Arriving in Zurich: the first 30 days
Registering at the Kreisbüro, health insurance, the right abonnement, where to buy what you can't find and how not to end up alone — the list we followed, in order.
Zurich is the easiest city in Switzerland to arrive in and the hardest to be alone in. This is our list for the first 30 days — the paperwork and the life, in the order we did it.
Week 1 — the paperwork
- Register at the Kreisbüro (the Kreis is the administrative "neighbourhood") within the first 14 days. Bring your passport, work contract and rental contract. You leave with your permit on the way.
- Mandatory health insurance — you have 3 months, but the price varies a lot between insurers. Compare (priminfo.ch is the official site) and choose the highest deductible you can handle.
- Bank account: the big banks ask for your residence permit; some online accounts open before that. Ask if there are monthly fees — in Zurich there's a bit of everything.
Week 2 — getting around
- The Halbtax pays for itself in two months if you leave the city twice a month. The Zone 110 (ZVV) covers the city; if you live outside it, count the zones before buying the monthly pass.
- Bike: Zurich is flat in the centre and steep on the hills. A used one costs less than a month of transport.
- Sunday is Sunday: almost everything is closed. The shops at the stations (HB, Stadelhofen) are the exception.
Week 3 — what's missing (and where to find it)
- Decent coffee at a decent price: the Portuguese and Italian cafés in Wiedikon and Altstetten.
- Bacalhau, chouriço, decent bread: the Portuguese grocery shops in Zürich-Altstetten and Schlieren; there are deliveries from Lausanne too.
- Family doctor: ask right away — the good ones' schedules fill up fast.
Week 4 — people
This is where most guides end and life begins. The city won't introduce you to anyone; you have to go where people are already open to meeting someone.
- Come to a Swiss Meetup event in Zurich: dinners, brunches, workshops — almost everyone comes alone and we introduce everyone to each other.
- Join a Verein (club): sports, choir, whatever it is. It's how the Swiss make friends, and it works for us too.
- Learn German in a group, not online: the class is your first network.
A trick from those already here
Book something for next weekend already. Not "once you're settled". The first 30 days go by fast, and the habits you build now — going out, showing up, repeating — are the ones that stay.
If you still have questions, write to us. We reply to everyone.
Ana & Marco
We arrived in Switzerland in 2025 and created Swiss Meetup to make friends — and so you can too.