New in Winterthur: Registration Health Insurance and Flat Hunting in the First Weeks

Winterthur consists of seven city districts (Stadtkreise): Stadt (district 1) with the old town, Heiligberg, Tössfeld and Neuwiesen, Oberwinterthur in the north-east, Seen in the south-east, Töss in the south-west, Veltheim in the north, Wülflingen in the north-west and Mattenbach between Stadt and Seen. Oberwinterthur, Seen, Töss, Veltheim and Wülflingen were separate municipalities until 1922 and still have a distinct life of their own today.

Recently there has been a lot of building above all in Oberseen, Dättnau and Hegi, which got its own station in 2006. We deliberately do not give specific rents – they depend heavily on the neighbourhood and year of construction. A complete application with a debt collection register extract increases your chances; if you stay flexible on neighbourhood and flat size, you will find something more easily.

Winterthur was an important industrial city; Sulzer and Rieter or their successors are still active today, albeit smaller than before. Today services shape the picture: the city is home to AXA Switzerland and the health insurer Swica. The ZHAW is the largest university of applied sciences in the canton of Zurich and has five of its eight departments in Winterthur.

For leisure, Winterthur is considered the “city of museums” – the most visited is the Technorama, and the Fotomuseum is also well known. Because of its many parks, the city is also called the garden city; the wooded hills such as the Eschenberg and the upper Töss valley offer local recreation. Winterthur station has the fourth-highest passenger numbers in Switzerland, and Zurich Airport is 13 to 17 minutes away by train.

Once a year, on the last weekend in June, the city celebrates its town charter of 1264 with the Stadtfest (city festival); in February there is Fasnacht (carnival). For children and families, in addition to the museums, there are six neighbourhood libraries and three toy libraries.

• No hidden costs – 1 room from €365
• Fair scaling – 2 rooms from €594
• Transparent prices – 3 rooms from €889
• Also for large households – 4 rooms from €1,309
• House/villa: individual quote
• Long-distance moves: from €4.20/km, calculated transparently

We clarify all the details during a free survey.

The most important factors are volume, distance (from €4.20/km), floor and a possibly missing lift. A parking restriction zone can also mean extra effort. If you book furniture assembly or a shared load, you should factor this in as well.

You can book these services individually for your move to Winterthur.

• Furniture transport: Reliable, no matter how big or heavy. Furniture Transport
• Shared load: Save costs with groupage transport. Shared Load
• Home removal: We make your move as easy as possible. Home Removal
• Company relocation: Professional handling for businesses. Company Relocation
• House clearance: Fast and thorough clearing. House Clearance
• Move with assembly: Complete service including furniture assembly. Move with Assembly

We plan long-distance moves from Berlin (Stromstraße 21), including to Switzerland. More on this under Long-Distance Moves; places with their own pages are shown in the locations overview.

After arriving, according to the City of Winterthur you must register with the residents' registration office within 14 days. If you come from abroad, you register in person at the counter; the city gives fixed time slots for people from abroad, and no appointment is needed. The online route via eUmzug is not open to people who do not yet live in Switzerland. The residents' registration office is at Pionierstrasse 7, 8400 Winterthur, telephone +41 52 267 57 54.

Depending on your situation, you should bring:

• your passport or ID card in the original
• tenancy agreement, purchase agreement or confirmation of moving in
• when entering for the first time, for example a confirmation of employment or studies, marriage or birth certificate

According to the city, the fee is CHF 40 per adult; foreign nationals also pay fees to the Migration Office of the canton of Zurich. For fixed-term employment contracts of up to three months, the employer reports you; according to the city, registration is only possible with a permanent contract or one lasting at least four months. You must take out health insurance within three months of taking up residence and report it to the residents' registration office. Children under 18 may only be registered by a person with parental responsibility; for parents living apart, a declaration on parental responsibility is required.

The City of Winterthur rents out its own flats, including family flats, flats for single people and older people, and special flats in the old town. All flats available to rent are advertised publicly; you sign up for a viewing on the city's portal and then receive an application form. For a complete application, you need a debt collection register extract no more than six months old. According to the city, it does not keep a waiting list. The city's flats are also offered on Homegate.

When moving from Germany, customs plays a role. According to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG), household goods and a car can be imported duty-free if you move your residence to Switzerland. The items must have been in personal use for at least six months. You prove the change of residence with, for example, an employment or tenancy agreement or a deregistration certificate from Germany. For this you fill in form 18.44 and present it at the customs office of entry.

How we plan such long-distance moves can be found in the article on customs and formalities when moving to Switzerland. The cost factors are explained in Moving to Switzerland: Costs and Planning, and you can find the checklist under Emigrating to Switzerland.