Hi everyone,

I'm moving cantons (from Aargau to Zurich) and I've an B permit (valid until 2025). Apparently, this has to be done all online now (on eUmzugCH). I started the process and once I was done I was asked to pay CHF 60 and the payment was only possible with a credit card. I'd like to ask if someone knows why I've to pay for moving and also such a high sum, especially considering that I paid the same amount for my still valid permit. I have seen that there are some older similar posts about this but they are quite a bit old and I wanted to get some info from people who have done this recently and might have had a similar experience?

Thank you!

You pay because you're getting a new permit, simple as that. Any change to your permit like moving will cost you. They don't issue stuff for free much here in Switzerland.

Even when we moved half a kilometre from our old house to our new one in the same commune/gemeinde we paid that iirc because new permits had to be issued with the new address.

Oh dear - wait until you see the change in your health insurance premium

Hi, I just did this process 2 weeks ago.
If there's anything I've learned about Switzerland (and I've only been here 10 weeks) it's that you pay FOR EVERYTHING I feel like the quicker you accept that fact, the sooner you'll settle in

However, the charge is likely to be canton-specific. I moved within Basel-Stadt (so I stayed in the same canton) and I didn't have to pay anything online. I just registered my new details, and the Gemeinde sent me an invoice for 30 francs a week later.

Good luck adjusting to an expensive life

In the good old days my employer always paid these fees. You could ask?


And I wouldn’t think about becoming Swiss, they will 5 and 10 centime you to death.

CHF 60 is cheap.

Tom

and a higher salary is no compensation at all?

Serious question, are/were you an UK citizen and, if yes, would you like to discuss the merits/downsides of UK vs. CH civil governance? To keep it short: is there an equivalent fee for communal registration in the UK? My take on recent debate about how EU nationals have to go about confirming their residential rights would indicate they have to present utility bills or similar for “history”. Please correct me if necessary…

I am not, nor I have ever been United Kindomish. I am now Swiss and my comment related to the multitude of costs incurred while becoming Swiss. f20 here, and f45 there and a cantonal fee and a Confederation charge and the commune, of course wanted something too.

If the OP was unhappy with a f60 charge for moving, they would go crazy with the costs becoming Swiss.

Hi everybody,

Many thanks for all your replies!

I'm well aware that you pay for everything here (I wouldn't be surprised if one day we also have to pay for the oxygen) but it's just a bit silly in my opinion that I've to pay twice for a work permit and I also don't earn much (I work as an office clerk and earn 45k a year), but if there's no way around it, then I'll have to pay (but I still can be pissed about it ). Another thing that bothered me was that you can only pay by credit card on the eUmzugCH website and I don't have one (don't want one either). They don't even have a PayPal or bank transfer option.

By the way, the "raise" for the health insurance wasn't too bad, so that was okay.


In the UK it's fairly simple if you rent and move places you only have to update the authorities of your new address (like the council, HMRC, NHS, etc.) but there's no charge, even if you move from London to Scotland. At least, I didn't have to pay the one time I moved between towns there. What might go higher or lower are the council taxes. It's all a bit more complicated if you own a property but if you rent it's easy peasy. If you want to know more how it works/it's done, just feel free to message me .

As a side note, I've to say that it was way easier for me to move countries than moving cantons here and I don't want to have to move again, like ever!

Yes, of course it is - I was highlighting that there's a cost for everything here. I didn't say it wasn't worth it


Understandable, but now that you've done it once, maybe it will be easier next time. There are lots of adjustments and things to learn in a new country. Good luck with settling in to your new home

That applies everywhere, the question is who pays and under what nomer. Something that may be free to OP/anyone is different from it being entirely cost-free. Not even (relatively) clean air is free of costs.