In the Canton of Zug, you have to register with the Immigration Office (Amt für Migration) within 14 days of your arrival. Please find Form A1 for EU citizens and Form A2 for nationals from countries outside the EU/EFTA here. Foreign nationals from outside the EU can only be registered after a received promise.

After submitting the application, you will receive a letter asking you to come to the Immigration Office in order to receive your biometric residence permit. Your photo will be taken and your biometric data will be registered. After a week, the Immigration Office will send you your biometric residence permit and invoice by regular mail. They will also inform the municipality about your move.

Renting is usually the best way to start out in a new country. Switzerland is no exception. While finding a property to rent may be a struggle, purchasing a property is usually even more complex. Over 60% of the population are renting their homes. Switzerland restricts the rights of some non-nationals to buy property. Although you can get a mortgage, property is expensive and a family home in the area of Zug can easily exceed CHF 2 million.

The tax situation is more favourable for people who own their own home. In general, properties can be hard to sell. Even in popular areas, the sale can take over a year. Therefore, it is only worth the investment, if you plan to stay for five years or more.

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The first month's rent needs to be paid before you get the keys. The deposit (1-3-months rent) must also be made before the property is handed over.

Pets, such as cats and dogs, are not accepted on all properties. You will need to enquire about this with your landlord, prior to setting up the rental contract or certainly before you are planning to get a pet.

Kitchens and bathrooms are normally fully furnished. Generally, there are no lamps, except in the kitchen and bathroom.

In apartment buildings, there are usually shared laundry facilities located in the basement. If you prefer to have your own washer/dryer, then look for more modern or renovated apartments.

Many apartments have a balcony, unless you rent an apartment in an historic building or one in the attic. You can also expect to have extra storage space in the attic or basement of your building.

It's simpler than what most people imagine, and here's how it's done:

1. Make sure you bring these documents with you: Official ID (Swiss or foreign), confirmation of registration from local community and a copy of your employment contract.
2. With the above documents, go into any bank to open your account (appointment not needed). If you wish to open a joint account, all persons on this account need to be present.
3. Your account is active immediately.

All residents of Switzerland, regardless of their age, are subject to the Health Insurance Act (KVG). Under this legislation, everyone must have the mandatory health insurance that covers basic medical treatment, drugs and inpatient treatment in a general hospital ward. Citizens of other countries, who remain in Switzerland for more than three months or settle here, are also subject to this legislation. You must be insured within three months of entering Switzerland.

If you intend to bring your pet to Switzerland, check on the latest regulations in advance. Make sure that you have the correct documents; not only for Switzerland, but for all countries you pass through to get to Switzerland. Generally, Switzerland does not require animals to be put into quarantine. However, the authorities require that cats and dogs have an international health certificate bearing proof of a current rabies vaccination and certifying that the animal is in good health. This document must be issued at least 30 days before entering Switzerland.

In Switzerland, you are permitted to drive a car with a foreign driver’s licence for one year. After that, you have to request a Swiss driver’s licence at the Department of Motor Vehicles of your canton. If your driver’s licence is in a language not recognised by the Swiss authorities (i.e. not in English, French, German or Italian), you must have either an international driver’s licence or an international driving permit.

Waste has to be deposited in specifically marked waste bags. They are sold at every grocery store – ask for them at the checkout – as you won't find them on any shelf. Every district and municipality has a different system, so make sure you buy them in a shop in your local area. Otherwise your bags won't be collected. One roll contains ten bags (available in different sizes) and costs approximately CHF 20, which includes the waste collection fee. In certain suburbs and towns, the collection fee is charged separately: your waste bags are neutral and black, but you need to buy stickers and stick them onto the bags when you put them out for collection. The stickers are also available at the local shops.

Materials like glass, cans and metal must be taken to public collection sites. You may not deposit glass on Sundays.

PET bottles and batteries can be returned to the vendor or placed in any of the specifically marked collection containers.

Newspapers and cardboard can be left for collection on the street in front of the house on specific days. However, boxes must be flattened and everything must be tied together with strings. Put them out by 7am in the morning of the collection day. Collection dates and locations can be found in the waste collection calendar from the place your live in.

You can also take recyclable material to the larger recycling centres in the canton of Zug.

