Swiss Expat News

Published digests

• Week 42 · 2026: Home prices keep climbing, Zurich reins in holiday flats, and the clocks go back next weekend. A week of housing numbers and quiet rule changes, several of which arrive with the new year. Premium letters are landing; you have until 30 November to act on yours.
• Week 41 · 2026: A 13th pension in December, three votes taking shape, and a seat opening in the government. Filed late, on 15 October 2026, from the record of that week. The government made its case for funding the 13th pension through VAT, two referendums were handed in, unemployment held at 3.0 percent, and a federal councillor said he would leave.
• Week 40 · 2026: The vote is counted, next year's premiums are out, and pensions rise in January. Filed late, on 15 October 2026, from the record of that week. Voters turned down both federal initiatives by wide margins, health insurance premiums for 2027 rose 5 percent on average, and the government set next year's pension and pillar 3a figures.
• Week 39 · 2026: The central bank holds at zero, tax brackets move with prices, and the road to citizenship stays long. Filed late, on 15 October 2026, from the record of that week. A quiet week for money, a firm no on easier naturalisation, and the last days before the federal vote on Sunday 27 September.
• Week 38 · 2026: Parliament opens its autumn session, and much of it is about who gets to stay. Filed late, on 15 October 2026, from the record of that week. The autumn session began on Monday, the levy debate sharpened, the National Council tightened asylum and citizenship rules, and the economists turned more cheerful.
• Week 37 · 2026: A levy on foreign hires moves into the mainstream, and the border cameras come back on. Filed late, on 15 October 2026, from the record of that week. The government changed its mind on an immigration levy, Europe's new border checks resumed, and Vaud got ready to vote on a large tax cut.
• Week 36 · 2026: September starts, the school buses fill, and two ballot papers are already in the post. The quiet month is over. Salaries shifted in Basel on the first, the autumn session opens in ten days, and the 27 September vote is now close enough that your envelope is on its way.
• Week 35 · 2026: Germany keeps its border checks, and the September calendar comes into view. One story dominates this week for anyone who crosses a border to work, and the month ahead is unusually full for a country that normally does nothing in August.
• Week 34 · 2026: Parliament returns in September with a tax aimed squarely at foreign workers. The autumn calendar was published this week, and one item in it is about you specifically. Two referendums follow at the end of September.
• Week 33 · 2026: Fewer people are arriving, and more of those already here are leaving. The half-year migration figures came out this week and they turn the usual story upside down. The pressure on housing and permits is not coming from a wave of new arrivals.
• Week 32 · 2026: Train fares rise less than planned, and the GA crosses four thousand francs. The price regulator did its job this week. Public transport still gets more expensive in December, but by noticeably less than the industry asked for.
• Week 31 · 2026: Quotas bite early, rents keep climbing, and the immigration debate reopens. Three things worth knowing if you are arriving this autumn: the third-country permit quota is tighter than the raw numbers suggest, rents are still rising, and the political conversation about growth has restarted.
• Week 30 · 2026: Rents cool in Zürich, permits move faster, and the SBB timetable shifts. A quiet week on the political side. Three practical stories still matter for anyone settling into Switzerland this summer, housing, permits, and how you get around.