What do you have to stop when emigrating to Switzerland?

Emigrating to Switzerland means that you have to complete and stop a lot of Dutch things. The last thing you want is to still pay premiums months later for services you no longer use, or have trouble because you forgot to cancel something. Here you can read exactly what to stop and when.

Unsubscribe from your municipality

This is often the first step that people take, but timing is crucial: you can unsubscribe from 5 days before departure until the day of departure at the latest. This is mandatory if you are going to live outside the Netherlands for more than 8 months.

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Exactly how this works varies from municipality to municipality. Amsterdam For example, let you make an appointment at the counter 4 weeks before departure, but online is only possible if you have already moved or are leaving today. The Hague is possible 5 days before departure. Other municipalities have different rules. So check with your own municipality how they organize it. Some municipalities work with agreements, while others have free access.

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In any case, request proof of deregistration. You may need this document to register with the municipality in Switzerland.

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To arrange:

• Check the procedure with your municipality (appointment required or free walk in?)
• Arrange deregistration (from 5 days before departure or afterwards)
• Request proof of deregistration

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Cancelling Dutch health insurance

There is a clear rule here: according to Dutch law, you are no longer allowed to have Dutch health insurance if you live and work abroad. You are therefore obliged to cancel your insurance as of the date you no longer live in the Netherlands.

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You do this by calling your insurer or using their online cancellation form. Did you forget to cancel it? Then you pay an unnecessary premium and you may be fined.

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In Switzerland, you must take out a new health insurance within 3 months. Read more about how health insurance works in Switzerland.

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To arrange:

• Cancel health insurance as of departure date (unless you are still working in the Netherlands)
• Contacting the insurer by phone or online

Stop subscriptions and services

Now it's going to be a puzzle of all kinds of contracts and subscriptions. Most people underestimate how much they actually walked. Mobile subscriptions and internet & TV often have a month's notice, so plan this carefully.

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If you rent, you must also cancel gas, water and electricity as of your departure date. The waste tax is automatically regulated when you unsubscribe from the municipality. Also, don't forget your public transport subscription: both your NS subscriptions and other public transport products. Do you have a lease car? Check your contract carefully for notice periods. Fortunately, the road tax stops automatically as soon as you deregister your car.

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In addition, don't forget home services. That CV maintenance contract will continue as usual, even if you no longer live there. The same goes for alarm systems, cleaning or garden maintenance. These are often forgotten because they only come by a few times a year.

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Your personal subscriptions also deserve attention. Your gym often has 1 to 3 months' notice, so you should arrange this early. Streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify should be tested to see if they work in Switzerland before cancelling. Some work, others don't. You can usually just cancel newspapers and magazines, both paper and digital.

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For your new life in Switzerland, there are also handy apps you need to download and here you can find the compare best mobile plans.

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To arrange:

• Cancelling mobile subscriptions (1 month's notice)
• Cancel Internet & TV (1 month notice)
• Cancel gas, water, light (for tenants)
• Stop a public transport subscription
• Cancelling a CV maintenance contract
• Cancel the gym (1-3 months notice)
• Check/cancel streaming services
• Cancelling newspapers and magazines

Check your banking and insurance

Good news: you can often just keep your Dutch bank account. ING, Rabobank and SNS Bank are usually flexible about this, although you often pay a little more to keep your account open from abroad.

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Credit cards are another story: many airlines cancel automatically when you emigrate outside the EU. Savings products like Raisin Bank do this too.

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Insurances also need attention. You can cancel your household insurance if you sell or give away your items. With your liability insurance, you should check whether it also applies in Switzerland; some yes, others not. Travel insurance is often no longer necessary if you become a resident of Switzerland.

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To arrange:

• Check which bank accounts you can hold
• Cancelling credit cards (often cancel automatically)
• Check savings products for conditions
• Cancelling household insurance
• Check liability insurance for coverage in Switzerland
• Evaluate/cancel travel insurance

Arrange the car

Are you taking your car to Switzerland? Then you must first deregister it from the Dutch license plate register. You can then stop your Dutch car insurance, because it does not apply in Switzerland.

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Are you leaving your car in the Netherlands? Then it's best to sell or transfer it. Because if you unsubscribe from the municipality, you have to transfer the license plate to someone else. An alternative is to suspend your car for 1, 2 or 3 years. Then you do not pay road tax and you do not have to do an MOT.

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And don't forget: within a year, you must have your Exchange a Dutch driving license for a Swiss one.

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To arrange:

• Unregister the car from the license plate register (if you bring it with you)
• Stop Dutch car insurance
• Transfer the license plate to someone else (if the car stays)
• Or suspend the car for 1-3 years

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Tip: check your statements when you emigrate!

Grab your bank statements for the past 6 months and see all direct debits. This way, you can see exactly which subscriptions you have and don't forget any. Also check the subscriptions of your possible partner and children. They often have their own contracts running.

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But don't worry: takeoff helps you with a personal checklist so you don't forget anything. We'll make sure you get to your Swiss adventure you can start!

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Curious about the complete checklist with everything you need to arrange when emigrating to Switzerland? From address changes to pension plans: check out our comprehensive emigration to Switzerland checklist.