Living in Emmen LU: Neighbourhoods Rents, Registration
Guide for newcomers
Arriving in Emmen: A Lucerne Suburb on the Reuss and Kleine Emme
Living in the Canton of Lucerne
This is Emmen in the canton of Lucerne, not the Dutch town of the same name. The municipality lies north of Lucerne where the Kleine Emme flows into the Reuss and, after the city of Lucerne, is the most populous municipality in Central Switzerland – with more than 30,000 inhabitants since 2015. It consists of the localities of Emmen and Emmenbrücke; at just over 37 per cent, Emmen has the highest share of foreign residents in the canton. This guide shows what newcomers from Germany take care of in the first weeks: customs, registration with the residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle), choosing a neighbourhood, public transport and waste.
We have no branch in Switzerland; we come from Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21). It is around 906 km to Emmen, about thirteen and a half hours by lorry including statutory breaks – we plan two days for it. Unlike moves within the EU, you have to declare your household goods at the Swiss border: removal goods are duty-free if you have already used them for at least six months and will continue to use them; form 18.44 is used for this. How we plan cross-border moves is described under International move. After a survey or a video call, we give you a fixed price.
Moving Quote for Emmen
Survey or video, then a fixed price
For your move to Emmen, we look at your household goods, floor and access – on site in Berlin or by video call – and then give you a fixed price. Customs declaration, parking the removal van, assembly and storage are listed as separate items in the quote. We accept liability for damage under § 451e HGB. Call us on 01625978461.
Quotes available individually based on workload, scheduling and the desired scope of services.
What happens before moving day
Planning from Berlin, Arrival in Central Switzerland
We drive by lorry from Berlin-Moabit to Switzerland, so we clarify beforehand what matters at the border and on arrival day: the inventory list and form 18.44 for customs, access to the apartment building in Benziwil or Meierhöfli, or to the detached house in Herdschwand or Waldibrücke. For parking on public ground, we ask the municipality about the rules. For your belongings we accept liability under § 451e HGB at €620 per cubic metre of load space; additional insurance is available. We set the delivery day so that you can register with the Einwohnerkontrolle within 14 days.
Packaging
Files and Technology
A new chapter in life
Large Furniture
How We Plan the Route to Switzerland
The fixed price for your move to Emmen is based on volume, floor, carrying distances and the roughly 906 km from Berlin. Customs clearance, assembly and any storage are listed as individual items in the quote so that you can compare.
Timetable in the quote
Customs Prepared
Space outside the door
Thinking from the move-in
Interim storage
Beds first
Travel Cheaply to Emmen
If you are moving to study at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Design & Art (Hochschule Luzern – Design & Kunst) in the Viscosistadt, or are only bringing a few pieces of furniture, you can save with a shared load: your things travel together with other consignments towards Switzerland. Even then you need an inventory list for customs. We discuss the flexibility on the delivery day over the phone.
What
Comes After Moving In
If you move to Emmen, according to the municipality you register within 14 days – online via eUmzug or at the counter of the Einwohnerkontrolle; the municipality states CHF 40 for this. Anyone coming from abroad brings, among other things, a passport, health insurance policy, tenancy agreement and the assurance from the migration office (Amt für Migration). After that come school, parking card and the waste calendar of the Real municipal association. You get around by S-Bahn from four stations and by bus to Lucerne. What the municipality itself states is set out in the sections below.
Customs and Registration
From period buildings to new builds
Fixed price and options
Questions from Newcomers in Emmen LU
Emmenbrücke and Emmen-Dorf – the Neighbourhoods
The municipality consists of two localities. Emmenbrücke lies mostly on a plateau and borders Lucerne; it includes neighbourhoods such as Erlen/Neuhof, Sonnenhof, Sprengi/Riffig, Kapf, Benziwil, Meierhöfli, Herdschwand and Seetalplatz as well as the Viscosistadt. Emmen, with Emmen-Dorf, lies in the Reuss valley south of the military airfield, plus Rüeggisingen and the residential neighbourhood of Waldibrücke.
Herdschwand is almost entirely residential, with detached houses and small apartment buildings; Benziwil is shaped by a housing development from the 1970s.
