OASI scheme with your salary. This is not a personally saved retirement capital, however. Nevertheless, if you have paid OASI contributions for one year, then you are entitled to a pension when you retire. It does not matter whether you live in Switzerland or abroad at that time.
Occupational retirement provision
Any credit balance from an occupational retirement provision scheme belongs to you, and is part of your personally saved retirement capital. This means: You will receive this money when you leave Switzerland. However, a distinction is made between the mandatory and the super-mandatory part, and also whether or not you move to an EU or EFTA country.
Moving to an EU or EFTA country
Moving to a non-EU or non-EFTA country
Personal retirement provision
Your funds in the 3rd pillar will be paid out to you when you leave Switzerland. It does not matter which country you move to. Note that you have to pay withholding tax on the credit balance that is paid out.
No, you should always adapt your household insurance to the new living conditions. Household insurance refers to household contents and personal liability insurance.
The personal liability insurance and the household contents insurance remain in force for the policyholder. The persons who no longer live with the policyholder must seek new insurance coverage.
If no other persons, such as children, are involved, we recommend converting from family to individual personal liability insurance. As for the household contents insurance, the policyholder can probably reduce the sum insured.
To check your insurance coverage, it is best to contact your Customer Consultant.
Depending on the condition of your belongings, you can either give them away, sell them or dispose of them.
Give away / donate
To sell
Don't need your TV anymore? Would you also like to get rid of the bookshelf and the ironing board for a fee? Then place a classified ad in an online portal or in social networks. Depending on the price, you can get rid of your goods quickly. Also state in the advertisement whether you will be sending the goods or whether the buyer will have to collect the goods from you.
Tip: Add meaningful pictures to your advertisements and describe the items as precisely as possible – including defects.
Dispose
Good to know: Old electronic devices can be handed in at any point of sale free of charge.
Around the moving date, preferably before the move. Check the insurance coverage and the sums insured. This way you can be sure that everything is appropriate to the new situation. Report to your insurance company no later than 30 days after the move.
Household insurance is not compulsory. However, we recommend that you take one out. This usually includes household contents and personal liability insurance. Personal liability insurance is often required by landlords in order to rent a flat.
Even in a retirement home, you will have your own household effects, and maybe even valuables. We therefore recommend that you keep your household contents insurance and adapt the policy to the new situation. When you move into a retirement home, you will most likely reduce your household effects. You can therefore also reduce the sum insured of your household contents insurance accordingly. This way you will pay less in premiums.
We also recommend that you keep your personal liability insurance. Because things can go wrong, even in a retirement home. For example, you are liable if you damage something belonging to a fellow resident.
In principle, we recommend checking the scope of coverage of all your insurances. It may be that certain additional insurances are no longer necessary. For example, travel insurance or insurance for damage to motor vehicles used.
Moving home can quickly become stressful. To ensure that everything runs smoothly and nothing important is forgotten, you can download a practical moving checklist as a PDF here.
For more tips on planning your move and information on which insurance will pay in the event of a claim, see our advice article
In this case, we distinguish between whether the policyholder or the coinsured person dies.
You do not have to actively cancel household contents and personal liability insurance. The household contents insurance is automatically transferred to the heirs upon the death of the policyholder. They can reject the transfer of the policy, whereupon the insurance will expire. The policyholder's personal liability insurance expires when he or she dies.
To import your household goods, pets and/or car duty-free into Switzerland, you will need certain documents. You should therefore do the following things before moving:
There are, however, goods that you have to pay duty on. These include alcoholic beverages or weapons. You must note such items on your inventory list as well. It's best to create a "Goods to be cleared" section for this purpose.
You do not have to register your move in advance to a customs office. However, if you send your documents to the appropriate customs office two days before the move, things will go more quickly on moving day.
No, not for the most part. You can import most of your belongings as well as your pets and car duty free. To do this, you must enter the country during the opening hours of a customs office for commercial goods and meet the following requirements:
Good to know: Students do not have to meet these requirements. They can import their furniture, personal belongings and educational materials even if they do not move their place of residence to Switzerland.
You can find further information on the following pages:
Do you come from an EU/EFTA country and will you be working in Switzerland for longer than three months? Then register with your residential community no later than 14 days after your arrival in Switzerland, where you can apply for a residence permit. To do this, you will need a valid identity card or passport and your employment contract. You will be issued a residence permit based on the duration of the employment relationship:
For further information, please visit the website of the State Secretariat for Migration SEM.
In Switzerland, motor vehicle liability insurance (car insurance), health insurance and accident insurance are mandatory.
Tip: It pays to compare: Both with car and health insurance. The best way to find the right car insurance is to use our free insurance comparison.
We strongly recommend that you take out the following types of insurance:
With Zurich, you can take out personal liability insurance and contents insurance together as household insurance. Find out more in our guide article "Household insurance – comprehensively protected at home".
