Moving House in Geneva - Essentials

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Moving House in Geneva - Essentials

The first thing when moving house is to notify the Office Cantonale de la Population (OCP).

• To find the local office: click here
• Geneva OCP
  At: 1-3, rue David-Dufour, CP51, 1211 Geneva
  Tel: +41 (0)22 327 44 11
  Website (in French)

You will need to provide:

• Residence permit
• A passport photo of each person moving
• A completed change of address form, filled in with the name and birth date of all concerned, the former and new address and the date it changed. You have one month to carry out these formalities.
• Change of address form can be downloaded (PDF): click here

When changing cantons or leaving Switzerland the local OCP must be informed, and all taxes due should be paid to the Administration Fiscale Cantonale.

• Hotel des Finances
  At: 26, Rue du Stand, 1211 Geneva
  Tel: +41 (0)22 327 70 00

Services

Electricity, gas and water

When moving it is important to check that the electricity, gas and water is turned off at the old address and that it works at the new one.

Ten days before a change of residence contact the Services Industriels de Genève (SIG) or complete the forms provided online for this purpose.

• Moving out form: click here
• Moving in form: click here

Or make an appointment with SIG to take a final reading and close the meters. The appointment should be made by telephone at least three days in advance.

• Tel SIG: +41 (0)22 420 88 88
  e-mail
  Website

Note: Moving in - deposit may be required when registering for electricity, gas and water for the first time.

Telephone and Internet

Contact Swisscom, the national provider of fixed line/land line telephones. Swisscom will send a contract by post which should be signed and returned.

Swisscom will need a copy of the residence permit and a one-off payment for the line connection fee. Foreigners who do not have a C type permit will also have to pay a deposit.

The line will be connected within two or three days.

• To request a line Tel: 0800 800 800.
• To end a contract and recuperate the deposit Tel: 0800 800 113
• Register a change of address: Click here
• Register as a new customer: Click here

The Swisscom website has comprehensive information in English on all the products available for private use (fixed line connections, ADSL Internet) and online ordering options.

• See the Swisscom website

Post

Post can be forwarded to a new Swiss address for a period of one year. This service can be requested at the local post office, or it can be arranged online. Contact Swisspost at least one week before the move.

• To find the address of your local post office: click here

Swisspost Customer Service line has an English-speaking service open Monday to Friday 07:00 to 19:00 and Saturday 08:00 to 16:00.

• Tel: 0848 888 888

Radio and TV connection

In Switzerland you have to pay TV and radio licence fees, so when moving home it is necessary to contact Billag, +41 (0)844 834 834 or fill in the on line form: click here

Driving and vehicle Registration

If you are moving to Switzerland for the first time, you have one year to change your driving licence to a Swiss one or take a Swiss driving test. If you are moving from one canton to another contact the local Road Traffic Licensing Office.

• For contact information refer to this page
• Geneva Road Traffic Licensing Office
  At: 86, route du Veyrier, 1227 Carouge
  Tel: +41 (0)22 388 30 30

Taxes

Tax authorities are automatically notified of a change of address by the resident's registration office. There is no need to contact them with details.

Insurance

Insurance companies must be notified of a change of address. Home insurance can be transferred to a new property, but if the new home is a dramatically different in size it may be necessary to have a reassessment made.

Children

Teaching staff and the school authorities will need to prepare and transmit a child's school records. They should be notified some time in advance.

Bank and Subscriptions

Notify the bank of change of address and remember to cancel or supply change of address details for any subscriptions services.

Moving from rented accommodation

In Switzerland, the legal minimum notice for an open-ended rental contract is three months but in some contracts this this can be up to six months. A rental agreement must be terminated by letter sent by registered mail (lettre recommendé or Einschreiben) and must be signed by all the tenants named on the contract. It is vital that the notice of termination reaches the landlord in good time (at least one day before the beginning of the notice period). If the tenant wishes to leave before the end of the contract he must bring three possible tenants interested in the apartment, and if one of these acquires the apartment the tenant may leave early. 

The vacated property must be left completely clean. There are cleaning companies specialising in a service for people moving and it is recommended to use this service.

A rental contract will state whether the property must be redecorated before the tenant moves out.

Redecoration can include the following:

• Filling in holes
• Repainting
• Repairing damages to tiles or wooden floors

When moving into a rental property, inspect for any defects with the landlord and write down everything, otherwise you will be charged for all these repairs and may not recuperate all of your deposit.

The Association Suisse des Locataires (ASLOCA) can advise tenants having problems.

• ASLOCA
  At: 1-3 rue Chantepoulet, 1201 Geneva
  Tel: +41 (0)22 716 18 00
  Website (in French) 
• See The AngloFILE for Domestic Services & Cleaners

Keys

Rental contracts list the keys given to a tenant. If any of the keys have been lost, the tenant has to pay for the locks to be changed. It's not allowed (without the landlord's permission) to simply have copies cut as the keys are numbered and recorded.

Further Information

• Renting a Property in Geneva, Switzerland
• Moving House in France
• Renting a Property in France