Hi All,
I would like to introduce myself as I am new to the forum. I will be coming to live and work in Switzerland at the turn of the year for the company that I work for now. As a UK citizen it is to my understanding that the residence permit should not be too hard to obtain. My question is:

Do I have to wait for the permit to come through before I can purchase an annual travel pass? I really do not want to pay tourist prices as I will be staying in Bern (I have a family friend there) and working in Bienne/Biel so I will need a travel pass of some kind.

Thanks,
BDNDALLAS

Passport is fine for a half price card

I think it's possible if you give your friend's address - the only problem is that you won't be officially registered at that address, but I had no problem getting my father's halbtax card sent to my address, which was handy as he did 2 visits that year and it saved him money both times...

It's very easy to have your questions answered at the travel information office at the larger train stations...I can recommend it - the one at Zurich airport and inside the Zurich main train station have been consistently helpful to us over the past 2 years with various guests we have hosted...

You don't have to wait for the full permit for the travel card - when you register here they give you paper straight away that you can open bank accounts and get travel cards. I am from the UK as well and got my travel pass two months ago and I have only received my permit today. The main thing about the actual permit is that it makes it so you can apply for credit.

to Switzerland and to the EF!

There is no residency requirement for a half price card ... I live in the States and have one. All they need is a passport plus photos, and they will issue you a temporary card on the spot.

They need a place to send you the permanent card once it is printed. I ask them to send it to a convenient (for me) railway station. They can also mail it your your home address is you have one.

When I first came to Basel, the guy from welcome services (supplied by my employer), arranged for me to pick up a yearly TNW tram card, based on the paperwork that I later took to the Gemeinde offices to get my Ausweiss.

But that was back when even EU citizens were tied to a Canton.

Thank you all for the info, I am happy not to have to pay tourist rates:-)