Moving to Switzerland: the first 90 days for Hungarians

Direct answer: how should Hungarians move to Switzerland?

First establish the residence basis for every person, then prepare housing and individual evidence. Anyone staying over three months or starting work must complete the relevant commune registration on time. Next arrange health insurance, report the Swiss insurance relationship in Hungary, and complete only the tasks that apply to the household. A general “first 90 days” label does not replace earlier legal deadlines.

Quick facts

• Residence: employment, residence without work and family reunification have different conditions.

• Registration: EU/EFTA employees staying over three months register within 14 days and before starting work.

• Permit: a stay over three months generally requires a residence permit.

• Health insurance: generally obtain it within three months after taking up residence; check exceptions separately.

• Household effects: items used personally for at least six months and still used may qualify for duty-free entry.

• Hungary: report the start or end of Swiss insurance to NEAK within 15 days.

1. Choose the residence basis before moving

Start with the legal basis, not the removal company. The residence-permit guide separates employment, sufficient own means, study and family routes. The SEM EU/EFTA FAQ confirms that the conditions differ and that cantons issue permits.

If you already have a Swiss contract, use the moving-with-a-job guide. Without a job, review the separate legal and financial route. This guide owns the common sequence, not the route-specific eligibility tests.

2. Prepare one evidence file per person

Each mover needs a controlled file: valid identity document, proof of the residence basis, acceptable accommodation, civil-status evidence, and insurance and authority confirmations. Obtain the exact list from the destination canton or commune. No universal list covers every person and canton.

Plan per person even when moving as a couple. Marriage and an unmarried partnership are not automatically equivalent for residence purposes. With children or dependent relatives, use the family-moving guide.

3. Plan housing and household-effects customs

The address must support both registration and daily life. Use the Swiss apartment-search guide for the application file, and ask the exact commune whether temporary accommodation is accepted.

Under the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security relocation procedure, household effects used personally for at least six months and intended for continued use may qualify for duty-free import when residence is transferred. Prepare an inventory, form 18.44 and evidence of the move. Vehicles, animals and regulated goods may follow additional rules.

For a dog or cat, follow the pet-import guide as a separate process.

4. The first 14 days

The SEM employment overview says that an EU/EFTA employee staying over three months registers with the commune of residence within 14 days of arrival and before starting work, presenting valid identity and employment confirmation. Confirm the deadline and evidence separately for another residence basis.

The ch.ch permit guidance states that foreign nationals staying over three months generally require a permit. “90 days” is therefore not a universal grace period.

5. The first three months

The Federal Office of Public Health generally requires a person settling in Switzerland to obtain health insurance within three months. If enrolled on time, cover and premiums apply retrospectively from the start of residence. Cross-border, posted or multi-state workers may be subject to coordination exceptions.

The NEAK guidance requires a Hungarian TAJ holder to report the start or end of Swiss insurance within 15 days. The Hungarian Embassy in Bern describes Hungarian residence-address administration as a separate procedure, not an automatic part of Swiss registration.

6. Controlled checklist

1. Before departure: confirm the residence basis, canton, individual files, housing and customs inventory.

2. By day 14: complete the applicable registration and, for employment, do so before starting work.

3. By month three: complete health insurance and the Hungarian insurance notification.

4. Then schedule payroll, tax, banking, vehicle, licence, school or pet tasks only where applicable.

7. Common mistakes

• Treating 90 days as a universal administration window.

• Using one document list for every canton.

• Treating two people as one residence or insurance file.

• Importing household effects without an inventory and customs procedure.

• Basing official outcomes or costs on an unchecked estimate.

Do not mix up three different 90-day situations

The previous knowledge articles mixed short visits, short-term work and an actual move. These are not the same procedures, so choose the steps according to the genuine purpose of the stay.

• Short-term Swiss work: Work within the 90-day framework may use a separate notification procedure. Use the 90-day work-notification guide; it is not a universal grace period for relocation.

• An actual move: Commune registration and the permit depend on the residence basis, work start and destination canton. Waiting 90 days by default can therefore be the wrong sequence.

• Health insurance: The three-month deadline is not three free months. The start date, retroactive premiums and consequences of delay are covered in the dedicated health-insurance guide.

Last factual review: 4 August 2026. Cantonal and communal processes, evidence and fees can change; the current written guidance of the competent authority is decisive.