Relocating an employee to Switzerland runs in eight steps, from the permit route to the driving licence. For a non-EU/EFTA hire the employer files under a yearly quota (8,500 permits for 2026). To find the agency, post one anonymous brief and compare up to four offers, free for employers.
Your new hire starts in eight weeks and has nowhere to live. What does HR need to sort? ReloFinder's checklist has eight steps, each with the official figure or a typical price behind it.
First, check the permit route. EU and EFTA citizens follow different rules from everyone else. For a hire from outside the EU and EFTA, the employer files the application, under a yearly quota: 8,500 permits for 2026.
Second, set a budget per employee. Few agencies publish prices. A home search typically costs around CHF 2,500 to 5,000, and a full-service package around CHF 6,000. Ask each agency for a price per employee, for the same scope.
Then start the home search as early as you can: only 0.93% of homes in Switzerland stood empty in June. Decide whether the company advances the deposit, up to three months' rent. The employee registers with the commune within 14 days, and takes out basic health insurance within three months; taken out in time, the cover starts on the day they took up residence.
Settle the school before the lease, because the address decides the public school. And a foreign driving licence is valid for 12 months after the move; then it has to be exchanged.
To find the agency, post one anonymous brief. Partner agencies that cover your cantons and have capacity reply with their terms and a named lead consultant: up to four offers, side by side. Your company stays hidden until you choose to connect, and only that agency learns who you are.
You do not have to replace your relocation management company. Teams use the tender to benchmark their provider, to add capacity in a busy season, or for a single move it does not cover well.
Post one brief. Compare real offers this week. Anonymous until you choose to connect. Named consultants, terms side by side, free for employers. The link is in the description.
Video, 2 min 17 sYour first weeks in Switzerland, in order: register at your commune within 14 days, take out basic health insurance within three months, then a bank account, utilities and Serafe, and your driving licence within 12 months.
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Video, 2 min 41 sYour passport decides the route into Switzerland.
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Video, 2 min 1 sSwiss public schools are free and taught in the local language, and your address decides the school.
WatchPartner agencies reply with terms and a named consultant, side by side. Anonymous until you choose to connect. Free for employers.
