Registering a move in Switzerland: deadlines

Updated: October 2026Editorial team: Umzugsexpress GmbHTeam: 17 years in moving and clearance

After a move, many offices need your new address – some within 14 days afterwards, some weeks before. Some learn it automatically from the municipality, others do not. Here everything is sorted by date, with the differences between Zurich and Aargau.

In short

Within 14 days: register with the new municipality (often online via eUmzug) and report your vehicle registration. Before: internet and phone (Salt at least 5 weeks, Sunrise about a month, Swisscom at least 10 days) and the Post (ideally 4 working days before). Serafe and the tax office get the address from the residents’ register.

Your personal checklist

Choose the date and your situation; the list sorts everything by date. It only calculates in your browser; nothing is sent.

Moving date

Where are you moving? within the municipality to another municipality to another canton

New canton of residence

Internet and phone

Everything in one plan – with your municipalities’ deadlines, notice, packing and handover, and email reminders if you like: My moving plan.

Who needs your new address – and by when?

Office	When	How	Cost
New municipality	usually within 14 days after the move	counter or eUmzug	depends on the municipality
Old municipality	in good time before leaving	counter or eUmzug	depends on the municipality
Salt Home	at least 5 weeks before	hotline 0800 700 500	CHF 49.95
Sunrise	ideally about a month before	My Sunrise	CHF 99.90 (excl. electrician)
Swisscom	at least 10 days before	My Swisscom or shop	online CHF 0, in the shop CHF 99.90
Post	ideally 4 working days before	online or branch	change of address free, forwarding from CHF 35
Electricity, gas, water	on moving day	report meter readings	–
Health insurer	with the move	customer portal	premium may change
Road traffic office	within 14 days	depends on the canton	Zurich: free within the canton
Serafe, tax office	–	automatically via the residents’ register	–

Providers’ prices and deadlines as of October 2026 – they may change.

Municipality and eUmzug

As a rule you register with the new municipality within 14 days after the move (ch.ch); you deregister at the old one in good time. If you move within the municipality, you only report the new address – dog owners also re-register the dog.

In many cantons this works online with eUmzugCH – for adults, not for weekly residents. In Aargau you need your AHV number, the lease or a housing confirmation and, when changing canton, your health insurance card; any fee is paid by credit card (Canton of Aargau). In the canton of Zurich, eUmzugCH is operated by the cantonal Office for Municipalities (Gemeindeamt) (Canton of Zurich).

At the counter, Swiss citizens need their certificate of origin (Heimatschein); with children the family certificate; plus proof of health insurance.

Post: change of address and forwarding

The change of address with the Post is free, and so is the moving notice to companies: participating banks, insurers and health insurers receive the new address directly. Without forwarding, letters to the old address are returned to the sender for one year (Post).

Forwarding within Switzerland	6 months	12 months	18 months
online	CHF 35	CHF 45	CHF 55
at a branch	CHF 47	CHF 57	CHF 67

Abroad: 12 months for CHF 90 online. Ideally set up the order four working days before the desired start (Post, forwarding).

Internet, TV and phone

Swisscom: free online in My Swisscom, CHF 99.90 in the shop; at least 10 days before the move. You need the number of the fibre socket or the previous tenant’s name (Swisscom).
Sunrise: in My Sunrise, ideally about a month before; processing fee CHF 99.90 excluding electrician costs (Sunrise).
Salt Home: via the hotline 0800 700 500, at least 5 weeks before; CHF 49.95 for fibre or Gigabox. If Salt Home is not available at the new address, the service is terminated (Salt).

Road traffic office: Zurich and Aargau differ

Topic	Canton of Zurich	Canton of Aargau
Deadline	within 14 days	vehicle registration within 14 days
Driving licence	report with the online form	reported automatically by the municipality
Procedure	online form, original vehicle registration by post to the road traffic office in Bülach	original vehicle registration needed
Cost	free within the canton; moving in from another canton charged by effort	–
Changing canton	new plates and documents in 5 to 10 working days, proof of insurance needed	the road traffic office of the new canton is responsible

Sources: Canton of Zurich, Canton of Aargau, licence data, Canton of Aargau, vehicle registration. More on moving in Aargau: moving in Aargau.

Health insurance, Serafe and taxes

Health insurance: the premium depends, among other things, on the premium region of your municipality; the canton of Zurich has three premium regions (FOPH). If the premium changes because of the move, this gives no extraordinary right to terminate – the normal switching dates apply (priminfo).

Serafe obtains its data monthly from the residents’ registers. If something is wrong, report it to your municipality’s residents’ office, not to Serafe (Serafe).

Taxes: when moving within Switzerland, you are liable to tax for the whole tax period in the canton where you live at the end of the period (FTA). In the canton of Zurich, private persons report a change of address to their municipality (Canton of Zurich).

What else belongs on the list

Employer: new address and day off for the move
Bank, insurers, doctors, newspapers, clubs
Pensioners and self-employed: the cantonal AHV compensation office
Military, civilian service or civil protection
School, day care or after-school care
Dog: deregister at the old municipality, register at the new one (AMICUS database)
Moving day: meter readings and handover and move-in reports
Parking for the moving van: parking permit for the moving van

Based on the ch.ch moving checklist. Everything about the move itself: printable moving checklist.

Template: notifying your change of address

For offices without an online form: copy the text, replace the details in square brackets and send it by letter or e-mail.

[First name Surname]
[New street and no.]
[Postcode Town]

[Company or office]
[Street and no.]
[Postcode Town]

[Place], [date]

Change of address as of [moving date] – customer, policy or contract number [number]

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am moving. Please use the following address from [moving date]:

[First name Surname]
[New street and no.]
[Postcode Town]

Previous address: [old street and no., postcode town]
My phone number and email address remain unchanged.

Thank you for updating your records.

Kind regards

[Signature]

What we take off your hands

You have to register yourself. On request we apply for the parking permit for the moving van, and after you move out we hand over the flat with final cleaning and handover guarantee. How the handover works: a stress-free flat handover.

Registration office and deadline of your new municipality together with parking permit and bulky waste: Moving day planner.

Frequently asked questions

Do I also have to register a move within the same municipality?

Yes. The residents’ office also needs a new address within the municipality.

Does registration cost anything?

That depends on the municipality.

Does eUmzug also inform the Post?

Neither the Post nor the municipalities say so. Set up the change of address with the Post yourself – it is free.

Do I have to report the move to Serafe?

No. Serafe obtains addresses from the residents’ registers. If something is wrong, report it to the residents’ office.

Can I switch health insurer after the move because of a higher premium?

Not extraordinarily. A premium change due to a change of residence gives no extraordinary right to terminate; the normal dates apply.

Where do I pay tax if I move during the year?

When moving within Switzerland, in the canton where you live at the end of the tax period.

Sources

Sources as of October 2026.

Registering your move: who needs your new address – with deadlines and costs