Moving to Biel/Bienne: Costs Process & Districts

The Old Town on the slope above the centre has narrow lanes and many houses without a lift – charming, but demanding for moves. Below it lies the Neustadt (north and south) around the station, with rented flats within walking distance of the trains. Mett and Madretsch in the south and east are mixed residential districts with older and newer buildings, while Bözingen on the eastern edge of the city borders the Bözingenfeld with its industry and the Tissot Arena.

Vingelz lies right on Lake Biel on the slope of the Jura, and the Rebberg neighbourhood above the city. Then there is the Champagne district in the west. Each neighbourhood has its own access routes and parking rules, which we take into account when planning the move; which one suits you depends on your commute, budget and the language of the school and neighbourhood.

The housing market in Biel/Bienne is smaller than in Zurich or Bern. Flats near the lake or in renovated Old Town houses are more sought after, while the districts in the east and south offer more choice. Many people value the direct train connections to Bern and French-speaking Switzerland and move to Biel for that reason.

For newcomers it pays to start looking early via Swiss property portals or letting agencies. BFH students often find shared-flat rooms near the station. Have an application file with a debt enforcement register extract ready, because good flats go quickly. As soon as your new flat is confirmed, we schedule the moving date to match the handover and plan the access.

With a removal company, transparency matters most. So here are our guide prices: 1-room flats from €339, 2-room flats from €579, 3-room flats from €884, 4-room flats from €1,289. There is no standard price for a house or villa – for these we calculate an individual quote. If you are moving further away, a long-distance move is charged at a price per kilometre from €3.80. Click through to a free survey to secure a binding quote.

First of all, volume counts – the more household goods, the higher the cost. Distance is charged from €3.80/km. A floor without a lift and a required parking restriction zone also increase the effort. Furniture assembly and a shared load are also worth considering as extra services.

These services are available for private and business customers, including for a move to Biel/Bienne.

1. Company relocation: Company relocation for businesses in every sector.
2. Private move: Private move for private moves of any size.
3. Furniture transport: Furniture transport can also be booked at short notice.
4. Move with assembly: Move with assembly as a complete solution.
5. Shared load: Shared load for small loads.
6. House clearance: House clearance for quick clear-outs.

We plan moves from Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21), including to Switzerland. The route is described in the Biel/Bienne long-distance moving guide, and places with their own pages in the locations overview.

Biel/Bienne is in Switzerland, so your belongings are cleared on entry. The BAZG names moving your place of residence to Switzerland as the key condition for duty-free import. You must have personally used the items for at least 6 months and continue to use them after import. On entry you present form 18.44.

According to the BAZG, no advance notification is needed; you report directly to the competent customs office during its office hours. Proof of the change of residence can be, for example, deregistration in your country of origin and your employment and tenancy agreements. According to the BAZG, the removal company can also help you determine the weight. Further information can be found in our article Moving to Switzerland: customs formalities and process.

In Biel, the parking card office is responsible for parking (Werkhofstrasse 8, tel. 032 326 18 26, Monday to Friday 8.00 to 11.30 a.m., [email protected]). On its "Parking cards and mobility" page the city lists, among others, the residents' parking card, the blue zone day card and an application for a permit to drive on Tessenbergstrasse. You will not find a specific rule for reserved moving spaces there; so ask before the date how the removal van may stand outside your building, especially in the Old Town, Mett and Madretsch.

The residents' registration office (Einwohnerkontrolle) of the City of Biel/Bienne is at Neuengasse 28 (tel. 032 326 12 25, [email protected]). The counter is open on the mornings of Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and on most afternoons, and on Wednesdays from 9.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.; the city provides its pages in German and French. If you are moving within Switzerland, you can report the move and change of address online via eumzug.swiss.

For bulky waste the city distinguishes two routes. Small bulky waste means combustible items from the household, cellar and garage that do not fit into a rubbish bag. It is collected twice a week, may weigh no more than 18 kg per unit and requires stickers: a sofa needs 2 per seat, a rolled-up double-bed mattress 3, a bedside table 1. Put it out between 5 and 7 a.m. together with the household rubbish, without obstructing pedestrians or traffic.

For larger quantities, for example when clearing a flat, there is extra bulky waste. Arrange the collection date by phone with the road inspectorate (Portstrasse 27, tel. 032 326 29 29, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 to 4 p.m.). Mention the access, floor and lift; charges are based on the work involved. According to the city, there are no public container sites in Biel. Everything about settling in can be found in the guide to living in Biel/Bienne; the route from Berlin is described in the long-distance moving guide.