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Registering your Swiss address: municipality registration steps

For Swiss employment lasting more than three months, Hungarian EU/EFTA citizens generally register in person with the municipality where they live and apply for a residence permit within 14 days of arrival and before starting work. Bring valid identification or a passport and written employment evidence. Check the target municipality’s current page for extra documents, appointments and fees, as those details are local rather than nationwide.

Publisher: svajc.com Knowledge Base2 min readLast reviewed: 8/22/2026
Editorially reviewed

When is municipal registration required?

This guide covers registration with the municipality where you live in Switzerland. It does not replace the detailed L- or B-permit eligibility guides, and it is not the online notification procedure for short employment of up to three months.

Which documents are certain?

For employed EU/EFTA citizens, federal guidance names a valid ID card or passport and written employment confirmation. Housing, family, appointment and translation documents are not a single nationwide checklist: the target municipality may require more evidence.

Steps at your municipality

  • Identify the municipality where you actually live and its residents’ registration office.

  • Use the municipality’s current page to confirm in-person attendance, appointment requirements or digital preparation.

  • For employment over three months, register within 14 days after arrival and before the first workday, and submit the residence application.

  • Take valid identification and written employment evidence; add other documents only from the municipality’s own list.

  • Keep the submission confirmation and deal with related matters, such as health insurance, separately.

eUmzug, moves and other procedures

eUmzug is a digital moving service, not an automatic nationwide first-arrival solution. In the Canton of Bern, availability and EU/EFTA arrivals are governed locally; other cantons and municipalities may differ. The short-term notification procedure is instead an employer notification, so the two processes must not be confused.

  • For Swiss work of up to three months, the employer’s online notification procedure may apply; it is not a general residence-registration answer.

  • For a move within or between cantons, follow the new municipality’s rules; Zurich describes reporting the move within 14 days.

  • For family reunification, third-country status or a special residence basis, use the relevant cantonal guidance.

Official sources

ch.ch: working as a foreign national and municipal registration

SEM: FAQ on free movement of persons

Canton Zurich: registration for EU/EFTA nationals

Canton Bern: eUmzug eligibility

In Brief

For Swiss employment lasting more than three months, Hungarian EU/EFTA citizens generally register in person with the municipality where they live and apply for a residence permit within 14 days of arrival and before starting work. Bring valid identification or a passport and written employment evidence. Check the target municipality’s current page for extra documents, appointments and fees, as those details are local rather than nationwide.

Key Takeaways

  • Municipal registration and the online notification procedure are different.
  • For work over three months, registration before the first workday matters.
  • Valid ID or passport and written employment evidence are the core documents.
  • Housing, family and process documents vary by municipality.
  • eUmzug availability and eligibility are local.