Frequently Asked Questions

The cost of living in Switzerland is very high. A study by UBS bank published in September 2015 found that Zurich and Geneva top the list of the world’s most costly cities, ahead of New York.

It costs a Zurich family of three more than $3,600 (CHF3,569 in February 2016) a month to live, based on a basket of 122 goods and services that doesn’t include rent, the report shows. Geneva comes in second at $3,500 per month, followed by New York with $3,340. Rent for a two-bedroom unfurnished apartment averages around 2,400 CHF a month in Zurich. You can get detailed information on the costs of living in your area here.

Despite those expenses, the highest salaries in the world mean the inhabitants of Zurich and Geneva rank second and third to the residents of Luxembourg in terms of enjoying the greatest purchasing power, UBS said. The average Zurich resident makes above $41 per hour, 21 times more than a person working in Kiev, Ukraine. On average, total household expenditure in Switzerland is around 50% higher than the European Union average, according to 2014 Eurostat figures.

You can gain an overview of the costs you are likely to incur by drawing up a personal budget. The list below can be used as a guide. Your actual living costs will depend on your living situation, the costs of health insurance and your personal lifestyle.

As a representative office of Pakistan, the Consulate General provides consular services such as visa & passport applications, birth registrations and attestation of documents. The Consulate also encourages our community to form associations to foster harmony among themselves and local Swiss community. It provides support and guidance to organize suitable social and cultural functions and motivates overseas Pakistanis to conduct themselves in a manner that brings good name and credit for Pakistan.

The Embassy of Pakistan in Switzerland is located at the following address:

Bernastrasse 47
3005 Berne
Tel: 031 350 1790
Fax: 031 350 1799
Email: parepberne@bluewin.ch

The Embassy performs ‘Consular Duties’ from Monday – Friday between 9:30 – 12:00 hours and ‘Telephone Inquiries’ between 14:00 – 16:00

NICOP/POC Announcement

NADRA has launched  a web based application system “Pak Identity” for processing of Pakistani Origin Card applications in order to facilitate Pakistani expatriates. Please be aware that manual booking of POC applications/payments (neither by hand nor by post) will no longer be entertained by the Consulate General and any payments received in this regard will not be REFUNDED.

Switzerland is a very appealing place to come and work: the salaries, working conditions and quality of life are very high. But competition for Swiss jobs is fierce and opportunities are more limited for those coming from outside of the EU or EFTA (European Free Trade Association) as there are often quotas for foreign workers in Switzerland, even for highly skilled, well-qualified specialists. Further information is available at the following websites:

• Expatica.com
• Work in Switzerland for foreign nationals
• Job chances for foreigners in Switzerland

As in any foreign country, speaking the local language is a definitive advantage. For your job search, consider the main local language in the area where you wish to work. Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. If you’re aiming to work in an international institution or large multinational company, much of the work may be conducted in English with other non-Swiss nationals. However, for national or smaller Swiss companies, you will almost certainly be required to have a basic command of the local language. The level of language required will depend on the nature of the position and what sort of work you will be doing.

General jobs in Switzerland:

• Jobs
• Jobscout 24
• Jobsuchmaschine
• JobUp
• Jobwinner
• Monster
• Seasonworkers – ski jobs
• StepStone
• Total jobs

Specialist jobs in Switzerland:

• Alpha – for executives
• Darwin – IT and telecoms
• Euro Science Jobs – research and post-doc jobs
• Job Directory – banking and financial sector portal
• Robert Walters – accountancy and finance
• SwissLinx – executive, technology and finance
• Techno Jobs – IT and technical jobs
• Wiley – pharmaceutical

Jobs for English speakers:

• Jobs in Geneva
• Jobs in Zurich
• Top Language Jobs

In case of an emergency you can use the toll-free numbers listed below:

117 Police
118 Fire
144 Ambulance
1414 Swiss Rescue
112 European emergency number

Other useful numbers:

1811 General inquiries, e.g. doctors, theaters, etc.
140 Breakdown service
162 Weather report
163 Road report
187 Avalanche Report

For general inquiry calls from Germany or Austria, the number must be preceded by the following dialing code: 0041 848 800 xxx (e.g. 1811 or 162). Each canton also has an emergency pharmacy, with contact information here.

Addresses and phone numbers of private individuals and companies can be looked very simply online at www.local.ch

Finding prayer facilities and halal food in Switzerland will be quite daunting for new arrivals to Switzerland. However, some of the larger cities in Switzerland have better Muslim-friendly facilities than others largely due to the number of Muslims visiting/living in those cities.

To help new arrivals, we have created a comprehensive search facility to locate the nearest Mosque or Halal Food store. Simply enter your location on the Find Location page and press search.

