General information

• ch.ch Official

  The Swiss authorities' joint information portal, available in English: work, residence, taxes, family, documents. The best starting point, and the quickest way to find the competent cantonal authority.

• arbeit.swiss Official

  The public employment service: registering as unemployed, benefit entitlements, training measures and forms.

• stelle.admin.ch Official

  Jobs within the Swiss federal administration.

• EURES EU

  The European job mobility network: working conditions, recognition of qualifications and your rights when moving between Switzerland and the EU/EFTA.

Permits and residence

• State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) Official

  The authority for residence and work permits: procedures for EU/EFTA and third-country nationals, family reunification, naturalisation. Also covers the notification procedure for short assignments of up to 90 days.

• ch.ch — foreign nationals and residence Official

  Plain-English explanations of registering with your municipality, permit categories and what you must do on arrival, with links to the cantonal migration offices.

Employment law and checking a company

• SECO — State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Official

  Working conditions, hours of work and rest, health protection, collective and standard employment contracts, plus downloadable guides to Swiss employment law.

• Fedlex Official

  The federal law collection. Employment contracts are governed by the Code of Obligations (art. 319 onwards) — useful for reading the exact wording on probation, notice, holiday and references. English translations are published for the main acts, but they are not legally binding.

• Register of licensed agencies (SECO) Official

  The list of companies holding a licence for employment placement and staff leasing. Use it to check whether an agency that contacted you is actually licensed.

• Zefix — commercial register Official

  The federal register of companies. Confirms that an employer legally exists, when it was founded, who is authorised to sign for it and where it is domiciled. Two minutes here rules out a whole category of fake offers.

Salaries and taxes

• Salarium — statistical salary calculator Official

  A tool from the Federal Statistical Office: it returns the median gross monthly salary by industry, region, role, age and education. The most solid reference for judging whether an offer is in line with the market.

• Federal tax calculator Official

  The tax administration's own calculator: enter income, marital status and municipality and get the actual federal, cantonal and communal tax. The honest way to compare two offers in two different cantons.

• Federal Statistical Office Official

  Wage and employment statistics by region and economic sector.

• Federal Tax Administration Official

  Federal taxes and information on withholding tax at source.

• Comparis Commercial

  A commercial comparison site, handy for quick estimates of health insurance premiums and living costs. Treat the figures as indicative and use the official sources for decisions.

Social insurance and health

• AHV / IV — official information Official

  The first pillar: contributions, benefits, your individual account, and what happens when you arrive in or leave Switzerland. Leaflets are downloadable in several languages.

• Federal Social Insurance Office Official

  Overview of the three-pillar system, occupational pensions, family allowances and coordination with other countries — the place to start if you are wondering what happens to your pension when you move on.

• Federal Office of Public Health Official

  The authority on compulsory health insurance: who must insure themselves and by when, what basic cover includes, how deductibles work, and the premium reductions available to lower incomes in every canton.

• Priminfo Official

  The official comparison of health insurance premiums by municipality, age and model. Basic benefits are identical by law — only the price changes.

• Suva Official

  Occupational and non-occupational accident insurance, workplace safety, and what to do if you have an accident.

Diplomas and career guidance

• SERI — recognition of foreign qualifications Official

  The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation: recognition procedures for regulated professions, the list of those professions, and the authority responsible for each one.

• swissuniversities Official

  The place to go for academic recognition — establishing that a foreign university degree is equivalent to a Swiss one. A different procedure from SERI's, and the one you need when the profession itself is unregulated but an employer or university wants the degree assessed.

• berufsberatung.ch Official

  The Swiss career guidance portal: hundreds of occupations described with their entry requirements and prospects, continuing education paths, application advice, and the addresses of the cantonal guidance centres, where counselling is often free. Also at orientation.ch in French and orientamento.ch in Italian.

Trade unions and advice

• Unia Trade union

  Switzerland's largest trade union: information on collective agreements, a salary calculator, legal advice and support if you are dismissed or end up in a dispute with your employer.

• Syna Trade union

  Interprofessional union present in every region, with advisory services for members.

• Travail.Suisse Umbrella body

  Umbrella organisation for employees, with guides on work-life balance, continuing education and working conditions.

• Swiss Federation of Trade Unions Umbrella body

  The largest umbrella organisation, and the source of much of the published analysis on Swiss wages, minimum pay campaigns and collective agreement coverage.

Working for yourself

• EasyGov.swiss Official

  The federal one-stop online desk for businesses: registering a sole proprietorship or a company, VAT, accident insurance and social insurance registrations, all in one account.

• SME Portal (SECO) Official

  Practical guidance for small businesses and the self-employed: choosing a legal form, obligations, insurance, and what the authorities expect from you in year one.