Electricity

Electricity is available and automatically provided by the landlord. There is no need to register with an electricity company in advance. The electricity costs are always additional and are never included in the rent or service charges. When moving to Switzerland, the landlord registers the name. The tenant then receives the electricity bill directly from the electricity company. The costs are approximately CHF 50 per month for a single household and CHF 120 for a family.

Internet

Most cities and communities are connected to the fiber optic network and have access to high speed Internet. The network is constantly expanding and even where fiber optics are not yet available, a good Internet connection can be expected. The largest providers in Switzerland are Swisscom, UPC and Sunrise. However, there are also regional providers, such as WWZ in the region of Zug.

Shopping centres are usually open from Monday to Saturday. Be aware that convenience stores usually close at 5pm on Saturdays. Sunday everything is closed, except gas station stores or shops at bigger train stations or at the airport.

Switzerland is well known for its extensive public transportation network that includes trains, buses, ships, cable cars, as well as bike and walking paths.

If you don’t have a car, you can also use the professional car sharing service Mobility Carsharing with over 1,500 locations throughout Switzerland.

Public transport tickets

If you travel by train, bus or ship very often, its definitely worthwhile to get one of three types of passes. The General Abonnement (GA) offers free travel on most public transport in Switzerland (except some cable cars). The Halbtax (½-Tax) gives you 50% off the original ticket price in Switzerland and 25% off the ticket price in Germany and Austria. With the SwissPass (½-Tax or GA), you also have access to partner services from Mobility Carsharing, PubliBike and SwitzerlandMobility and the ski resorts.

Tip: buy a Junior Travelcard for your child. For approximately CHF 30/year, children between the ages of 6 and 16 years can travel for free with a parent holding a valid ticket. The Junior Travelcard is valid anywhere within the half-fare Travelcard area.

In case grandparents or any other adult want to travel with children, there is the Kinder-Mitfahrkarte (Children’s Co-Travelcard) for approximately CHF 30/year.

As in every other country, you find people when they are going out. Moreover, Swiss people are usually members of clubs (sports, music, etc.). So if you have a hobby, we suggest you find a club in your region.

Zug offers a host program for newcomers. The newcomers are linked to a local contact person, with whom they then meet three times. This helps them to settle down easier and meet people within Zug.

The canton of Zug also offers a variety of international clubs:

• International Men's Club
• International Women's Club Zug
• International Mums and Kids Club
• Junior Chamber International Zug

Generally, the real estate market in Switzerland is very transparent. The largest platform to find properties that you can rent or buy are:

• Homegate
• Flatfox
• Comparis
• Newhome

Brokers are quite uncommon in the rental housing market. Most apartments and houses are rented directly by the owner or through a real estate management company. There are no fees or brokerage commissions. The apartment search in Switzerland has certain parallels to the job search. If you are interested in renting the property after a viewing, you have to apply for it. It is usual to expel the income, the reference from the employer, as well as the family situation. Application forms are handed out after the viewing.

After signing the contract, you will make an appointment with your landlord for the handover.

When you move into your new home, your landlord/agency will fill out an inspection report regarding the condition of the property that both of you have to sign.

If you subsequently detect any further damages or defects, you can report these within a period of 14 days of the date of the property being handed over to you. The agency must receive your report on the last day of this 14-day period. Please ask your agency how they would like to receive this information. In general, an email is sufficient, however, some agencies require you to write them a letter. We recommend sending your letter by registered mail – and expect it to take up to two days to arrive. It is really important that you file any subsequently reported defects together with the inspection report.

In addition to the classic online job portals, your personal network is very important in the job search in Switzerland.

A good way to build this up is to attend networking events, such as professional events or workshops. Online business networks like Linkedin or Xing can also be helpful.

For executive positions, it can also make sense to work with a headhunter. The employer pays a placement fee of up to one month's salary to the headhunter, so there are no costs for the candidate.

• jobs.ch
• Indeed.ch
• Jobscout

The application includes a CV or resume with personal details, a photo and a list positions plus your formal education, a personalised letter of motivation and references. This is usually sent by e-mail to the responsible HR contact.

If you are unsure where to inform yourself about the current Covid-19 situation in Zug, you are in the right place here. On the following link you will find all the necessary information you may need.

• zg.ch