Help others by adding a New Location that is not listed.

When you return from abroad or enter Switzerland, goods up to a total value of 300 CHF may be imported VAT-free (tax-free limit), provided they are intended for your personal use or as gifts. Foodstuffs, tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, household pets and repairs or maintenance work carried out abroad on your own private vehicle are also included in the tax-free limit. The tax-free limit can be taken into account only once per person per day. It applies also for children, so a family of 4 has potentially a limit of 1200 CHF. Note that full tax will be applied on goods which are not separable and are over the allowance limit (e.g. Television).

What happens if the value of the goods exceeds 300 CHF?

If the total value exceeds 300 CHF, you must pay value added tax on the entire value of the goods imported. Example: The total value is 800 CHF. The threshold of 300 CHF is exceeded. The value added tax calculation is therefore based on 800 CHF.

You can get detailed information on what is allowed to be imported and the duty free limits here.

Switzerland is the world champion in the recycling. Recycling is an important matter in all Switzerland, as there isn’t much land to waste on landfill. Even more, because the ground is porous, drainage from landfills would quickly pollute its pristine lakes. Consequently, since 2000 all garbage that isn’t recycled is incinerated and the energy produced converted into electricity. Nationwide about 40% of solid waste is recycled. To encourage recycling, many cantons require payment of a fee for each garbage bag used. Have a look at the recycling-map to find your nearest recycling station.

The rules and regulations of garbage disposal and recycling in Switzerland take some getting used to, but are ultimately for the greater good.

Paper and cardboard – Paper gets bundled up monthly and collected. Make sure you tie it up neatly and leave it on the curb on the allocated day. Just put it out there when you see the piles lining up! There are containers for cardboard in most neighbourhoods, or you can take the cardboard back to the store of purchase for large items like electronics.

Electronics – Any electronic shop will take old items (Migros electronics, Fust, Interdiscount, Media Markt etc). Mobile phones  that still work should be taken to a Swisscom shop (with charger/books etc), who will give them to a charity that in turn sells them in Africa at a price that the people can afford.

Compost – This is genius: take your old banana peels and apple cores to the community compost! I wish I knew what they did with that stuff. Then again, Switzerland sure is green so it probably goes straight back into the soil somewhere.

Clothes and Shoes recycling bags are usually collected by charities throughout the year. You will receive dedicated bags in your mailbox with the name of the charity and collection days. Place the bags in front of your house in the evening before planned collection day.

PET bottles – These go back to the store, look for the PET containers either outside or near the beverages in your supermarket.

Glass – There are containers for green, brown, and clear glass usually near the supermarket or centrally located in your neighbourhood.

Tins – Usually containers for tin cans are next to the glass containers. Look for the word ‘Dosen‘.

Regular household waste – Goes in the sack that you buy from the supermarket or post office, some regions use stickers instead.

Other – For the rest of it all, there are places to take your old oil, batteries, Styrofoam, electronics, poison, textiles and even cadavers (oh my! I think it’s just animals though). Visit your local Gemeide (city hall) for instructions if you did not get them when you moved in.

Maybe you noticed already, housing in Switzerland is, as a general rule, very expensive. And good flats are sometimes really hard to find. But your dream home is out there to grab. Here are some good search points:

http://www.alle-immobilien.ch
http://www.comparis.ch
http://www.homegate.ch/
http://www.immoscout24.ch/

The Swiss system of room counting might confuse you, probably because it is different from your home country. In the number of rooms it includes: living room, dinning room, sleeping rooms. In the most typical modern Swiss apartment, the kitchen is open to the living/dinning room, counting as a half room.

Examples:

2 ½ room = 1 sleeping room, 1 living room with an open kitchen
3 ½ room = 2 sleeping rooms, 1 living room with an open kitchen
4 room = 3 sleeping rooms, 1 living room (kitchen is an enclosed room)

Most kitchens are already furnished (fridge, stove, oven). Appliances like microwave, boiler, coffee machines are not included. Not every home has clothes washing machines! Some have communal rooms with a washing cycle schedule, others include a washing machine and dryer, and others have the space for it but do not provide the apparatus. Best to ask directly (this information is usually included on the offer).

You can find further answers to questions here, in connection with renting an apartment or a house and how to go about giving notice, how to deal with rent increases and reductions, or what to do in the event of defects, noise disturbance and disputes with neighbours.