We also recommend taking out a Disability Insurance. Because anyone can become ill. In Switzerland, living costs are relatively high. Could you get by on just 60 percent of your current salary if you were ill?
What's more, the following types of insurance may also be worthwhile for you:
Swiss social insurances include the following types of insurance:
You are responsible for your own health insurance. You must be covered by a basic health insurance policy no later than three months after you move to Switzerland. The benefits provided in the basic insurance are the same everywhere. However, costs may vary from health insurance company to health insurance company. It's therefore worth comparing premiums.
You must include accident insurance in your health insurance if you work less than eight hours a week for the same employer. If you work more than eight hours a week for the same employer, they will pay your accident insurance.
Contributions to unemployment insurance (ALV) and retirement provision (AHV) are paid equally by you and your employer. The ALV and AHV contributions are deducted directly from your salary. Contributions to family allowances are paid exclusively by your employer.
The Swiss retirement provision system is based on three pillars:
The aim of the Swiss retirement provision system is to provide the country's population with a reliable income for all life situations. For example, after retirement, in the event of the death of a partner or in the event of permanent disability due to illness or accident.
The 1st pillar is about ensuring subsistence. This pension is intended to cover the minimum necessary living requirements. The 1st pillar consists of old-age and survivors' insurance (OASI), disability insurance (DI) and the income compensation scheme (EO).
The 2nd pillar ensures your accustomed standard of living. For occupational retirement provision, employees and employers pay at least the same amount into a pension fund. The employer can also volunteer to pay more.
The assets in the 3rd pillar serve to close any pension gaps from the 1st and 2nd pillars. It also allows you to retire earlier or fulfill dreams and wishes after retirement.
Find out more at vita.ch
Yes, you can. In fact we recommend it, because it is becoming increasingly important to make private retirement provision. What's more, you can even save tax with a retirement savings account pillar 3a. You simply deduct the amount paid in from your taxable income when you file your tax return.
The amount you can pay in to the 3rd pillar depends on whether you are a member of a pension fund. If you are a member of a pension fund, you can pay in a maximum of CHF 6,883 in 2022.
You are a member of a pension fund through your employer if you earn more than CHF 21,510 per year.
In Switzerland, we have a different pension system to that of your old country. You should therefore review your existing contracts and policies for personal retirement provision. It's quite possible that your current policy regulates pension benefits differently, for example in the event of disability. What's more, you cannot deduct foreign pension fund payments from taxable income.
In Switzerland, you can save tax annually with a Pillar 3a account. You simply deduct the amount paid-in from your taxable income when you file your tax return. In 2022 you can pay a maximum of CHF 6883 into the pillar 3a account.
It's best to discuss your personal situation with a retirement provision expert. We analyze your personal situation and show you the various options available to you. Make an appointment for this.
You will receive money from the 1st pillar, governmental retirement provision, when you retire. Until then, the contributions remain in Switzerland. The requirement for a pension is that you have paid into the 1st pillar for at least one year.
Money in the 2nd pillar, occupational retirement provision, is personally-saved retirement assets. You will receive this money when you leave Switzerland. However, a distinction is made between the mandatory and super-mandatory part. If you move to an EU or EFTA country, only the super-mandatory part of the occupational retirement provision will be paid out to you. The mandatory credit is transferred to a [vested benefits account (https://www.zurich.ch/en/private-customers/retirement-provision-assets/assets-investments/vested-benefit-solution-funds). You will then receive the amount on the vested benefits account upon retirement. However, if you emigrate to a country that is outside the EU and EFTA countries, then you will receive the entire credit balance from the pension fund.
The biggest differences between a pillar 3a solution from a bank or an insurance company relate to the risk protection for you and your family, your savings goal and the period of insurance.
Risk protection for families and savings goal
With an insurance company, you take out an insurance contract under pillar 3a. This includes insurance coverage in the event of disability and/or death. This means that if you become disabled, your insurance will pay the annual amount due into pillar 3a for you. You will therefore continue to save for retirement, even if you can no longer work. Depending on the retirement provision solution you choose, you will also be paid a disability pension until retirement. In any case, you will meet your defined savings target. In the event of death, a lump-sum death benefit will be paid to your surviving dependents. This means that your loved ones will at least be protected from the financial consequences of this misfortune. You pay for this insurance coverage with a portion of your premium.
When you open your pillar 3a with a bank, the main focus is on the savings process. You and/or your family will not be protected against the financial consequences of disability or death. If you can no longer pursue your work, you will no longer be permitted to pay into pillar 3a. In this case, you will not reach your defined savings goal.
Period of insurance
Insurance contracts under pillar 3a always have a fixed period of insurance. This usually extends until the normal retirement age. You undertake to pay a certain amount into the pillar 3a policy on a regular basis.
After the third insurance year, however, you have the option of pausing payments for up to three years. Insurance coverage does not expire in this case. This means that you will continue to be fully insured if, for example, you go on parental leave or spend time abroad. The only consequence is that your savings target will be reduced by the amount of the paused payments.