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Serafe fee, electricity and waste bags – setting up your home in Switzerland

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Once you have the keys and a registered address, the running costs begin: the Serafe radio and TV fee, electricity, broadband, a SIM card, insurance and the right bin bags. Here is what each costs in 2026, what changes in 2027 and what you have to arrange yourself.

Smiling woman carrying a moving box with a plant into a bright new flat
Photo: milanmarkovic78/Adobe Stock

Setting up home in Switzerland means a handful of contracts and one bill you never signed up for: the Serafe fee for radio and television. Three changes matter now. The Serafe household fee falls from CHF 335 to CHF 312 on 1 January 2027. The median household electricity price drops by about 4 per cent in 2027. And under rules in force since 1 January 2024, every mobile SIM, prepaid included, needs an ID check.

What is the Serafe fee and do you have to pay it?

Every private household pays an annual radio and television fee, whether or not you own a TV or a radio. The Federal Council sets it and SERAFE AG collects it. You do not register: the Einwohnerkontrolle / contrôle des habitants (residents' office) passes your household data to Serafe automatically (part 3). Every adult in the household is named on the invoice, and all of them are jointly liable.

Serafe feeAmountGood to know
Private household, 2026CHF 335 a yearCollective households pay CHF 670
Private household, from 1 January 2027CHF 312 a yearFirst step of a cut ordered by the Federal Council
Federal Council plan (19 June 2024)CHF 300 a year by 2029Gradual reduction
Quarterly invoice, on requestCHF 83.75 + CHF 2.00 = CHF 85.75Due within 30 days

Source: SERAFE AG, the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) and the Federal Council, read 23 September 2026.

Households are spread at random over twelve billing months, so your first annual invoice can arrive at any time; it is due within 60 days. The 'CHF 200 is enough' initiative (the SRG initiative), which wanted a lower fee, was rejected on 8 March 2026 with 38.1 per cent yes, so the Federal Council's gradual cut is what applies.

If you receive annual federal supplementary benefits (Ergänzungsleistungen) to AHV/AVS (old-age and survivors' insurance) or disability insurance, you can apply for exemption by sending Serafe a copy of the legally valid decision. Serafe's customer service is on 058 201 31 67, Monday to Friday. It never asks for payment by TWINT or through links in e-mails, so treat such messages as phishing.

Electricity: can you choose your supplier?

Not as a household. If you use less than 100 MWh a year, you are in Grundversorgung (basic supply) and buy from your local grid operator, according to the Federal Electricity Commission ElCom. Tariffs are announced by the end of August, apply from 1 January and stay fixed for a year. They vary considerably between the roughly 590 grid operators, and ElCom's price website shows yours by commune.

In the City of Zurich, registering at the Personenmeldeamt does not sign you up for electricity and water: you do that separately, with ewz for electricity.

Typical household (4,500 kWh a year)20262027
Median price per kWh27.7 centimes26.5 centimes
Annual electricity billCHF 1,247CHF 1,194
Change on the previous yearAbout 4 per cent lowerAbout 4 per cent lower
Metering tariff (median)CHF 74.40 a yearCHF 78.48 a year

Source: ElCom, press releases of 9 September 2025 and 8 September 2026, read 23 September 2026.

The Canton of Geneva says household tariffs fall by about 2 per cent from 1 January 2027 and stay below the Swiss average. Metering tariffs alone range from CHF 0 to CHF 180 a year, depending on the operator.

Two reforms are not yet law. The EU–Switzerland electricity agreement, part of the Bilaterals III package, was signed on 2 March 2026 and is before Parliament; under it, all consumers could choose a supplier, while households using under 50 MWh could stay in regulated supply. For gas there is still no nationwide framework for choosing a supplier, and a revised Gas Supply Act is only a draft.

Broadband and mobile: what do you need to sign up?

Swisscom holds the telecoms universal-service licence for 2024 to 2031. Since 1 January 2024, that service includes internet at 10/1 Mbit/s, or 80/8 Mbit/s on request, at capped prices.

Universal-service offer (excl. VAT)Maximum price
Internet 10/1 Mbit/s, including connectionCHF 45 a month
Internet 80/8 Mbit/s, including connectionCHF 60 a month
Phone line plus 80/8 Mbit/s internetCHF 65 a month
One-off set-up feeCHF 40

Source: Ordinance on Telecommunications Services (Art. 22) and the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), read 23 September 2026.

For any mobile SIM, prepaid included, the provider or reseller must check your valid passport, identity card or Swiss residence permit card (Ausländerausweis) when handing it over or activating it for the first time. For prepaid cards, the seller also records the time and place of sale and keeps an electronic copy of your ID.

Which insurance do you need for your home?

Personal liability insurance is not compulsory by law, but the official Swiss government portal warns that you may struggle to rent a flat without it, and most cantons require it for dog owners. Policies typically cover CHF 3 million to CHF 20 million, with a deductible of zero to CHF 5,000. Household contents insurance is a separate policy covering your belongings against fire, natural hazards, water damage and burglary. In the Canton of Vaud, contents insurance against fire and natural hazards is compulsory for every resident, tenants and students included, as assurance mobilier ménage with the cantonal insurer ECA.

InsuranceCompulsory?Details
Personal liabilityNot by law, but hard to rent without itCompulsory for dog owners in most cantons
Third-party motorYesCars, motorbikes, mopeds and fast e-bikes
Household contentsYes in the Canton of Vaud, with ECA (fire and natural hazards)Elsewhere, ask your canton

Source: the official Swiss government portal and ECA Vaud, read 23 September 2026.

Rubbish and recycling: why do you pay per bag?

Swiss waste law follows the polluter-pays principle. Under the Environmental Protection Act, whoever holds waste pays for its disposal, and cantons pass the cost of household rubbish on through fees. In the City of Zurich, household rubbish goes only in the official blue Züri-Sack, whose price includes the fee; shops add their own retail price on top.

Züri-Sack (City of Zurich)Fee share per bag, excl. VAT
10 litresCHF 0.37
17 litresCHF 0.63
35 litresCHF 1.30
60 litresCHF 2.22
110 litresCHF 4.07
Basic waste fee per housing unit, 2026CHF 22 a year

Source: City of Zurich (Stadt Zürich), Züri-Sack and waste fee pages, read 23 September 2026.

In a June 2025 city survey, a roll of ten 35-litre bags cost between CHF 15.45 and CHF 19.95 in shops. Tenants normally pay the basic fee through their Nebenkosten (service charges).

Recycling is free but strict about timing. In the City of Zurich, glass and small metal items go to about 160 collection points, only Monday to Saturday from 07:00 to 20:00 – never at night, on Sundays or on public holidays. PET drink bottles go to one of about 5,000 PET collection points or back to the shop. Electrical appliances never go in the rubbish: shops must take back appliances of the kind they sell free of charge, even if you buy nothing, as both the City of Zurich and the Canton of Geneva state. In the Canton of Geneva, non-recyclable waste such as dirty plastic packaging or pizza boxes goes in the ordinary black bin.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Register with your commune; Serafe gets your household data from thereWithin 14 days of moving in
2Sign up for electricity and water – separately from registration in the City of ZurichWhen you move in
3Take out personal liability insurance, and contents insurance with ECA in the Canton of VaudBefore you move in
4Take your passport, ID card or permit card to buy a SIMOn arrival
5Check your first Serafe invoice and ignore any request to pay by TWINT or e-mail linkWhen the invoice arrives
6Buy your commune's official bags and find your nearest collection pointsIn your first week

Source: the official Swiss government portal, SERAFE AG and the City of Zurich, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.