Below you can use the simple salary calculators to determine how much you will (approximately) receive after tax.

http://www.lohncomputer.ch
https://www.ethz.ch
http://www.bfs.admin.ch

In Switzerland, 1.5 million students go to school everyday which represents more than 19% of the population. Depending on the canton, schools teach either in German, in French, in Italian or in Romansh. Swiss education is free and compulsory. All children may attend school, including foreign children. Usually, compulsory education starts at the age of seven and lasts for nine years. Many children spend two years in kindergarten before starting school. You can find more detailed information here.

The Swiss education system is largely decentralised and is managed by three political levels: federal, cantonal and municipal. The federal government oversees education nationwide and is responsible for enforcing school attendance. Because of the diversity of cultures and languages, however, each of the 26 cantons run its own education system.

In Switzerland, more than 90% of the children go to public schools, which are rated among the best worldwide. But due to the large foreign population, there is also a wide range of private international, bilingual and foreign schools available, especially in the big cities. You can find French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Swedish schools. For more information about private schools, please check the ‘Swiss Federation of Private Schools’ website.

The school holidays are not standardized as they are controlled at the municipal level. You can find the school holidays for all regions here.

Swiss healthcare is outstanding. Its combined public, subsidised private and totally private healthcare system create an extensive network of highly qualified doctors and hospitals, the best equipped medical facilities and no waiting lists, but it all comes at a price: around 10 percent of the average Swiss salary goes towards health insurance premiums. ­ There is no free state health service in Switzerland.

Unlike other European countries, the Swiss healthcare system is not tax based or financed by employers but is paid for by the individual through contributions into health insurance schemes. The system is universal but it is administered by individual cantons. This means that everyone living in Switzerland must have basic health and accident insurance (Soziale Krankenversicherung / Assurance maladie / Assicurazione-Mallatie). You pay monthly premiums to the insurer and you also have to pay a contribution towards the cost of medical consultations and treatments. Each family member must be insured individually. Babies are insured from birth but to continue cover, you have to take out health insurance for a child within three months of the birth. Children don’t need to be insured by the same company as their parents. As at 2014, an adult pays around 400 CHF in health insurance premiums.

If you are in Switzerland for less than three months, you may be exempted from the requirement for holding basic health insurance if you have an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), your own health insurance policy, travel insurance or a company healthcare plan. Continue reading at http://www.expatica.com

Useful Links:

https://www.ch.ch/en/health-insurance/
http://www.englishforum.ch/insurance/2198-health-insurance-faqs.html
http://www.swupp.ch or https://comparis.ch – Insurance provider comparison.

All tax-resident individuals are taxed on their worldwide income and wealth. Non tax-resident individuals are only taxed on Swiss sources of income and wealth.

Income taxes are levied at three different levels: at the federal level (which is the same all over Switzerland), at the cantonal level (which is the same within a certain canton and is based on the canton’s own tax law and tax rates), and at the municipal level (municipalities follow the cantonal tax law, but are entitled to set their own communal tax rate within certain parameters). Income tax rates are progressive at the federal level and in most of the cantons. Some cantons have recently introduced flat rate taxation.

All income is taxed on the basis of the same tax return with generally the same tax rate (i.e. all income sources are added together), and from such total income all applicable deductions are subtracted. This results in an applicable tax rate that is levied on all taxable income. Based on applicable double taxation treaties (DTTs), the actual taxable income in Switzerland may differ from the tax rate determining income. Furthermore, dividend income from substantial participations may be taxed at a lower tax rate based on domestic federal and cantonal law.

Useful links:
Gemeide Tax Comparison Map
http://www.expatica.com/ch/finance/Taxes-in-Switzerland_101589.html
Tax Calculator

Are you planning to work in Switzerland, to join your spouse or family or to study at a Swiss university?

Anyone who works during his/her stay in Switzerland or who remains in Switzerland for longer than three months requires a permit. Residence permits are issued by the Cantonal Migration Offices. A distinction is made between short-term residence permits (less than 1 year), annual residence permits (limited) and permanent residence permits (unlimited).

The conditions applicable for a residence in Switzerland are dependent on both your nationality as well as on the reason for your stay. Switzerland has a dual system for the admission of foreign workers. Gainfully employed nationals from the EU-27/EFTA States can benefit from agreements on the free movement of persons. Only a limited number of management level employees, specialists and other qualified employees are admitted from all other countries.

Official Website
Cantonal immigration and labour market authorities

On the behalf of all Pakistanis in Switzerland we welcome all new arrivals to Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera/Switzerland. Whatever you call it, the country known for its cheese, chocolate, and time-telling ability is an appealing place to live. So pleasant, in fact, that the 2010 Mercer Worldwide Quality of Living Survey placed three Swiss cities (Zurich, Geneva, and Bern) among the world’s top 10.

Welcome to Switzerland PDF