How to choose a relocation agency in Switzerland

A relocation agency can save you weeks — or cost you a great deal for something you could have handled yourself. Here is what these agencies actually do, the six criteria that separate a good service from a mediocre one, and an overview of the firms active in Switzerland, region by region.

1. What does a relocation agency actually do?

The job is broader than simply finding a flat. A full-service agency typically covers five areas:

• The housing search: shortlisting properties, arranging viewings, building and defending your application with letting agencies — this is where most of the value sits, in a market where fifty candidates can compete for one flat.
• Administrative formalities: registering with your commune, the permit file, health insurance, opening a bank account, exchanging your driving licence.
• Schooling: guidance between state, private and international schools, then enrolment — often the decisive factor for families.
• Settling in: utility connections, subscriptions, furnishing, finding your feet day to day.
• Departure: terminating the lease, the exit inspection, deregistering — routinely overlooked at signature, and yet the trickiest stage in Switzerland.

Some firms cover everything, others specialise in the housing search alone. These are two different jobs, at two different prices.

2. Do you really need one?

Let us be direct: it is not essential in every case. Here is how to decide.

An agency is worth it if…	You can manage without if…
You are arriving from outside the EU/EFTA and the permit file is complex	You are an EU/EFTA national with a Swiss contract in hand
You speak neither French nor German	You speak the language of your canton
You need housing in Geneva, Zurich or Zug within two months	You have three months and can attend viewings yourself
You need to enrol several children mid-year	You are arriving alone or as a couple, without children
Your employer is paying for it	You are paying yourself and your budget is tight

The very first question to ask, before comparing any agencies: does your employer cover relocation support in your package? It is very common for senior roles and international organisations, and many newcomers never find out.

3. The six criteria that matter

1. Who invoices you, and who else pays them

This is the most useful question and the least often asked. Ask explicitly whether the agency also receives a commission from the letting agency, the landlord or a partner. The answer disqualifies no one, but it tells you which way your contact's interests lean when they present you with a property.

2. Genuine coverage of your canton

Many agencies advertise "all of Switzerland" when their network of letting agencies is strong in one region only. That network is precisely what you are buying. Ask how many cases they have handled in your commune or canton over the past twelve months.

3. Exactly what the fee covers

Get it in writing: how many viewings are included, what happens if you turn down the first properties, whether administrative support is included or billed separately, and whether the departure stage is covered.

4. Working languages

Obvious on paper, decisive in practice: your contact needs to be fluent both in your language and in that of your canton's administration. That is often the real service being rendered.

5. Membership of a professional association

SARA (the Swiss Association of Relocation Agents) and EuRA at European level hold their members to a code of conduct. It is not an absolute guarantee, but it is a useful filter — and a serious agency will tell you straight away.

6. Verifiable references for your situation

Ask for references that match your case: same canton, same family profile, same country of origin. An agency that excels with single executives in Zurich is not necessarily the right one for a family of four in Nyon.

4. What it costs

Rates are almost never published, because they depend on scope. You will mainly encounter three models:

• A fixed fee per service: one price for the housing search, another for administrative support, another for schooling. The most transparent.
• Day or half-day rates: common for accompanied viewings. Watch how many half-days will genuinely be needed.
• A global package: usually negotiated directly between the agency and your employer, without you seeing the breakdown.

Always ask for a written quote setting out what is included and what is not. Compare two or three agencies: at identical scope, the differences are real.

5. Relocation agencies in Switzerland

These are the firms we come across regularly in our work, grouped by area. This list is informational and constitutes neither a ranking nor a recommendation: we have not audited their services. The information comes from their own websites, verified when this page was published.

Geneva, Vaud and French-speaking Switzerland

Zurich, Zug, Basel and German-speaking Switzerland

Nationwide coverage

Going further

ReloFinder lists and compares a far wider set of Swiss agencies; it is a good starting point if none of the firms above covers your region — relofinder.ch.

Not to be confused: removal companies transport your belongings but do not handle settling-in formalities. Geneva-based Harsch is one of the most established. Many families combine both services.

Do you run a relocation agency and would like to appear on this page, correct an entry or be removed from it? Get in touch and we will update the page.

6. What an agency does not do

An agency finds you a home. It does not furnish it — and that is a persistent blind spot, because the vast majority of Swiss homes are let empty, often without light fittings or curtains, sometimes without appliances.

So you collect the keys to a flat containing nothing, while buying new furniture in Switzerland frequently means four to ten weeks of lead time, and a container from abroad several months.

That is what we do at Swaap: turnkey furniture packs delivered and assembled by our own team within days, with an option to buy if you decide to stay. Many agencies come to us directly for their clients — see our page for newcomers.

For the rest of the process, our complete guide to moving to Switzerland covers permits, communal registration, health insurance and budgeting.

7. Frequently asked questions

You have found the flat. What about the furniture?

Tell us about your home, your move-in date and your region: we will send you a tailored furnishing proposal within 24 hours, with no obligation.

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