Moving to Switzerland with a job: guide for Hungarians

Short answer: how does a Hungarian employee move to Switzerland?

Hungarian citizens can work in Switzerland under the EU/EFTA framework. The route depends on the employment contract: for work lasting more than three months, register with the commune within 14 days of arrival and before starting work; for short employment, the Swiss employer normally files an online notification. Customs, housing and compulsory health insurance are separate tasks that must be completed in the correct order.

Quick facts

• Audience: a Hungarian EU citizen who already has a signed Swiss employment contract and will take up residence in Switzerland.

• Authority: the commune of residence and the competent cantonal migration authority.

• Registration deadline: within 14 days of arrival and, for work over three months, before the actual start of work.

• Core documents: valid passport or identity card, written confirmation of employment and locally required proof of accommodation.

• Health insurance: within three months of taking up residence, separately for every family member.

• Removal goods: form 18.44 and an inventory when the duty-free conditions are met.

1. Separate short employment from a genuine move

The ch.ch employment guide and the SEM EU/EFTA FAQ distinguish employment of up to three months from longer work. Short employment does not require a residence permit, but the Swiss employer must file an online notification. Longer employment requires an application through the commune of residence. A cross-border commuter, a jobseeker and someone transferring residence therefore do not follow the same process.

Under the SEM framework, a contract shorter than twelve months normally leads to an L permit, while a contract of at least twelve months or an open-ended contract normally leads to a B permit. The detailed tasks stay on the distinct B-permit guide and L-permit guide. This canonical focuses on sequencing the move after a job has been secured.

2. Prepare the document file before leaving Hungary

Create a paper folder and an encrypted digital copy. Check the precise list on the destination commune's website because appointments, fees and supplementary evidence vary locally. The federal baseline is a valid identity document and written employment confirmation; in practice, you must also be able to prove the accommodation where you are registering.

1. Verify the start date, duration, workload, probation period, gross salary and workplace in the contract.

2. Secure an accepted Swiss address or a host confirmation that the commune recognizes.

3. Prepare identity papers, the employment contract, civil-status documents and any translations the local authority requires.

4. Ask the employer who submits a short-work notification and what payroll data is required for longer employment.

5. Prepare an inventory for furniture, boxes, valuables, a vehicle and any consignments arriving later.

6. Keep liquid funds for rent, deposit, backdated health premiums and living costs until the first salary.

3. Commune registration and the residence permit

For employment lasting more than three months, SEM requires registration with the commune within 14 days of arrival and before taking up work. Bring a valid identity document and written confirmation of employment, such as the contract. The commune coordinates the cantonal permit process; confirm the appointment, fee and additional document list locally before travelling.

For work of up to three months, use the SEM notification procedure. The Swiss employer submits the notification for an EU/EFTA employee. The complete boundary is maintained in the 90-day notification guide rather than duplicated here as another permit page.

4. Removal goods and form 18.44

The FOCBS relocation procedure makes transfer of residence the key condition for duty-free removal goods. The items must generally have been used personally for at least six months and continue to be used in Switzerland. Present completed form 18.44 and an inventory at the customs office of import. EU/EFTA immigrants do not need to provide an assurance of a residence permit for this customs process, although the office may request other evidence.

• Use a customs office handling commercial goods and check its opening hours.

• List bulky, valuable or restricted items and vehicles separately.

• Declare later consignments during the first import procedure.

• Do not promise automatic duty-free treatment for new items or goods used for less than six months.

• Keep the endorsed customs documents for later vehicle and authority procedures.

5. Health insurance within three months

The Federal Office of Public Health requires residents to obtain compulsory health insurance within three months of taking up residence. Every family member needs separate cover. If enrollment is timely, coverage and premiums run retroactively from the start of residence, so the three months are not a premium-free waiting period. Late enrollment may start only from the joining date and can carry a surcharge when the delay is unjustified.

Employer accident insurance does not replace basic health insurance. Confirm the registered weekly working hours and non-occupational accident cover. Compare premiums only after fixing residence, age, insurance model, deductible and accident cover instead of repeating a single national price.

6. First payslip: social insurance and tax at source

The OASI/DI contribution leaflet explains that insured employees pay OASI, DI and IC contributions through salary deductions, while the employer accounts for these together with its share. Check personal details, gross salary, social-security number and deductions on the first payslip and raise discrepancies with payroll promptly.

The Federal Tax Administration states that foreign employees resident in Switzerland without a C permit are generally taxed at source; the employer deducts the tax and transfers it to the canton. Family status, other income, canton and subsequent ordinary assessment rules can change the individual result. This guide therefore does not promise a fixed net salary or personal tax outcome.

7. First 30 days in the correct order

1. Before entry, align the commune appointment, employment start, address and customs-office opening hours.

2. At the border, clear the removal goods and keep the endorsed evidence.

3. In the first days, register with the commune and submit the appropriate B or L application.

4. During the first month, choose basic health insurance, check accident cover and reserve the backdated premium.

5. On the first payslip, compare salary, social contributions and tax at source with the contract.

6. Store commune, permit, customs, insurance and payroll evidence together for later renewals or corrections.

8. What remains a separate search intent

This canonical covers only a Hungarian citizen moving with an existing Swiss employee contract. The general moving guide covers the wider decision and first 90 days. B permits, L permits and short-work notification remain distinct authority tasks. Housing search, licence exchange, moving with family and moving with pets also have different outcomes; they are linked as next steps rather than duplicated as keyword variants.

Common expensive mistakes

• Treating a verbal job offer as a signed employment contract.

• Confusing the 90-day notification with a residence permit or a complete relocation process.

• Starting longer employment before commune registration.

• Treating the three-month insurance deadline as three free months.

• Arriving with removal goods but without form 18.44 and an inventory.

• Treating a commercial price or document list as a binding authority rule.

Official sources

• ch.ch: working in Switzerland as a foreign national

• SEM: EU/EFTA FAQ

• SEM: short-work notification procedure

• FOCBS: importing removal goods

• FOPH: compulsory health insurance

• FTA: Swiss tax at source

• OASI/DI: salary contributions