Where people work and study
A major employer is Emmen military airfield with its aircraft works and around 1,400 jobs; the Patrouille Suisse is also stationed here. Then there are Steeltec (Swiss Steel), Hager AG, the construction firms Anliker and Gebr. Brun, the logistics group ALSO and Emmi plants. Since 2019 the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Design & Art has been teaching in the Viscosistadt.
The Emmen Center is the largest shopping centre in Central Switzerland, alongside the Wohncenter and the Sonnenplatz shopping centre. The city of Lucerne with its lake, museums and theatre is right next door. We do not give rents without a reliable source.
What your move costs
Whether a 1-room flat (from €354), 2-room flat (from €584), 3-room flat (from €909) or 4-room flat (from €1,269) – we have the right price for every flat size. For houses and villas we prepare an individual quote, and for long-distance moves we charge €3.85/km. Request your free survey now.
Pricing in a move
- Volume of your belongings
- Distance rate from €3.85/km
- A floor without a lift increases the effort
- Need for a parking restriction zone
- Furniture assembly and shared load as extra services
Services for the move to Switzerland
Services for Your Move to Switzerland
Every move is unique – that is why we offer you tailor-made solutions.
- Shared load: Shared load for smaller transport volumes at a fair price.
- Company relocation: Company relocation with minimal disruption to operations.
- Furniture transport: Furniture transport for single items or entire flats.
- House clearance: House clearance for houses, flats and cellars.
- Home removal: Home removal for families and individuals.
- Move with assembly: Move with assembly including furniture assembly.
From Berlin to Central Switzerland – and Back
We plan moves from Stromstraße 21 in Berlin-Moabit, to Emmen as well as back to Germany. How the roughly 906 km and customs clearance work is described in our long-distance moving guide for Emmen.
Registering in Emmen LU: 14 Days, eUmzug and the Einwohnerkontrolle
This refers to Emmen in the canton of Lucerne, not the Dutch Emmen. According to the municipality of Emmen, anyone moving there must report their arrival within 14 days. This can be done online via eUmzug or in person at the counter of the Einwohnerkontrolle (tel. 041 268 02 30, [email protected]). Before that, you must deregister in your previous municipality of residence. The municipality states CHF 40.00 for registration, for Swiss citizens, foreign nationals and weekly residents.
As documents for Swiss citizens, the municipality lists the certificate of origin (Heimatschein), health insurance policy, tenancy agreement or housing certificate (or a confirmation from the property management) and family record book, and a divorce decree if applicable. Foreign nationals bring a passport or identity card, foreign national's permit, health insurance policy, tenancy agreement, family record book and, if married, the marriage certificate; in addition there is the assurance from the Amt für Migration and, when moving from abroad, the employment contract. Weekly residents present the certificate of origin or interim certificate from their municipality of residence, proof of studies and the tenancy agreement.
Because the list on the municipality's website appears under the note on deregistration, check briefly with the Einwohnerkontrolle which documents apply exactly to your case. The municipality's telephone number is 041 268 01 11 and the general email address is [email protected]. How to organise your move from Germany is explained in the guide to long-distance moving to Emmen.
Emmen LU: Stations, Bus Lines 40–46, Parking Cards and Waste
The municipality has Emmenbrücke station as well as the SBB stations Gersag, Waldibrücke and Kapf, which connect to the national rail network. According to the municipality, bus lines 40 to 46 serve the neighbourhoods. Timetables are run by Auto AG Rothenburg, Rottal Auto AG and vbl; the Passepartout fare network applies. The municipality gives no frequency details on the page, so check them in the timetable. Mobility matters are handled by the municipality's mobility commission.
For parking on public ground, you can get parking cards from the municipality. The municipality's website gives no rates or zones, so ask the municipality before moving day where your vehicle may stand. Mobility car-sharing locations are at Emmenbrücke station, at Sonnenplatz, in Sprengi and in Grundhof.
Waste is handled by the Real municipal association, Reusseggstrasse 19, 6020 Emmenbrücke (tel. 041 429 12 12). Real publishes the collection dates and offers a free waste calendar app. The association's area includes ten Ökihöfe (recycling centres), and around 100 unstaffed collection points accept recyclables such as glass and aluminium. The municipality offers a shredding service for garden waste, which can be booked in April and November from 2 m³. The municipality bills the basic waste charge each December together with the water/wastewater bill. More about the neighbourhoods in the Emmen moving guide.
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