Hi,
I am scheduled to start work in Switzerland at the end of July. I received acceptance letters, applied for visa. I'll register with the residents office and this office will issue the work permit. That is fine up to this point. What I really need to know is:

1. I realize that the time required to issue the permit will change depending on the canton. I am getting news of widely ranging periods: 1 week, 3 months, 7 months... Can someone at least pass on their experiences about this matter in canton Vaud, Lausanne specifically?
2. Will the office provide a temporary permit as someone informed me?
3. Will I be able to function with a temporary permit? Buy a car, rent a flat, open an account, etc?

Many thanks

Ok, as soon as you sign in at the Gemeinde and apply for the permit, you can start work. The permit can take various different amounts of time to arrive but you can work no problem while this is happening.

When I first arrived I used my work contract to open my bank account. I wasn't asked for anything for my appartment.

You have a year to change your driving licence, you will have your permit by then.......... I hope.

You can prob get some sort of application reciept from the Gemeinde if you need proof of permit for anything.

Hi There,
When I moved to CH 5 years ago I also had to wait for the permit. Fortunately it arrived 1 week before I was scheduled to start in my new job. Now, being from an EU country, the things are somewhat easyer for me.
As to your questions:
-- Temporary permits in CH are the L (one year) and the B (five years). you don't mention which one you applied for. Then there is the C permit which is sort of permanent residence permit (this one is not possible to get as a first).
-- B permits are similar to the US <<green card>>. There is a limited number awarded each year, and a few years back in the midle of the IT boom it was problematic to get one. 5 years ago the new quota of B permits was allocated sometime in may/june
-- If you start with a company, then the company will tend to provide support for relocation and in this case finding accomodation, opening bank account etc will not be a problem. If you start with EPFL then you shoud ask the department to help.

Good luck --I.

Since this is my first time in Switzerland, I signed a 6-month contract with the company as a test period. Therefore I assume that I'll be applying for a L-permit.
Will it be possible to buy a car in this transition period?

That is not entirely correct.